Matt Maldre: Color: Different Situations

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TO DO:
• add new situations
• explain current situations more

Different situations for color.

Designer has a non-profiled cmyk photograph
1 • designer wants to do color work based on their own monitor
2• designer wants to do no color work.

Designer has rgb scan from service bureau
3• file has embedded profile
4• file has no embedded profile
5• designer wants to do color work based on their own monitor
6• designer wants to do no color work
7• designer wants to convert the rgb file to cmyk
14• The color space of the file is different from your working color space

printing to in-house color printer
8• quark file has image with embedded image
9• quark file has image with no embedded image
10• designer wants to simulate he/she sees on his/her screen
11• designer wants to emulate what the final press run will look like

12 Designer wants to create photoshop file with exact cmyk values that doesn't want to change (i.e. official company colors)
13 Designer want to create photoshop file with exact rgb values that doesn't want to change (i.e. exact hex-values from web-safe colors)

15• Non-postscript printer

16• Switching profiles while photoshop file is open

17 Importing a picture into Quark

Basic steps for color control in photoshop.
Your working profile is declared in Photoshop's "CMYK setup," "RGB setup," and "Grayscale setup"
1. create your settings as mentioned in the settings section.
2. If you open a file that has the same profile as your working profile, you will get no dialog box.
3. If you open a file that has no profile, you will be asked to assign a new profile to your file.
4. If you open a file that has a different embedded profile than your working profile, a dialog box will pop up and ask you convert to your working profile.
5. If you want to do no color work on a file, and ignore all this profile stuff, you can opt to do no color converting.

It is highly recommended to work in an RGB workflow. Yes, this does go against many yearrs of the graphic design industry saying you must prepare your files as CMYK. The RGB workflow ensures that you can use your files for multiple output conditions, such as two or more printing presses. CMYK is a narrow gamut, targeted to a specific set of output conditions, thus images cannot easily be repurposed or used in different presses.
For the full argument of CMYK vs. RGB workflow, go to:
AR0031 http://www.adobe.com/support/techguides/photoshop/cms2/cmwork.html

1
Colorwork with file with no profile

Situations:
• Designer wants to do colorwork in photoshop based on what they see in their monitor, the file has no profile.

WARNING:
You must be certain that the file has no profile. If you choose Generic RGB Profile, and there actually was a profile embedded, then the color conversion between profiles will be incorrect.

Before opening file, make sure your setup is correct.

1. Open your file in photoshop
2. A dialog box will pop up asking you what to do with the file.
3. Choose the settings below. (even though it says just "RGB Color" for the "To:" field, Photoshop will use the settings from your RGB setup. So for us that means, it will be "Adobe RGB 1998"
4. Click "Convert"

Not sure about:
• "TO" field. Should this be more specific? Like the Adobe RGB 1998?

Also, see
* opening a cmyk file to a cmyk space
* opening a rgb file to a rgb space.

Notes on settings:
• The only time you want Black Point Compensation is when you are converting from RGB to CMYK or vice versa. When you are only converting from one RGB colorspace to another RGB colorspace, the Black Point should be always off.

Sources:
AR0004 http://www.appleimac.com/creative/ama/0102s/photoshop.html
AR0030 http://www.adobe.com/support/techguides/color/photoshop/main.html

1
Colorwork with file with matching profile

Situations:
• Designer wants to do colorwork in photoshop based on what they see in their monitor, the file has a profile that matches the designer's current colorspace.

WARNING:
none

Before opening file, make sure your setup is correct.

1. Open your file in photoshop
2. No dialog boxes will show up.
3. Continue to work on your file. The profile will continue to be attached to your file.

Not sure about:
• I am sure abou this

Also, see
* nuthin

Sources:
AR0004 http://www.appleimac.com/creative/ama/0102s/photoshop.html
AR0030 http://www.adobe.com/support/techguides/color/photoshop/main.html

2, 6, 12, 13
No color changes are to be made on a file
Situations:
• Images that will exist in a user interface that requires very specific colors
• Pictures bound for the Web that use a limited palette of colors
• Test targets used for calibrating and characterizing color capture and output devices

WARNING:
Before opening file, make sure your setup is correct.

1. Open your file in photoshop
2. A dialog box will pop up asking you what to do with the file.
3. Choose the settings below
4. Click "Don't Convert"

Not sure about:
• I'm sure about this.

