"Your current color settings discard CMYK profiles in linked content" error message

[_George_Coghill_]

I keep getting the following error message:

"Your current color settings discard CMYK profiles in linked content but profiles were set to be honored when this document was created."

every time I open an Illustrator document. I have no idea how this setting was set and no idea how to turn it off. I am just using the standard N America Prepress color setting in Bridge.

I have tried opening new documents using the supplied Ai CS4 new document profiles, no luck. So I am assuming it's a pref that is set in the app itself, yet I have no idea how to change this setting? I don't even see anything referring to a setting like this.

I found this archived discussion: http://www.adobeforums.com/webx?128@@.59b58d84 which had no resolution. Thought I would throw it out there again and see if anyone has been able to fix this. It drives me insane having to deal with that error every time I open a saved document.

[Monika Gause]

moreheadmarketing  schrieb

it is actually referring to the "HIDDEN" Adobe Pantone Engineering process that makes the warning pop up. Support reset my Color Management Policies for RGB to Preserve Embedded Profiles and CMYK to Preserve Numbers (Ignore Linked Profiles) and then tested.

Any setting will do as long as you stick to it and don't open files created by people who use a different setup. You need to setup these options so that they match your workflow. That's the whole point about color management.

Maybe you and support were not talking about the same thing, because the warning actually makes perfect sense.

[Guest]

We have understood and practiced color management since early 2000s when this became a critical part of Adobe software and required being synched. We have used the same settings between our employees since back in 2004 or 2005 and we have not opened files created by others more than a handful of times in those years. As I told Adobe Support we have as stable and consistent a color management setup as anywhere could since there are few of us and settings have been synced and never have changed since setup in that early era.

We could even create a new Adobe Illustrator file here, as Adobe Support did several times and saved, only to reopen for the second time and get a warning window. It was relentless and we had not changed any settings at any point. The Warning phrase should make sense with the software but even Adobe Support opted to setup to ignore and ensure they saved the ignored options to the files to stop the warnings. I am still not overly convinced this has ended as I await more Warnings to start at random when we change nothing.

As you stated creating any setting and being consistent should work but that is not the case as Adobe Support also experienced over and over when they assumed Warnings should not pop up saying settings do not match. We have been under the same color management profile settings since 2004 or 2005 when this started and have deviated none. Thus Adobe Support spent about 5 hours total over two days trying to make sense of what they were seeing working on our system remotely. Respectfully, if this was a simple fix, Adobe would have resolved this in minutes for me rather than setup Ignore options. Also there would not have been years of posts accumulating under these threads giving advice but still being an unresolved issue. Although we once were Official Adobe Service Providers in the day they had those programs, we don't profess to being Adobe insider experts to the secrets and failings of logic in their warnings. We have just reported what may be a resolution to recurring problems that others have encountered for more than a decade.

[Monika Gause]

moreheadmarketing  schrieb

I am still not overly convinced this has ended as I await more Warnings to start at random when we change nothing.

Me neither.

The problem with "this setting solves the problem once and for all" is that people actually believe in it and will literally set up their color management with your example options no matter if it fits for them or not without fully understanding it. And while your RGB/CMYK profile options might not be the worst idea, the color profile you mention won't be applicable for folks outside the U.S.

Different idea on the problem: on what kind of templates are your files based? And which color options are set in your template files or new document profiles?

[Guest]

Adobe Support initially said it did not matter what profiles were chosen as one's Color Management setup as long as one opened the same files which had those same settings there should not have been a Warning window. (It also did not matter from what country either as Adobe Support even entered once for Japanese settings as a test.) Then Adobe Support saw their initial logic was not the case as every file they created and tried to reopen showed the Warning window. So the tech tried hours of other options and the next day after discussing further with other engineers worked on this again and arrived at the recommendation to use the Edit > Color Settings > Color Management Policies set RGB to Preserve Embedded Profiles and CMYK to Preserve Numbers (Ignore Linked Profiles). Their recommended setup also allows one to Assign color settings to a file that may not be their own and save it.

According to Adobe Support differing color management settings would no longer matter because their recommended options above would preserve all settings and allow whatever settings one may choose to remain but ignores any differences when opening. Thus one's chosen color management options would remain intact and "Adobe's internal hidden" technical reasons why Warning windows open would get ignored. It may not be logically ideal but if it ends our years of clicking Warning boxes closed it solves our time wasting especially when opening numerous files at once.

This is not the ideal solution because Adobe should not need workarounds for "hidden" Adobe Pantone Engineering processes which are causing Warning windows in the first place. They should either resolve the engineering issue or somehow "hide" the popup window if it is only being caused by their internal engineering processes and allow windows to show up if there is a true problem that is not "hidden." If this workaround remains constantly performing as it has so far this week, then we are thrilled to be rid of the Warning Windows.

