Eyedropper tool RGB and CMYK help!

When I try and sample a color from a graphic imported with the eyedropper tool, it automatically creates the swatch as RGB.  The imported graphic is CMYK and the document color mode is CMYK.  The InDesign file is set for Print.
Please help.  I hate having to select a swatch and then have to change it to CMYK every time!

For placed ai and pdf files the preview proxy is always RGB so the eyedropper gets RGB values. With image files the eyedropper will return the actual pixel color. If you are trying to get an exact match to the placed vector file's CMYK values, converting the proxy RGB values to CMYK won't work because the color will be a color managed conversion from RGB to CMYK.

Similar Messages

  • Why does Illustrator automatically change RGB and CMYK values

    Hi, I am struggling to understand why Illustrator is changing the values inside the RGB and CMYK boxes. I am also not sure of the exact relationship between these values. Essentially, it appears that if you set the Document Color Mode to RGB, it leaves the RGB values that you type in alone. If you set the Document Color Mode to CMYK, it leaves the CMYK values alone.
    But as soon as you change the Color Mode, it automatically modifies the values. So if you were in RGB mode and you set some RGB values, it changes those RGB values when you switch to CMYK mode. And vice versa.
    I had thought that the CMYK palette was a subset of the RGB palette. It would make sense to me if it did this when I switched from RGB to CMYK mode, but it doesn't make sense to me why it does this when I switch from CMYK to RGB mode.
    The other thing I am confused about is the relationship of the values in the RGB boxes to the values in the CMYK boxes. I would have thought that the relationship between them would be static. Actually, it is not. When I am in CMYK mode and I enter a CMYK value of 90 16 0 0, the RGB values become 0 158 222. But when I switch over to RGB mode, the RGB values of 0 158 222 result in CMYK values of 75 23 0 0.
    Very confusing.
    Thanks in advance if you can explain this behavior!
    Best Regards,
    Z.

    Color management.
    Hi, I am struggling to understand why Illustrator is changing the values inside the RGB and CMYK boxes. I am also not sure of the exact relationship between these values. Essentially, it appears that if you set the Document Color Mode to RGB, it leaves the RGB values that you type in alone. If you set the Document Color Mode to CMYK, it leaves the CMYK values alone.
    An Ai document can be either RGB or CMYK. The colors follow the document color mode and thus are converted immediately if they don't match.
    But as soon as you change the Color Mode, it automatically modifies the values. So if you were in RGB mode and you set some RGB values, it changes those RGB values when you switch to CMYK mode. And vice versa.
    Same reason.
    I had thought that the CMYK palette was a subset of the RGB palette. It would make sense to me if it did this when I switched from RGB to CMYK mode, but it doesn't make sense to me why it does this when I switch from CMYK to RGB mode.
    It's not. CMYK color spaces (there are more than just one) are normally smaller than RGB color spaces, but they aren't a "subset".
    The other thing I am confused about is the relationship of the values in the RGB boxes to the values in the CMYK boxes. I would have thought that the relationship between them would be static. Actually, it is not. When I am in CMYK mode and I enter a CMYK value of 90 16 0 0, the RGB values become 0 158 222. But when I switch over to RGB mode, the RGB values of 0 158 222 result in CMYK values of 75 23 0 0.
    When Illustrator converts the colors, it uses color management: the profiles you set up and the methods you set up. After converting it forgets the color that used to be. When converting "back", it uses color management again.
    When you convert an very bright RGB color, it be out of the CMYK gamut. So it get's converted to the closest possbile CMYK color (which might still be far away from the original color. But it's not possible to convert it "back" to the bright one unless you just revert the conversion (by Cmd/Ctrl + Z).

