My ai files may have converted from RGB to CMYK

[medeni007]

After updating Adobe Illustrator, all of my files now start as CMYK files. When I look back at all of my saved PNG images, they are all in RGB and were 1 to 1 exact to my illustrator files. Now, the colors are way off and I'm hoping to find a way to restore them to how they were. Changing from CMYK to RGB in the document color mode barely makes a difference, as well as changing color settings and assign profile. This is an issue that is happening in all of my programs I import the files into so my guess is that it's something with the files. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. 

[Ton Frederiks]

If you don't want to start your new files as CMYK, use a profile not based on a Print preset.

Create a new document, go to the Art & Illustration tab and select one of the presets.

[medeni007]

These aren't new files, these are my older files.

[Ton Frederiks]

And are you sure that your older files were RGB?

[Ton Frederiks]

It would be very strange if Illustrator would convert files from RGB to CMYK just by opening.

Do you have an older RGB file to share?

[Monika Gause · Accepted solution]

PNG ia always RGB. So when you export a PNG from a CMYK file, it will always be RGB.

Are you sure that your old AI files were RGB?

[medeni007]

I just assumed it was an rgb file because the pngs were saved that way. Knowing that it probably was a CMYK file helps narrow down what's going on with my file.

[medeni007]

When exporting, all of my files looked exactly the same as the PNGs I was creating so I think it would have to be in RGB for there to not be a difference in colors.