[Regarding Monika's request for our specific settings, our Working Spaces are RGB: Adobe RGB 1998 and CMYK: US Sheetfed Coated v2. Color Management Policies are now RGB: Preserve Embedded Profiles and CMYK: Preserve Numbers (Ignore Linked Profiles). Profile Mismatches and Missing Profiles are all off. All Creative Cloud Apps are synced, monitors are spectrophotometer calibrated the same and our RIP runs proofs to G7 GRACoL standards which are spectrophotometer tested and certified for accuracy.]

[wckdtall]

Thanks for the in depth description of the issue! Between Pantone, CMYK, RGB, Color Profiles on Monitors and Printers, and the different way they display or reproduce in any program/combination of settings, color is such a complex issue. Not to mention, it's subjective and preferential, which is why I've always appreciated a printer's recommendation in an ever growing digital world. That said, I selected "Preserve Embedded Profiles" for CMYK as well and am no longer experiencing the warning at all in CC 2015.3. While in theory these settings may be tricky or incorrect, because there are so many print processes that may be used with prepped art, it will most likely go through a final output workflow on RIP that just prints CMYK to a GRACoL profile anyway, and for RGB do a better job matching color for anything that's out of gamut, for digital prints. While consistency is key, I'm now wondering if file level color profiles are not as big of an issue, since final output would most likely be passed through a more standardized profile applied to them whether it be for web or for print. Even with something as standardized as Pantone, depending on settings colors appear differently, and on display I've noticed difference simply between similar files, when settings look to be the same. Since printing more than 28 Pantone colors is also not supported in Illustrator or InDesign, final output for print assets end up being a hires JPG or PDF, thus nullifying any discrepancies for file level color profiles inside linked content.

[wckdtall]

To the contrary of what I found yesterday with files that actually had embedded images. Today I'm seeing the warning with a file with no links in it, with "Preserve Embedded Profiles" selected. "Preserve Numbers (Ignore Linked Profiles)" does not show the warning for these files. I tried "Off" and "Convert to Working Space" and both throw the warning. Looks like if one setting isn't avoiding this warning, trying the other may help.

[Monika Gause]

iamwickedtall1  schrieb

To the contrary of what I found yesterday with files that actually had embedded images. Today I'm seeing the warning with a file with no links in it, with "Preserve Embedded Profiles" selected. "Preserve Numbers (Ignore Linked Profiles)" does not show the warning for these files. I tried "Off" and "Convert to Working Space" and both throw the warning. Looks like if one setting isn't avoiding this warning, trying the other may help.

The warning just tells you that the settings were different when the file has been created . So of course switching the setting might avoid the warning. But switching the setting might then mess up your colors. Looks like you prefer messed up colors over being warned.

The warning is not about specific profiles, it is only about the "preserve numbers"/"preserve profiles" setting.

[wckdtall]

No, I do not prefer "messed up colors", this warning is arbitrary. Even if it's telling me the setup was different, it's not offering a comparison and just opens the file anyway in a presumably incorrect manor based on the warning. Either way, why warn me if you're just going to open regardless? There are so many color discrepancies in Illustrator and this one is just futile.

[Sissel-Tove Aasberg]

THANK YOU!!!

[Sissel-Tove Aasberg]

I kinda take my thank you back Haha 😄 I added another picture and the problem is back 😄

[Monika Gause]

"I kinda take my thank you back Haha 😄 I added another picture and the problem is back 😄"

Please create a new thread.

Tell us your system and version and then exactly what kind of file you are working with and its history. And also which warning exactly you get and how your color management is set up.

[btod27906334]

Sorry for making alive an older post.

I have the very same problem.

- I am pretty sure my color management done right.

- I did delete color preference,

- I have all setting to Convert to Color Space

- i have my images as RGB,

- Questions unchecked

- my document color mode is RGB and

still getting the very annoying "Your current color settings discard CMYK profiles in linked content but profiles were set to be honored when this document was created."

My Color Settings (RGB for web / CMYK for Newspaper)

what am i doing wrong?

By the way how can i install a script in Illustrator?

Thanks again 😉

[Monika Gause]

You need to set the "Normas de gestion de color" to keep the embedded profile.

To install scripts, please read the documentation:

Automation with scripts in Illustrator

Scripts go into the Scripts folder inside the Presets folder inside the Illustrator application folder.

[btod27906334]

Thanks for the fast reply Monica

You need to set the "Normas de gestion de color" to keep the embedded profile.

I thought i already did that by selecting "Convert to workspace" on. Am i doing it wrong?

[Monika Gause]

No, you convert the colors, which is the worst choice, because it does CMYK-to-CMYK conversions which might lead to muddy black.

When you keep profiles you also need to be careful, because it might still do CMYK-to-CMYK conversions when you output a PDF. Depends on how you set up the color management when saving a PDF.

But setting it to "Preserve numbers" which is the "Safe CMYK workflow" will also give you the warning.

[btod27906334]

Thanks for interesting info Monika 😉

Could you let me know which should be the right way to setup this Color Profile Box or Palette?

- No, you convert the colors, which is the worst choice, because it does CMYK-to-CMYK conversions which might lead to muddy black.

I am sorry i am a bit lost. I setup color this way because i did talk to the Newspaper and they gave me that configuration for work and exporting to PDF for them. I have those setting for about two months now but just a week ago i start receiving the annoying ever present warning.