  • How to select matching RGB and CMYK colors

    Starting from scratch for a client, how do I select matching RGB and CMYK pairs?
    Say we find a nice red colour in RGB for screen use, how do I then find the correct CMYK for print? And what assumptions do I have to make when doing this, if any?
    Would it be the same for the other way around (choose CMYK first for print and then find the RGB equivalent)
    Is it more sensible to start with a Pantone colour and then find the RGB and CMYK equivalents for that?
    Many thanks
    RobbieG
    (I'm working with Ai, Ps and Id CS6)

    Yes.  Better to start with Pantone reference books where you are viewing the color in a reflective environment.  As already mentioned, color on the monitor can be deceptive.  And, I think the others are basiclt saying that you should have everything calibrated and use color management policies in your apps.  There is a way to find CMYK equivalents using Photoshop's color palette.  Let's say you have an RGB Red as the foreground color in Photoshop.  If you double click on the swatch you will get Photoshop's color palette which lists the RGB percentages, CMYK percentages, LAB percentages, and HEX web color for that Red.  You can go further and select "Custom" and the Pasntone Spot color palette opens and gives you the closest Spot color value for that Red.  This however, depends on your color settings.  That's why I recommend you start with the Pantone swatch book and get the perecentages of CMYK from their formula guide which is set to industry standard color.

  • Why do the relative values of RGB and CMYK change when switching between Photoshop and InDesign?

    I'm trying to put together a Colour Guide for my company's brand guidelines.
    I initially worked from InDesign and wrote down all the H, RGB, and CMYK values that I got when I eye-dropped my original colour palette.
    However when I put the same RGB values into Photoshop- I am given a (slightly) different set of CMYK numbers from those that I had originally documented in InDesign.
    Why is this???

    Jamie,
    in Photoshop go to Edit > Color Settings and choose your  parameters:
    For RGB: sRGB or AdobeRGB (1998)
    For CMYK: the process as recommended by your printer (person, company)
    For offset printing this is here ISOCoated-v2-eci and elsewhere for instance SWOP.
    For digital printing you should ask the company as well.
    For Grayscale: Gray Gamma 2.2
    For Spot: probably irrelevant in the moment. Dot Gain 20%
    Everything as shown here:
    For your application I've modified my settings a little, therefore we can see top left 'unsynchronized'.
    In InDesign do practically the same, but there are no settings for Grayscale.
    You'll find for any topic explanations if you move to by mouse (position the pointer over ...).
    The field 'Settings' shows not 'Custom' but the file name of a configuration which had been previously saved
    and then loaded (buttons top right).
    Further explanations on request. It would be quite useless to explain everything now at the same time.
    The colors will be wrong if the settings are not synchronized. Above they are explicitly synchronized.
    Because Bridge was not used, the system considers them as 'not synchronized', which doesn't matter.
    Best regards --Gernot Hoffmann

  • Designing art for both RGB and CMYK

    I need to make some artwork that might be viewed in both RGB and printed with CMYK. I know I can switch the color mode after making the artwork, however, I'm concerned with color shifting when changing from RGB to CMYK or the other way around. How do you design something that you can both print and display on screen without compromising the colors?
    Thanks.

    Generally, is there much if any color shift when going from CMYK to RGB?
    Even if a given color is within the gamuts of both CMYK and RGB color spaces, that does not necessarily mean that color shifts will not occur.
    You can't think of the RGB and CMYK versions of "a color" as "equivalents." There is not just one set of CMYK values for a given set of RGB values. A simple way to think about it is this: Take the product of three numbers. Now divide that number into four factors. Obviously, there is more than just one set of four values possible.
    So switching back and forth between RGB and CMYK color spaces in willy-nilly fashon is not good practice. The software has to make a translation decision out of many possibilities. It does it according to your so-called "color management" settings. Even then, the software does not keep a breadcrumb trail of all of your switches back and forth. So colors can still drift.
    Design for print first. Then repurpose for web. Color is not the only reason for this.
    JET

  • Colors change in objects in both RGB and CMYK formats

    I've recently upgraded to CS6 and also to OS 10.8...  Im working in multiple Illustrator docs using a color of 100-87-32-32. When I change objects to that color by keying it in to the color pallete, it changes. If I click off, go away and come back the color shifts to 100-82-36-29 or something similar.
    Some objects retain and others shift. What gives?

