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Happy_coder
Participating Frequently
January 22, 2026
Answered

Saving vector artwork in rgb and CMYK

  • January 22, 2026
  • 2 replies
  • 233 views

Hello all

I need to create some vector artwork in both RGB and CMYK.

New to this and would really appreciatre some advice on the correct workflow.

 

Would I produce the artwork in RGB is it as simple as saving a copy and changing the colour mode to CMYK. Doing this does make the colours muted as you would expect?

Is the best workflow?

Thanks for your time/expertise.

Correct answer Bobby Henderson

For my part you are welcome, Happy coder.

 

But especially the very last bit of this sounds ominous:

 

"get sign-off from the client who will test the colours in their offices"

 

If they use what are usually called office printers, these have no PostScript (emulating) driver but print based on RGB internally converted to CMYK, so if you send a carefully developed CMYK document, the printer software will first convert it to RGB at its own discretion and then convert back to CMYK at its own discretion (again), in other words a double conversion beyond your control to something that may well be clearly different to what you have started out with. Obviously, prints from different such printers may turn out differently.

 

In that case I am afraid it will be better to send the RGB that is as close as possible to what is expected in print and let them see whether the print (that they prefer) is satisfactory, including being sufficiently close to the RGB they see on their monitors (the quality also being beyond your control) which may be different to what you see on yours.

 

Apart from all that, it is difficult to compare additive colours on screen and subtractive colours on paper, lighting being crucial.

 

 


Since the artwork has flat colors and doesn't appear to have any effects applied it should work fairly well in a CMYK to RGB conversion.

 

Matters are very different if any fills or effects using transparency are involved. Conversions from CMYK to RGB or vice versa might work okay if the blending mode is normal. If blending modes like multiply, overlay, etc are used then it is very likely serious color shifts would occur. These kinds of color shifts can be easily seen when copying artwork from a RGB-based Illustrator document and pasting them into a CMYK-based Illustrator document.

2 replies

Jacob Bugge
Community Expert
Jacob BuggeCommunity Expert
Community Expert
January 22, 2026

Happy coder,

 

Since the CMYK gamut (range of colours) is (mostly) within the RGB gamut, for consistent colours throughout (without disappointing print after seeing the vivid screen colours) it is safer to start in CMYK mode ready for print and then create a corresponding RGB mode version for screen and the like.

 

H
Happy_coderAuthor
Participating Frequently
January 22, 2026

Thanks both for your replies, much appreciated.

So I created the artwork in CMYK and created a swatch for each colour used in the Illustrator file (I used about nine colours).

I then saved a copy of the file, changed the Document Colour Mode to RGB. When I checked, the CMYK colour swatches had been converted to RGB. 

Looking at the two exported images side by side, there is not a great difference on screen between the colours (I do not have access to a printer at the moment). But I guess this is just because CMYK colours are within the RGB range.
Is this a good/correct workflow? Sorry, I find the whole colour conversion task a bit of a mystery to me.
Thanks again.

Jacob Bugge
Community Expert
Jacob BuggeCommunity Expert
Community Expert
January 22, 2026

Happy coder,

 

Unfortunately, owing to software changed, attached images show an error rather than screenshots, but unknown to most, it is quite easy to directly show images in posts, hence the following general suggestion:


Please show images by using the Insert Photos button (looks like moon over mountains) for each at the top of the reply box which makes everything appear right there in your post together with your text, rather than the more conspicuous Drag&drop attachment which requires helpers to open a new tab for each image and wait for its showing, then go back and forth; and if they just click it and wait for its showing and press the X to get back to the text, the image is gone, so if they need another look they have to open it again and wait to see it again.

 

That is the way creative explorer used here.

creative explorer
Community Expert
creative explorerCommunity Expert
Community Expert
January 22, 2026

@Happy_coder If you need to save both colour modes, CMYK and RGB, I would create two folders one for CMYK and on for RGB so you can distinctly know what colour is what:

876052iB428EDB06AB04B0D.png
Normally, I would work in CMYK because I am working print mainly. And if I need to do stuff for the web, I would use RGB only. If I was creating an ad or poster and they are printing it, but also wanted for their website, I would use Save for the Web function, and let Illustrator save it into RGB. Here is a good article for printing: https://onprintshop.com/blog/cmyk-vs-rgb-printing 

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