Colors Muted & Dull in Illustrator 2023 (version 27.1.1)

[Tillergoods]

Hello, 

Since updating my illustrator to version 27.0.1 my colors have been muted/dull and even after uninstalling Illustrator, and reinstalling with the updated version 27.1.1. I can open old files and the colors are still vibrant but when creating anything new the colors are dull. I have tried to change my color settings in illustrator itself but the colors are either duller or overly saturated. I even tried to use Adobe Bridge to control the colors by choosing monitor color but that did nothing to change to muted colors. I am not sure if this is just an illustrator bug or if I am doing something to cause my colors to be so off but I need my colors to go back to normal and to not be dull or over saturated. You can see in the screenshot what the blue should look like but when the rectangle shape is filled with that blue it is a very dull different color. 

[Omar.Fathy]

Which document color mode are you using?
This image shows that you use document CMYK color and you try to pick a RGB color that automaticaly converts to CMYK because your document is CMYK color:

In Print, you should use CMYK colors not RGB.

Also you can check your Proof Setup to check if it is in the same line with your document color mode:

[Monika Gause]

Monitor color should not be your RGB working color mode.

Can you please show us your color settings?

[Serena24398575z54u]

I have exactly the same problem and it's driving me nuts. All the colours that used to be vibrant are now very dull!! Please help. I work in CMYK and RGB and its the same for both. In general the colours in 2023 look terrible 

[lindseyh503]

I am experiencing the same thing, in RGB and CMYK. It only started happening after I upgraded my computer and installed the newest version of Illustrator. VERY frustrating as my work requires precise color use.

[Monika Gause]

It's not possible to even guess possible reasons for your issue without knowing the details, such as your system, your color management settings, how you created the document and what exactly you are comparing to what exactly.

Jiust in case you are using Mac OS Ventura: it has some color issues of its own.

[Gilberto5E39]

I am having the same problem. My colors in Illustrator and Photoshop are duller than when I preview them on my desktop. I uninstalled all of my Adobe apps (including Photoshop Beta) along with their settings and files. I reinstalled Photoshop 24.1, Illustrator 27.1.1, and a few others. I am still having the same issue.

I included screenshots of the problem along with my color profiles. I switched to CPU-viewing, which helped considerably, but it is still not identical to the original image. I have tried all sorts of combinations. I am working in RGB as well. 

[Ton Frederiks]

Try changing your RGB working profile to something other than your monitor profile (which is not a good working space).

Synchronize your settings (you can use Bridge for that) And check your document color profile which can be found at the bottom of your document window in Illustrator.

[Gilberto5E39]

I did all that, but I am still getting the same result. I checked the photo's metadata on Mac's Finder and noticed that it has a custom color profile for another monitor that I had (I am still confused as to why the picture was saved with another color profile).

However, I guess my question right now is: which color profile should I default to (in the US) for my Adobe apps and since I like the reference photo colors, should I manually match the colors using the new default color profile?

[Ton Frederiks]

Having a calibrated monitor is important if you want to judge color on screen.

There are some default settings in the Color Settings that you could use as a start. 

It depends on your workflow, if internet display is important, sRGB is a good choice, if print and photography is the main focus, Adobe RGB could be an option.

I certainly would check the options to warn about missing and conflicting profiles in the Color Settings. 

[Gilberto5E39]

I deeply appreciate your help. I do have calibrated monitors (that's where the "Monitor RGB -AOC Calib" profile came from). I guess that I will work with Adobe RGB for the time being as I sometimes print some of the work.

[beautiful_member5D1E]

2024 and I having the same problem. Have you found any ways to fix this yet?

[Monika Gause]

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@beautiful_member5D1E  schrieb:

2024 and I having the same problem. Have you found any ways to fix this yet?

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Which document color mode?

How is your color management set up?

[dans_1998]

Same here, both in RGB and CMYK my colors look dull and muted but it's only in Illustrator any other Adobe app looks fine and vibrant

 

[Monika Gause]

Same here, both in RGB and CMYK my colors look dull and muted but it's only in Illustrator any other Adobe app looks fine and vibrant

 

By @dans_1998

Please show screenshots and tell us about your process that leads to the "muted" colors.

[dans_1998]

When I add a screenshot or paste an image I copied from google for example, the color looks dull even if it's on RGB color mode (see first screenshot compared to the original image/screenshot 2). But, when I open the same as in File<open the image looks good but I get this pop up message (screenshot 3). That's when working in RGB cause in CMYK the colors look even more dull (screenshot 4).

[Monika Gause]

How is your color management set up?

[dans_1998]

This is my current color settings, just synchronized with birdge but still see no changes.

[Monika Gause]

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@dans_1998  schrieb:

This is my current color settings, just synchronized with birdge but still see no changes.

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"Display" should never be your RGB working space. Never ever. Use sRGB or Adobe RGB instead

Also: turn on color management policies (for RGB: keep profiles, for CMYK Discard profiles)

Turn on all warnings. Yes, you will then get a lot of pop ups, but that is a good thing.

[Anubhav M]

Hello @dans_1998,

We understand that encountering technical issues can be frustrating. Are you using Illustrator on Windows? If yes, would you mind trying the suggestions shared in this community post (https://adobe.ly/3SQJio9) to check if they help.

If you're on macOS, please try recalibrating your monitor for sRGB (https://adobe.ly/3M6FyuM), restarting your computer, and then relaunching Illustrator to see if it helps.

Also, kindly synchronize color settings across Adobe applications by following the steps here (https://adobe.ly/3M2U07f) and share your observations.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,

Anubhav