    Are you in the corect color mode?
    File >> Document Color Mode >> CMYK when working in print
    File >> Document Color Mode >> RGB when working in web or digital
    Be careful when you make new document, flip down advanced to change to the desired color mode.

  • RGB and CMYK blend spaces for document creation

    If I create a new document with the print profile it sets the blend space to CMYK. Will I be seeing a true representation of the colours or do I need to switch to an RGB blend spaces while creating the document then switch to CMYK when I'm ready to print?

    I'm wanting to know what to set the colours to while I'm working on the document to make sure the colours I choose are going to be the same as what I print. I'd use RGB while creating a document onscreen then change to CMKY when I'm printing to maintain a true representation of colours. Can I do the same thing using the transparency blend space?

  • Can Photoshop Elements opan .eps files (rgb and cmyk)?

    And why is this information so difficult to locate on the Adobe Elements section of Adobe's site?

    Here is blog post explaining how to open EPS files in PSE11 with a workaround - http://blogs.adobe.com/pselements/open-eps-files-in-photoshop-elements-11/
    Thanks,
    Garry

  • Conversion formulas from RGB to CMYK

    Hi,
    I've been writing a Colour swatch tool (in excel! hell yeah!) which allows me to pick a bunch of colours, generate complimentary colours from them, blend between 2 colours in a set number of steps and a whole bunch of other cool stuff, and then output this as a photoshop or illustrator swatch file.
    As part of this tool I want to be able to covert the rgb values to cmyk. There is very little information on this on the web and what there is is fairly inaccurate.
    For example,
    RGB:50,128,128
    Converts to CMYK 61,0,0,50 (%) using the formula found at easyrgb.com (this formula is the most prevalent one on the web/web forums)
    Photoshop converts these RGB values as CMYK: 80,33,48,8 (%)
    While these two colour values are *similar* the ones generated by the easyrgb formulas are nowhere near the photoshop values.
    See? stupid useless formulas. (I am aware of the differences and overlap of the two gamuts)
    Whilst I know that the conversion done in photoshop is done using ICC templates, and that often these conversions are device dependant, there must be a more realiable way of converting from one colour space to another using good old reliable cold hard maths.
    Does anyone know what that might be? you guys at Adobe: I AM LOOKING AT YOU.
    Hope you guys can help,
    ~silvery~
    For reference I have included and commented the easyrgb formulas:
    First: RGB -> CMY
    C = 1 - ( R / 255 )
    M = 1 - ( G / 255 )
    Y = 1 - ( B / 255 )
    Second: CMY -> CMYK
    var_K = 1
    Initally sets var_K as 1, although this is dependant on variables below
    if ( C < var_K )   var_K = C
    if ( M < var_K )   var_K = M
    if ( Y < var_K )   var_K = Y
    This bit finds the smallest value from the CMY range and sets this value as var_K
    if ( var_K == 1 ) { //Black
        C = 0
        M = 0
        Y = 0
    If var_K (the value that K is calculated from) is 1, then all the CMY values are reset to 0
    else {
        C = ( C - var_K ) / ( 1 - var_K )
        M = ( M - var_K ) / ( 1 - var_K )
        Y = ( Y - var_K ) / ( 1 - var_K )
    If the value of var_K is anything other than 1 then use the smallest value from the CMY range
    K = var_K
    The value of K as filtered out from the conditions above

