Issue - Activating Color Profiles in Illustrator (Mac)

[Amelie B_MC]

Hello everyone,

I have an issue with the software Adobe Illustrator on my Mac. I can’t activate the new color profiles I installed.

The new color profiles don’t appear in Illustrator’s color management settings, even after restarting the app and the system. I verified that the profiles are recognized by other software (it's OK with Photoshop & InDesign).

As usual, the file are placed in the folder (visible in macOS) : /Library/ColorSync/Profiles/...

Is this a known issue on Mac with Illustrator? Are there other step to install an profiles?

Thanks

- MacBook Pro: Sonoma 14.6.1

- Illustrator: 29.1 / 28.7.2 / 27.9.6

- Files Profile ICC: /Library/ColorSync/Profiles/...

[Anubhav M]

Hello @Amelie B_MC,

Thanks for reaching out. Would you mind placing the ICC files in the User Profile directory and then relaunching Illustrator to see if it helps?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Anubhav

[Ton Frederiks]

I can see them in the Color Settings (click the More Options button) at the bottom of the Profile list when I installed them here:

/Users/yourusername/Library/ColorSync/Profiles/PSOcoated_v3.icc

[Amelie B_MC]

Hi @Anubhav M & @Ton Frederiks

Thank you for your quick reply and suggestion.

I will try the method and I'll inform you of the results in few minutes.

[Amelie B_MC]

Thanks you again for your help. Unfortunately, the method didn't solve the issue, even aflter restarting my Mac.

The color profiles still didin't appear in Illustrator.

However, I found a solution that seems to work for now on the software Adobe Illustrator:

1/ Edit/Colors/Convert Options/Engine/select: Apple CMM

2/ Edit/Colors/Workspace/CMYK/... My new color profiles appear in the list.

I'm not sure if this a proper solution or just workaround, but i thought it might help other users with the same issue until we fully understand the root cause.

Because the "Adobe AEC" on the software InDesign and Photoshop give me access to the new color profiles without any problem.

If there are other insights or solutions to better adress this issue, I'm available to try them.

Thanks again for your support

[Anshul_Saini]

Hi @Amelie B_MC,

Thank you for sharing the steps that worked for you and providing such detailed feedback. The workaround you’ve discovered (switching to Apple CMM under Color Engine) is indeed a viable temporary solution, and it’s helpful for other users experiencing similar issues.

In addition to the steps you’ve already tried, you might also want to consider using Adobe Bridge as a tool to manage your color profiles. Bridge allows you to easily organize and apply ICC profiles across your assets, which could help ensure consistency between your Illustrator files and other Creative Cloud applications like Photoshop and InDesign.

Let us know if you need any further assistance!

Best,

Anshul Saini