Colors are different in Illustrator and elsewhere

[loyal_scientist98C6]

Hi everyone,

I'm working on a new Behance project, and when I export images from Adobe Illustrator (AI) and upload them to Behance, on Behance they're dull and lifeless. The same happens also when I preview the images on my computer using the integrated image viewer.

In AI, I'm using "Monitor RGB" as my Proof Setup because it has the richest and most vivid color. Could this be the issue?

My laptop's screen has a wide color gamut (100% DCI-P3 color gamut) so I assume in AI I'm using more colors than my browser (and Behance in this case) can reproduce since sRGB is the standard in web browsers?

Could this be the case? And if yes, should I just turn the Proof Setup in AI to "sRGB" then?

I guess I will have to rework the colors and try to make them more vivid, even though I'll have less colors to work with? Or is something else causing this issue?

PS: The same happens when I switch from my laptop monitor and preview everything on my external BenQ monitor.

Also, I'm using an Asus Windows laptop.

[Monika Gause]

Please read about color management.

Your proof setup is not meant to present you with the mot vivid color, but with the result you need to expect under the circumstances. So yes, eRGB would be it.

What are your color settings?

[loyal_scientist98C6]

Yes, I was aware of that, but seems like I didn't fully understand it. My color settings are already set to sRGB, only the proof setup is (was) set to Monitor RGB

One more issue I had before switching to Monitor RGB was, when I'd screenshot something from the internet, or copy an image, and paste it into AI, the colors were different. Now the issue would be the other way around - the colors would be more vivid in my browser and in AI they would be dull. I solved this when I switched to Monitor RGB - in this case the colors were the same in AI and in my browser.

[Ton Frederiks]

Nikola, what was the Document Color Profile of the Illustrator files that gave the duller result.

The document Color Profile will be the same as in your Color settings when you create a new file, but could be different when you open an image. 

Are you exporting as PNG for Behance? Illustrator still does not embed a Color Profile in PNG files, but uses one to export the files. The receiving application just guesses sRGB, which could be wrong.

[loyal_scientist98C6]

I guess it was sRGB. I'm not the smartest when it comes to these technical things. Can you explain how to check this?

Also, I tried exporting PNGs and JPGs and both give the same results

[Ton Frederiks]

At the bottom of your Illustrator document window you have an option to show different things, the default shows the current tool (but you probably already know which tool you are using), but you can change it there to show the Document Color Profile.

[loyal_scientist98C6]

Thanks for the explanation. It shows sRGB IEC61966-2.1 as the color profile

[Monika Gause]

If you regularly use images from Photoshop in Illustrator, then how is Photoshops color management set up?

The best way to keep a color management workflow is to save files with color profiles and then place them in Illustrator.

Turn on all the warnings, so you know when profiles are off.

When you take a screenshot, then your monitor profile is usually embedded in it. Or at least should be if the system is working correctly in that regard.

[loyal_scientist98C6]

My monitor profile should be visible in my computer's settings, right? Is this profile embedded in screenshots?
When I go to display settings it shows these two color profiles. Should I keep it always at sRGB then?

Btw, thanks for the useful info about screenshots. This makes so much sense now. When I take a screenshot and paste it in AI without having "Monitor RGB" as the proof setup, the colors appear dull, but when I copy it and then paste in AI, the colors are the same.

[Monika Gause]

Your monitor should use the profile that is made for it. The best thing would be to use calibration devices to make a profile for it.

The profile then gets embedded in the screenshot which in turn tells Illustrator and other software how to interpret that information.

[Amin338570357e48]

Ah, that tiny option at the bottom can be a game-changer! Switching to show the Document Color Profile helps keep those color schemes in check while working away.

[Ton Frederiks]

Yes, that and the warnings checkboxes in the Color Settings will alert you.