    Oliver,
    I'm not sure what you mean by the term 'meta' color profiles, but I'll take a stab at what I "think" you are asking.  There are some fairly widely accepted "standards" out there for both RGB and CMYK.
    In the RGB world, for example, sRGB, Adobe RGB (and to some extent, ProPhoto RGB) have a fairly wide following. These are all ICC profiles, which nail down the boundaries of the color gamut and the definitions of any tri-stimulus combination of red, green and blue. Basically, they are matrix profiles that establish the positions of the Red, Green and Blue primaries, and these positions define the outer limits, or color gamut, of the color space. sRGB is a relatively small color space, so some viewable and printable colors get clipped (sRGB is the general internet, email standard and is widely assumed for many non-color managed appplications, printers, etc). sRGB can handle a fairly wide range of colors, but does clip some colors in brightly colored originals. It has the advantage of being the most widely adopted standard, plus the steps between colors are very close together. I use sRGB for average images, most people pictures, etc. Adobe RGB spreads the primaries further apart, so it describes a wider color gamut. Because the primaries are further apart, the steps are slightly larger from one color to the next, but marginally so. I use Adobe RGB for most of my brightly colored images that will get clipped in sRGB. Adobe RGB is also generally a good choice for images that will ultimately go to a printing press or inkjet. ProPhoto RGB pushes the primaries WAY apart, so it describes a HUGE color gamut...in fact, many of the colors that can be defined in ProPhoto fall outside human vision, and certainly monitors and printers.Due to the wide spacing of steps in ProPhoto RGB, images should be worked in in 16 bit, otherwide you may see some banding and posterization if large edits are made.
    In the CMYK world, certain "standards" have been established, mainly for commercial offset printers (both web and sheetfed presses). By creating a standard, they are trying to establish the ink limit, densities, color gamut, dynamic range, gray balance, etc, of a "generic" sheet of commercial printing paper on the average well-maintained press using standard ISO inks, using good process control, mesurements, etc. By it's nature, this process has to encompass a wide cross section of presses, so it may act as a limitation on what some modern presses are capable of, but that's what standards usually do. If a good printer, with a modern press and great process control decides to sidestep the standard, they can probably extend color gamut, dynamic range, etc, but at the cost of no longer being "standardized". If commercial printers are "truly" trying to meet the standard, they will run tests, take measurements, and adjust their entire workflow so it matches the standard, within acceptable tolerances. Lots of shops "claim" to adhere to SWOP or GRACoL standards, but the majority of them don't. Standards for presses make some sense, because blending CMYK inks together (especially if they use ISO standard inks) on paper usually has a reasonably narrow range that works, though the paper makes a huge difference. (the same cannot be said for inkjets, monitors and many other processes, so they generally do not have standards). So for presses, there are standards for matte and coated papers, web presses, sheetfed presses, newsprint, etc. Each of these standards has its own ICC profile (or a family of profiles) that establishes ink limits, color gamuts, etc.
    All ICC profiles have the necessary tags and data to comply with the ICC specification. One of those requirements is a "profile connection space", which is usually L*a*b* or a variant. So, an file on your computer may be tagged as an Adobe RGB file, and if you wish to prepare it for a sheetfed press using glossy stock, you could convert the file to GRACoL2006_Coated1v2.ICC (an industry standard profile for No. 1 coated stock on a sheetfed press). Since both files have the ability to "speak Lab" a translation can be made from one color space to the other. The numbers in the Adobe RGB file will be converted to L*a*b* (the universal translator), and then the L*a*b* numbers will be converted to CMYK, specifically GRACoL2006_Coated1v2.ICC. So, now you have a file in CMYK space with new numbers. It is worth noting that RGB has only three colorants to define colors, but CMYK has four. So, while in RGB there is only one way to define a specific color, in CMYK, there are many possible combinations that can generate many colors. This adds complexity to the equation. The CMY colors are called subtractive primaries, and are opposites of RGB (additive primaries). The "K" (black ink) is added for text, line art, neutrality, extra Dmax, and because the CMY inks are not pure and don't deliver a true black all by themselves. If the inks and paper were perfect, you could theoretically get away with CMY all by themselves, except for registration issues, text, line art, etc. Also, the additional "K" ink can help reduce the total ink limit, save ink, reduce costs, and improve quality.
    Sorry for the book. This is not a simple subject, and we have only touched the surface.
    Lou

  • Photoshop CS6 Cloud crashes when I use the eyedropper tool

    Since upgrading to CS6 Creative Cloud subscription a few weeks ago I have noticed Photoshop has crahsed a number of times when I am using the eyedropper tool - very frustrating, please help.

