How to preserve color intensity from GIS software to Illustrator.

[smoothstone]

I am creating figures for a book publication in Illustrator from images that I have exported from ArcMap GIS software. I am noticing some of the brighter, neon colors are not showing up at the same intensity in Adobe Illustrator as they appear in the GIS program.  Why is that?  When I go into the color swatch in Illustrator, a cube icon appears to correct for the “Out of color” warning.  An “Out of Gamut” warning also appears. 

Thank you for any help you provide,

Anne from the Geological Survey of Alabama

[Monika Gause]

The GIS software probably works in RGB mode while in Illustrator you have a CMYK document. The warning cube is about web safe colors, which is a legacy concept of web colors. The out of gamut refers to printing.

[smoothstone]

Yes, I had read the help section on color modes for Illustrator and that makes sense that they are in different modes.  When I print out these illustrator files for the book (in TIF format), will the colors show up like they did originally in the GIS, or do I need to convert them so that they show up properly in Illustrator before taking this to the print shop? When I click on the icon to correct the colors that appear "out of color" or "out of gamut", it does not correct them to look like they do in the GIS.  How do I create a color mode system for the colors I create in the GIS that can be synchronized with the Adobe software?

[Monika Gause]

Why do you use TIF files for the book?

You probably won't be able to print those bright colors from the GIS system. You will have to select appropriate colors that can be printed.

[smoothstone]

The publisher wants images to be in TIF format.

How do I select appropriate colors?

[Monika Gause]

You might try conversion through color management. You will have to first set up color management for this correctly.

Or you might try and get a color atlas The Print Guide: The Color Atlas - helping designers to specify color  to find out matching colors.

[smoothstone]

I will check out the Color Atlas. Thanks!