Embedded images change color.

[thonettoo]

Hello, I just updated Illustrator yesterday and noticed an issue. When I place images, especially profile photos, into my design and embed them, the colors change. They appear desaturated. I'm working in CMYK, and I never had this problem in the previous version. Has anyone experienced this or knows a fix? I’d really appreciate any help. 

[Anubhav M]

Hello @Thonetchie Sarad,

Could you share more details, like the version of the OS/Illustrator installed, the Color Settings used in Illustrator and the OS, and if Illustrator behaves this way with all files, so I can better assist you?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Anubhav

[thonettoo]

Hi Anubhav,

Thank you for getting back to me.

I’m currently using Windows 11 and Adobe Illustrator 2025 (version 29.5.1). I’ve attached a screenshot of the Color Settings for your reference.
Yes, Illustrator behaves this way when importing slightly larger images.

Thank you so much for your help!

[0229_wong8506]

I am experiencing the same issue in version 29.5.1. When I embed the same image into a CMYK document, the colors change. This problem did not occur in previous versions.

[brittneyv20955540]

So frustrating. I expect it to change when I place the image, not when I embed it. Annoying!

[Brad @ Roaring Mouse · Accepted solution]

Are your photos RGB? If so, what profile is assigned to them?

Conversely, are your photos already CMYK? If so, what profile is assigned to them?

Illustrator can only be in one color space, so it's either RGB or CMYK. It also matters what space you've assigned the document.

If your document is in CMYK, and you place an RGB image (Linked, as you should), it will display in the CMYK space you have defined in your color settings, which will be be quite different than the gamut of your RGB image. (btw, when Linked, the photo hasn't actually changed--you can see that by toggling your Document Color Mode between CMYK/RGB. If you photos were taken in a wide space like AdobeRGB or ProPhotoRGB, the difference will be quite marked.)

If your photos are already CMYK, but with a different profile than your working space, since your color settings are set to ignore profiles on CMYK images (Preserve Numbers), these photos will also look different.

If you embed the photos, the embedded copy is permanently converted to your CMYK working space, so make sure you keep your original around.

[Anubhav M]

Hello @thonettoo, @0229_wong8506,

I hope Brad's suggestions helped resolve the problem. I would also suggest recalibrating your display Windows (https://community.adobe.com/t5/illustrator-discussions/my-colors-are-different-on-adobe-illustrator/...), macOS(https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/calibrate-your-display-mchlp1109/mac), for sRGB, restarting your computer, and then relaunching Illustrator to see if it helps.

Looking forward to hearing from you.
Anubhav

[thonettoo]

Hi Anubhav,
Thank you for following up and sharing those helpful links! I’ll definitely try recalibrating my display and restarting Illustrator as you suggested. Hopefully that, combined with Brad’s advice, will resolve the issue. I’ll report back if I need further assistance.

Thanks again for your support!

[0229_wong8506]

Hi Anubhav,
Thank you very much for your reply. I also tried the solution you provided, but unfortunately, it didn’t work.

In this file, the image on the left was embedded before the update, and the one on the right was embedded after updating to the latest version. They are both the exact same image from my computer, but as you can clearly see, the colors appear differently after embedding.

[Anubhav M]

Hello @0229_wong8506,

Could you share a link to a sample file after uploading it to a file-sharing service, so I can check it on my end?

Looking forward to hearing from you.
Anubhav

[thonettoo]

Hi Brad,
Thank you so much for the detailed explanation! Your breakdown of how Illustrator handles RGB and CMYK color spaces, as well as the impact of embedding vs. linking images, was incredibly helpful. It definitely clarified a lot of confusion I had. I’ll make sure to keep the original files and pay close attention to color profiles moving forward.

Really appreciate your help!

[brittneyv20955540]

Thank you but how can I fix it? Looks like all my color settings in AI and PS are the same. I edited the image in PS and placed it in AI. Looks great until I embed.  Both documents are CMYK. This didn't happen until I had to uninstall and reinstall all cloud programs so some setting changed somewhere. it.

[Ton Frederiks]

Can you check if your Illustrator Document Color Profile is the same as in your Color Settings?

You can try Edit > Assign Profile to spot differences between the Profile and the Working Space.

[brittneyv20955540]

Yes, same profile. Any other ideas?

[Ton Frederiks]

Can you turn on the profile warnings and see if you get one during placing/embedding?

[brittneyv20955540]

Yes, done. No error comes up.

[Brad @ Roaring Mouse]

When you say both documnets are CMYK, does that mean the PSD image as well?  If not, what Profile is Assigned to the RGB PSD, and was it saved with the profile embedded. Even if it is CMYK, what Profile is assigned to it (if different than your Working Space in your Color Settings)?

When you PLACE the PSD (Linked), does the Link panel in Illustrator reflect the color Space assigned to the PSD? e.g:

 

[brittneyv20955540]

Interesting point. Instead of using the PNG image that I exported from PS in the document,  I linked the PSD directly then embedded from there. No color change. 

Ahhh.  What setting would fix this RGB? My PSD document settings and color profiles are set to CMYK but maybe I'm missing something.

I did change my PS export settings and unchecked covert to sRGB on quick export but that didn't fix it.

[Ton Frederiks]

PNG files are always RGB.

[brittneyv20955540]

OK. The file looks fine until I embed it then it changes. That's the issue I'm trying to solve. 

[Ton Frederiks]

When they are embedded the colors are converted from RGB to CMYK in a CMYK document.

[brittneyv20955540]

I see that. How do I stop that?

[Ton Frederiks]

The best you can do is using a CMYK file, like a .psd or .tif version of your file.

[Brad @ Roaring Mouse]

The bigger question is WHY are you embedding your images? It's not a good way of working... It makes it much harder to work with and increases the size of your file immensely.

[brittneyv20955540]

I get that. I do it when I'm sending small documents to a client instead of packaging. Regardless, everyone works different and it has all been fine until now which is why I'm trying to sort it out.