    Update your graphics driver, check your monitor color profile and otehr such settings.
    Mylenium

  • Specific Colour changing Script from RGB to CMYK

    I need to change the RGB values (imported from word) to specific CMYK values in Indesign (its not a straight swop) so I need a script or a similar plug-in that enables me to input the colour values for the CMYK so they automatically change.... the doc i work on is huge and im importing from a word file many times so i need to save time!!
    Can anyone help me?
    Thank you!

    Hi Phil... Hmmm not sure if i explained myself! Or maybe I am being thick.... I tried the new code but im not sure I was clear on my problem?
    This is the current code i use to change the RGN values to the CMYK is: I have entered the RGB and CMYK values as they need to be changed and it works but the swatch pallette ends up looking messy! See below.
    var myIDOc = app.activeDocument;
    var mySwatch = myIDOc.swatches;
    for (var j=4; j<mySwatch.length; j++){
        try{
             if(mySwatch[j].space ==ColorSpace.RGB){
                 if(mySwatch[j].name=="Word_R122_G75_B153"){// may be this is correct you can check the indesign swatches name
                     mySwatch[j].model=ColorModel.PROCESS;
                     mySwatch[j].space = ColorSpace.CMYK;
                     var myCV = mySwatch[j].colorValue=[48,72,0,0];
                     mySwatch[j].name = "C=" + myCV[48] + " M=" + myCV[72] +" Y=" + myCV[0] + " K=" + myCV[0];
             }catch(e){alert(e)}
    var myIDOc = app.activeDocument;
    var mySwatch = myIDOc.swatches;
    for (var j=4; j<mySwatch.length; j++){
        try{
             if(mySwatch[j].space ==ColorSpace.RGB){
                 if(mySwatch[j].name=="Word_R255_G0_B255"){// may be this is correct you can check the indesign swatches name
                     mySwatch[j].model=ColorModel.PROCESS;
                     mySwatch[j].space = ColorSpace.CMYK;
                     var myCV = mySwatch[j].colorValue=[0,100,0,0];
                     mySwatch[j].name = "C=" + myCV[0] + " M=" + myCV[100] +" Y=" + myCV[0] + " K=" + myCV[0];
             }catch(e){alert(e)}
      var myIDOc = app.activeDocument;
    var mySwatch = myIDOc.swatches;
    for (var j=4; j<mySwatch.length; j++){
        try{
             if(mySwatch[j].space ==ColorSpace.RGB){
                 if(mySwatch[j].name=="Word_R0_G0_B255"){// may be this is correct you can check the indesign swatches name
                     mySwatch[j].model=ColorModel.PROCESS;
                     mySwatch[j].space = ColorSpace.CMYK;
                     var myCV = mySwatch[j].colorValue=[100,0,0,0];
                     mySwatch[j].name = "C=" + myCV[100] + " M=" + myCV[0] +" Y=" + myCV[0] + " K=" + myCV[0];
             }catch(e){alert(e)}
      var myIDOc = app.activeDocument;
    var mySwatch = myIDOc.swatches;
    for (var j=4; j<mySwatch.length; j++){
        try{
             if(mySwatch[j].space ==ColorSpace.RGB){
                 if(mySwatch[j].name=="Word_R255_G255_B255"){// may be this is correct you can check the indesign swatches name
                     mySwatch[j].model=ColorModel.PROCESS;
                     mySwatch[j].space = ColorSpace.CMYK;
                     var myCV = mySwatch[j].colorValue=[0,0,0,0];
                     mySwatch[j].name = "C=" + myCV[0] + " M=" + myCV[0] +" Y=" + myCV[0] + " K=" + myCV[0];
             }catch(e){alert(e)}
      var myIDOc = app.activeDocument;
    var mySwatch = myIDOc.swatches;
    for (var j=4; j<mySwatch.length; j++){
        try{
             if(mySwatch[j].space ==ColorSpace.RGB){
                 if(mySwatch[j].name=="Word_R0_G0_B0"){// may be this is correct you can check the indesign swatches name
                     mySwatch[j].model=ColorModel.PROCESS;
                     mySwatch[j].space = ColorSpace.CMYK;
                     var myCV = mySwatch[j].colorValue=[0,0,0,100];
                     mySwatch[j].name = "C=" + myCV[0] + " M=" + myCV[100] +" Y=" + myCV[0] + " K=" + myCV[100];
             }catch(e){alert(e)}
      var myIDOc = app.activeDocument;
    var mySwatch = myIDOc.swatches;
    for (var j=4; j<mySwatch.length; j++){
        try{
             if(mySwatch[j].space ==ColorSpace.RGB){
                 if(mySwatch[j].name=="Word_R234_G229_B255"){// may be this is correct you can check the indesign swatches name
                     mySwatch[j].model=ColorModel.PROCESS;
                     mySwatch[j].space = ColorSpace.CMYK;
                     var myCV = mySwatch[j].colorValue=[8,10,0,0];
                     mySwatch[j].name = "C=" + myCV[8] + " M=" + myCV[10] +" Y=" + myCV[0] + " K=" + myCV[0];
             }catch(e){alert(e)}
    The outcome is the swatch pallette attached:
    How do I incorporate the new code to make sure all the values are hopefully to end up looking similar to this!!??
    Thanks for all your time and effort helping me!
    babeanz