Notes on settings:
• no notes

Sources:
AR0004 http://www.appleimac.com/creative/ama/0102s/photoshop.html
AR0030 http://www.adobe.com/support/techguides/color/photoshop/main.html
AR0028 http://www.adobe.com/support/techdocs/11a96.htm (don't follow these settings)

7
Converting file from RGB to cmyk

WARNING:
When converting from rgb to cmyk, take notice that you are greatly reducing the color space of your image. And when you convert from rgb to cmyk, you are doing it for a specific printer. It will be difficult to switch over to other situations.

WARNING:
If you choose the wrong "from" colorspace, the conversion will be incorrect.

1. Open your file
2. In Photoshop, go to: Image>Mode>Profile to Profile
3. Choose the settings below.
4. Click "OK"

Not sure about:
• "To" field. Should it be generic cmyk instead?

14
The color space of the file is different from your working color space

1. Open your file
2. The following dialog box should appear
3. Choose the settings below. If you are working in cmyk, then choose cmyk for "to:" The "From:" field should automatically show what color space the current file has.
4. Click "Convert"

WARNING:
When performing a profile-to-profile conversion on an image, such as one tagged for Matchprint CMYK going to Color LaserWriter CMYK, work with a copy of an original file. Currently, the tag that specifies the origin is not preserved in the conversion, and you might experience some variance in color.

WARNING:
In general, never select “Convert” in the CMYK missing profile box. Converting ruins any GCR/UCR and dot gain information in the CMYK file. Make a note if there is an embedded profile in the From field. If there is no embedded profile, open the image without conversion and make sure that your CMYK setup indicates Built-In. If there is an embedded profile, open the file with no conversion, go to the CMYK Setup. Select ICC, then select that embedded profile if you have access to it. This ensures that you are seeing the CMYK correctly. The CMYK data did not get changed, only the display.

Sources:
AR0004 http://www.appleimac.com/creative/ama/0102s/photoshop.html
AR0030 http://www.adobe.com/support/techguides/color/photoshop/main.html

15•
Non-postscript printer

If you are printing to a non-PostScript printer, Photoshop will ignore all these profiles and settings and use a standard default Printer Color Management with RGB Color selected as the color space. This is because non-PostScript printer drivers can only accept RGB data. Keeping these defaults will usually achieve the best results when you print.

Sources:
AR0030 http://www.adobe.com/support/techguides/color/photoshop/main.html

16
Switching profiles while photoshop file is open

1. Your file is already open in photoshop.
2. Go to: Mode > Profile to Profile
2. The following dialog box should appear
3. Choose the settings below.
"From:" should have the scanner's profile (or whatever the orginal profile is for the photoshop file.
"To:" is your current working space. (we use Adobe RGB 1998)
4. Click "Convert"

WARNING:
When performing a profile-to-profile conversion on an image, such as one tagged for Matchprint CMYK going to Color LaserWriter CMYK, work with a copy of an original file. Currently, the tag that specifies the origin is not preserved in the conversion, and you might experience some variance in color.

WARNING:
If you choose the wrong "from" colorspace, the conversion will be incorrect.

WARNING:
In general, never select “Convert” in the CMYK missing profile box. Converting ruins any GCR/UCR and dot gain information in the CMYK file. Make a note if there is an embedded profile in the From field. If there is no embedded profile, open the image without conversion and make sure that your CMYK setup indicates Built-In. If there is an embedded profile, open the file with no conversion, go to the CMYK Setup. Select ICC, then select that embedded profile if you have access to it. This ensures that you are seeing the CMYK correctly. The CMYK data did not get changed, only the display.

17
Importing a picture into Quark
1. Import a picture into Quark
2. Quark will prompt you for its profile.
3. You can accept the embedded profile or set one of your own.

Note:
• Quark accpets embedded profiles in TIFF and JPG formats.

Source:
AR0068 http://www.mpressdigital.com/ColorSync.pdf

If you want to change the source profile of an image from the embedded one, use the Profile palette. View > Show Profile Information.

Notes:

Source:
AR0068 http://www.mpressdigital.com/ColorSync.pdf

Quark allows to you to change your list of profiles specific for Quark. Generally, I wouldn't bother with this feature.
Utilities > Profile Manager...

Notes:

Source:
AR0068 http://www.mpressdigital.com/ColorSync.pdf



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