I have to save as CMYK for print, but the colours are out of whack..

First, I would ask your print shop which CMYK profile is the correct one for their print process.  The one you chose is in what Adobe calls "North American prepress defaults" color settings but unfortunately probably has nothing to do with most printers' printing process unless you are printing a magazine.    Something like GraCol 2013 would probably be more appropriate and not lose so much contrast and detail.  Not all CMYK is the same.  Each is created based on a different printing process and has a different gamut size.  

The most interesting thing about your post to me is that your RGB and CMYK screenshots do not match.  Telling me you have an issue in your workflow.  When converted (Except for saturated, out-of-gamut RGB colors, the conversion should appear close on a calibrated monitor.  

RGB will look like RGB on a monitor.  CMYK will look like CMYK on a print.  Neither will look like entirely like itself in the other's medium.  Usign a design app in CMYK mode is the closest you're going to get to seeing CMYK on a screen and once you screenshot or save it you will be looking at a conversion (different formats & viewers will display different types of images with different color profiles differently...).  Learning to process colors for print is an artform like learning to color grade a film knowing that it will be shown on a variety of different monitors from LED projectors to maybe even an old 20" CRT.  It takes some trial, a decent amount of error, and tons of observation.

Hi

D.Fosse wrote: Increasing inks after conversion is risky! Make sure you're not exceeding TAC (total ink limit) anywhere.

That’s right, its very risky. And hard to control, CMYK colour correction isn't impossible, but its highly skilled and super risky.

Work in RGB, get the right CMYK ICC profile from your printshop, convert at after all colour correction is done, That’s the safe way. 

I hope this helps

if so, please "like" my reply

neil barstow, colourmanagement.net :: adobe forum volunteer

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I've found this workflow to work best for most images that look washed out after CMYK conversion:

1. Convert color profile to CMYK
2. Levels Adjustment - "Increase Contrast 1" Preset (Adjust to taste)
3. Add Selective Color Adjustment
   • Select Blacks from dropdown, then move black +10-20%,
   • Select Neutrals and move black slider +5-12%
4. Flatten then Export to the file type you need.

I've felt that the issue is mainly contrast. 

Colors won't be same as RGB, but if you get the contrast right, the image at least doesn't look flat/washed out.

In addition, most standard image viewers have no CMYK support at all. It may display, but with unpredictably scrambled colors.

If it looks good in Photoshop (and the CMYK profile is the correct one!), trust that. As Neil points out, take extreme care to not exceed the total ink limit for that particular profile. That will cause ink smearing and drying problems.

Hi

CMYK has a reduced gamut and tonal range compared to most RGB colourspaces, so many would agree with your decision to work on your design in CMYK -  

But that’s only a good idea if you are very careful with saturation and total density and that can be quite hard to grasp and easy to get wrong.

Working inside a CMYK colourspace its pretty easy to break the total inklimit rules and make a file that's awful when printed. 

The CMYK print process may only be targeted for files with a max ink of, say 280. If in any area of he image your total breaks that limit, your image when printed is toast.

Working in RGB but with View / proof setup / custom : choose CMYK profile, Relative Colrimetric [with black point compensation] - also check 'ink black' is far safer. Gamut warning will help you too, try to avoid creating areas that are out of gamut.

why?

when you convert from RGB to CMYK then the ink levels are calculated to stay within the limits prescribed.

You mention the image looks fine in Photoshop - then saving as a Jpeg and that’s when the tonal issues arise,

how are you viewing the Jpeg?

If its viewed in a non colour managed application like Windows Images then there's the problem. 
If Photoshop [which has good colour management] shows your file is fine [on a properly calibrated screen], it IS fine 

I hope this helps

if so, please "like" my reply and if you're OK now, please mark it as "correct", so that others who have similar issues can see the solution

thanks

neil barstow, colourmanagement.net :: adobe forum volunteer

[please do not use the reply button on a message in the thread, only use the one at the top of the page, to maintain chronological order]

hi dear,

           exactly the same problem i am facing right now dont know what to do

I work at printer center. And the problem (as I see)

Is/was your image viewer.

Those image viewers don't support cmyk (even if its a tiff), and the colors get over saturated when seen in screen and sometimes even changing the levels of the colors if sent to print with that image viewer.
I recommend just a jpeg at hi-res cmyk or pdf o any type (whiles its in cmyk the files itself)

If you had problem viewing the file in pdf it must be some other problem.
But looks like a normal not supporting CMYK program.

You can try it sometimes with your phone, they normally don't accept cmyk files and they show an error or a over saturated image.

hope it helps

Calibrate your monitor for surprise, switch to ICC for printers from DNG to CMJ(N). If the settings do not suit you, go to Photoshop and the Camera Raw filter.

Hello

I have the same problem. I think it's all about the JPEG format which can read cmyk colors. I saved the file as PDF and there was no problem with the colours. so maybe try to send the file as PDF.