  • RGB or CMYK colour formatting for iPhoto Albums printing.

    Hi.
    I'm putting my first iPhoto Album together. Info given from Apple about what colour format to use for your photos, says to use RGB. While this is corrcet for digital monitors and screens. Mass printing uses CMYK. Any images supplied to a printers in RGB will colour shift when printed in CMYK. No matter what a printer tells you, these colour shifts can be very noticable. I'm an Advertsing Art Director and I've seen the shift that happens.
    I will be checking/colour correting all photos submitted to the iPhoto Album with Adobe Photoshop. And many will very probably undergo some corrections. Be it through levels, curves, hue/saturation, etc. Nothing to anything near an excessive level, but enough to make obvious improvements.
    So I will then be faced with the choice of whether to save the images out in RGB or CMYK.
    Can someone with some technique knowledge, from the iPhoto team, tell me/reasure me why RGB has been specified? And if CMYK wouldn't actually be a preferable colour format to supply in, considering you'll be printing them in CMYK.
    Many Thanks, Jim.

    You're absolutely correct. I was referring to notes make a number of years ago in regards to iPhoto 5  and that RGB was recommended for both books and prints. 
    I was confusing CMYK with Grayscale with Dot Gain 20% profile when stating iPhoto didn't support it which it didn't fully support until iPhoto 9.
    In fact I just ran a test with iPhoto 6, 7 and 8 with a CMYK AND GrayScale files with the following results:
    iPhoto 6 (06): wouldn't import CMYK but did GrayScale.  The grayscale file would only display as a black thumbnail and negative full image.  If the DotGain 20% profile was stipped from it the iamge would dispaly normally.
    iPhoto 7 (08): wouldn't import CMYK but did GrayScale.  The grayscale file would only display as a black thumbnail and negative full image.  If the DotGain 20% profile was stipped from it the iamge would dispaly normally.
    iPhoto 8 (09): neither file would import which is surprising:
    iPhoto 9.2.3 (11):  both imported and viewed normally.
    iPhoto 9.4 (11):  both imported and viewed normally.
    In Oct, 2007 I got an email from Apple support with the following:
    Also as iphoto makes a pdf of the book and then uploads it to keep the size down, it doesn't matter if the pics are RGB or CMYK as a pdf is a closed file. But since it is going through prinergy it has an RGB checker so this most be switched off. It is how the software in prinergy handle's it that causes the washed out affect as it takes the Red Green Blue colours and tries to convert to Cyan Magenta Yellow Black. Now the colour spectrum in printing between rgb and cmyk is quite different looking at a colour wheel will show you. The best way i can describe it is if you have a pantone book which has spot on one side and process on the other you can see a colour difference. Or if you use quark open up the colours and again switch between process and spot.
    BUT ONLY CONVERT PICS TO CMYK IF YOU ONLY INTEND TO ORDER BOOKS. IF YOU INTEND TO ORDER PRINTS IT WILL NEED TO BE RGB.