- But setting it to "Preserve numbers" which is the "Safe CMYK workflow" will also give you the warning.

How should be configured according to your experience?

By the way, why if my Document Color mode is RGB when working on doing Web Banners the CMYK alarms should go on.

Thanks again for your good ideas 😉

[Monika Gause]

I don't know why they gave you that. You will need to analyze your workflow, the kinds of documents you get and what exactly you need to do with them. And then set this up.

I like it to be set to "Preserve numbers", because I can't have CMYK-to-CMYK conversions. I have this setting turned on since it first appeared, which was CS2. So I don't get this warning with my own documents, but of course I get it when I open documents made by other people. I don't have control over their settings.

CMYK vector artwork in an ICC based color management workflow can not be media neutral, because you will always have an issue with black. This is different from pixel artwork and it's different from working with device link profiles.

Please learn color management. This is nothing you can learn in a forum post.

In case you can read German, there is a great free ressource available as a download from cleverprinting.de. I don't know of anything in English that comes even close.

There is of course the paid Lynda/Linkedin training available: Learning Color Management

[ajmugshop]

I went to menu edit > color settings > color management policies and changed the default setting of "preserve numbers" to "preserve embedded profiles" and saved it as a custom setting for me. I don't get the error message any more. I do work in multiple color spaces that need to be retained. I believe the message pops up when the applications wants to convert to a new color profile, but an embedded profile in the document you are opening wants to be retained.

[Guest]

A solution that may work (seems to work for me):

- Go to "Edit > Color Settings".

- Set "CMYK" to "Preserve Embedded Profiles".

- Open your document (the one that provoke the warning).

- The warning will appear ("WARNING: Your current color settings honor CMYK profiles in linked content but profiles were set to be ignored when this document was created.").

- Click "Continue".

- Add a modification to the document (like adding and then removing a shape).

- Save the document (using either "File > Save as > Illustrator file" or "File > Save").

- Reopen the document.

- The warning (may) have disappeared.

[Monika Gause]

- Set "CMYK" to "Preserve Embedded Profiles".

By @Deleted User

That setting may lead to CMYK to CMYK conversions turning 100K to muddy black, which is something you might or might not want.

It's very risky to change to this setting for the sole purpose of getting rid of a warning that doesn't do any harm to your file.

[Guest]

Monika Gause added some feedback on this post:
https://community.adobe.com/t5/illustrator-discussions/error-message/m-p/13074753#M328595

I paste them below.

Anyway, choosing "Preserve Embedded Profiles" or "Preserve Numbers (Ignore Linked Profiles)" should get rid of the "Warning" in either case, if you follow my solution.
--- --- ---
JYBE’S REPLY :

Thank you for your feedback, Monika. Do you think choose one of the 3 others option whould be better? (because I need to choose one anyway)
1) Off
2) Preserve Numbers (Ignore Linked Profiles)

3) Convert to Working Space

--- --- ---

MONIKA'S REPLY:

For vector content "Preserve numbers" is the best choice, because CMYK vector content most of the time cannot be handled by the ICC based conversion workflows. Converting colors based on ICC profiles will make a mess of your colors most of the time.

For raster artwork (and this also affects raster images placed into your vector files) you sometimes need to do profile based CMYK to CMYK conversions.

I have mine set to Preserve numbers. YMMV.
--- --- ---

[Rechelle23383886ponl]

Watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzelT5fozFo&ab_channel=JuxxCreative this is how I fixed it on mine 

[Monika Gause]

 this is how I fixed it on mine 

By @Rechelle23383886ponl

The "error" discussed in this thread actually is not an error. It's just a warning. It doesn't need to be "fixed" - unless after analyzing the situation and your color workflow you come to the conclusion that you want to handle the situation differently than your current settings do.

You have to fully understand color management when using any modern publishing software ("modern" in this case being anything newer than 20 years and it is not just Adobe applications).

[Cheryllion]

I think the problem with that is, it's hard to "fully understand color management". What I do in illustrator is completely different from what my printer does in illustrator. And if I'm never going to work with the files the way that they do, I'll never understand if that one warning is affecting them in a way that it's not affecting me. I don't even know how to learn what all that stuff means unless I work in a print shop for a while. And that's not going to happen anytime soon. 😆 

I think what I would love is more of an explanation on Illustrator's end. Instead of just telling me something isn't jiving, maybe give me an explanatory option or two that helps me fix it. Otherwise I'm just going to always ignore this, hoping that my stuff comes out okay on the other end, or hoping that my press person understands it and will get back to me if there's a problem.

[Monika Gause]

 I'll never understand if that one warning is affecting them in a way that it's not affecting me.

By @Cheryllion

If you don't understand whether or not this warning is affecting someone else, then just changing your color management won't help you.

The only thing that helps you is to understand. Talk to whoever set up the document and then find out with them which is the best setting for your common workflow.

Most of the time you will want to discard profiles in Illustrator, but what if there was a reason why you had set up the other option?