    Here's how i see it:
    1. Apple doesn't want 2 different versions of the pics floating about as running CMYK through a photomachine (as prints you would order in the high street) will not print correctly.
    2. RGb's going through a CMYK press using prinergy will attempt to convert and produce the washed out effect, or yellowing effect BUT will still print.
    So it will use the 2nd option as it will still produce prints normally and books with a slightly washed out effect. Now to most people in the high street, who will notice a difference?
    I have just received my latest book saved as CMYK pics in tiff format and no washed out effect. What i will say is The quality if still not as good as a print. Now we use a docucolour 5252 at work and the colour quality is better. I wonder how often the machine is calibrated and what colour curve it is set to?
    However, I am unable to import a CMYK file in any iPhoto version until iPhoto 9. Go figure.
    Thanks for the feedback.  Hadn't addressed this particular subject in quite a long time.

  • Once again: RGB to CMYK using Acrobat?

    I received a lot of photographs in RGB (my color space for RGB  is default to preserves embedded profiles) and make a proof in IDCS4:
    1) I converted that batch to CMYK using PDFX-1a/2001
    2) I converted  to CMYK in Photoshop and later distilled
    And the result is different. More darker photographs were obtained with the first step. Blacks were different.
    How to avoid the previous conversion in Photoshop and obtain better results (or those obtained in step 2) directly with Acrobat?

    mariana pineda wrote:
    I received a lot of photographs in RGB (my color space for RGB  is default to preserves embedded profiles) and make a proof in IDCS4:
    1) I converted that batch to CMYK using PDFX-1a/2001
    2) I converted  to CMYK in Photoshop and later distilled
    I'm a little confused here. With 1, you placed all RGB into InDesign, then exported PDF/X-1a from InDesign. With 2, you converted in Photoshop, placed in InDesign, output post script and distilled. Is that correct?
    Neither one involved an Acrobat color conversion. 1, the conversion is done by InDesign. 2, the conversion is done in Photoshop.
    Ideally, 1 is the best option. Place all RGB images into InDesign. Output PDF/X-1a, you end up with a CMYK PDF.
    To ensure you achieve the same conversion that way that you would have in Photoshop, first go to Edit: Color Settings in Photoshop. Make sure Preserve Embedded profiles is on, and note the CMYK working space. The behavior should be (if you were to do the conversion in Photoshop): open the RGB, preserving the embedded profile. Mode: CMYK will move the image to your working CMYK color space.
    Now go to InDesign. Open the document in question. Edit: Assign profiles, and note the RGB and CMYK. Make sure the CMYK matches what you saw in Photoshop.
    Now go to the Links panel. Check the ICC profiles for the placed RGB. None of them should say Document RGB, let me know if they do.
    Now when you export PDF/X-1a, in the destination color select Document CMYK. The conversion should match what you would get in Photoshop.

  • Convert RGB to CMYK in AI

    Hi, my printing house said I sent him a RGB file and he needs CMYK for printing. 
    (1) How can I know the original file is RBG color mode?
    (2) How to convert RGB ai file to CMYK ai file?
    Thanks a lot!!!

    lhcheng,
    1) File>Document Color Mode.
    2) Tick CMYK instead of RGB.
    You should be aware that the RGB and CMYK colours are fundamentally different, so most likely you will have to create at least some colours anew, and you will have to accept certain inevitable changes.
    Many RGB colours will be changed to rather muddy and messy CMYK colours, as you can see in the Color palette when selecting CMYK.
    And many bright colours will become less so.

  • Smart Objects: RGB inside CMYK

    Just two days before completing a two week job the client decided (still dont know why) the job had to be delivered with open layers on CMYK.
    After two weaks and 6 jobs and hundred of layers latter had almost all work done..in RGB. I started to panic thinking of the time I would waste just appling curves,levels,etc... to every layer,while keeping things open if they wanted last minute changes.
    Thats when it struck me..why not leaving everything as it was (RGB) and convert it to a smart object and then convert the parrent file to CMYK?
    I has suprised how it works just fine.In the end the client agreed it was better to keep things as they were,but it sounds a really nice possibility and to some extend makes perfect sense as one would retain the full Gamut of RGB (AdobeRGB or any other) and could convert to proper CMYK acording to needs.
    As anyone experienced this?

    Mark -
    There are a few gross errors in Photoshop that are seen as bugs, but go uncorrected for years due to the amount of work needed to fix them - not to mention - get it worked into the correction cycle in development.  Marketing is steering the train.  Go think about that oxymoron for a few weeks...
    ;o)
    One major problem is the conundrum of being able to open an untagged file, assign a color space, then look at it. That in itself is counter intuitive and basically a HUGE hole in the application with respect to color management. With the new proposed architecture of creating the entire application Smart Photoshop - You not only eliminate this issue, but also have created a new and improved workflow  - integrating source color images into the working space, tagged or untagged, with consistency for all. Adobe products are now far and wide enough to have the majority rule, so why not capitalize on it and implement a global workflow.  This logic works for many industries Adobe serves. From 2d, 3d to motion video, cell phone, bio medical, and who knows what's next. It's image history preservation in its simple form.
    In English, whittle down 9 options to 2 for color policies and change the logic between RGB and CMYK file handling. Convert to working space.  Have the working space 32 bit Pro Photo RGB. Files flow into it as well as color space conversions. Now remember, this is a choice feature and not a force fit. It's a marketing born inception that caters to the masses for best practice. If you want to work outside that environment, its your choice, but it's not advisable unless you are resurrecting trash, re-assigning really bad pictures, or it does not work for your requirement and a new additional per-dim needs to be created.  I'm offering a choice.  Two choices to be specific. Road or off road travel. For here now, and tomorrow. It's a creature of growth, just like the implementation of Smart Objects that has morphed more possibilities as well as options.  But Smart Objects is a representation of Adobe's expanded free for all mentality to push the envelope of development for market share. My advice is to back on the whizz bang wow factor and get some damn control of the features grained in deep rooted experience from power users....
    Smart Photoshop is needed because users are not getting it Gentleman and Ladies. Expecting most users to become geeks is not going to happen. It's a given from a marketing stand point, but they refuse to see how to address it for one reason or another. Maybe too busy dealing with the company merge and product integration. Im pretty sure its quite an undertaking, but its time to make the best - better....
    I remember Bruce Fraser talking about Chris and Thomas wanting 12 ish choices for color policies fearing too much restrain for growth. Thank you Bruce for 9, but my friend, we need even less.... Smart Photoshop gives 2 choices. Structure or Chaos. Right now we only have chaos.  My vote is to have uniformity with very little user understanding and awareness. That's good implementation.  The software has to become intelligent people.....
    I'm game.  Who has balls here?
    nice to see ur pair Rich.

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