Book file PDF color warning

[Guest]

So when exporting a PDF from an InDesign book file (.indb file), I get the message, “your documents may have different source color profiles defined resulting in unexpected output.”

Is this just referencing the fact that I have placed images with different color profiles or is this telling me that individual chapter documents have different color profiles? I’m working on a 200+ page book with images from different sources that I have left as RGB images (all have a color profile assigned, just not all are the same). The PDF is set to convert images to FoGRa39 on output. Transparency blend space is et to Document CMYK in each chapter file.

Just want to make sure I’m understanding the warning correctly.

Thanks

[Randy Hagan]

You've got at least two reasons for receiving those warnings:

1) RGB files with different color profiles assigned. When you output files from InDesign you're only going to output to one profile. So you're built to lose here alone, and ...

2) You're transiting into another colorspace and color settings entirely with output to FoGRa39 color profiles to CMYK.

I can't tell you which factor comes into play because either of those issues would fire the color alerts you're receiving. And they're not lying. But I can tell you you'd be well served to discuss with your printer what settings they want you to use, then sync all your content to conform with that printer's preferred color profiles.

I can't put too fine a point on this: your current workflow is perilous and unpredictable. Unless you fix this, you're on the verge of a world of hurt. You need to get with your printer and tailor your entire job to your printer's specifications to ensure good results. Anything less and you're built to lose.

[Laubender]

posterns  wrote

So when exporting a PDF from an InDesign book file (.indb file), I get the message, “your documents may have different source color profiles defined resulting in unexpected output.” …

Hi posterns ,

you may have created the INDD documents in the book file with different color settings.

E.g. one with ISO Coated, one with SWOP etc. pp.

That is not an error in itself, but something you should be aware of.

Depending on what you are doing with PDF Export and how your images were placed you'll see that CMYK colors and/or RGB colors will be converted differently when exported to a PDF.

Look into the Color Script 1.0.8 script by Roland Dreger to get an idea ( also watch the video 😞

https://www.rolanddreger.net/de/1/farbmanagement-in-adobe-indesign/

Don't know if it's available in English.

Regards,
Uwe

[Guest]

Uwe

Thanks for the link to the script. While Roland's site is all in German (I know some German so can understand most of it), if you load his script into InDesign, the dialog boxes show up in English. So thanks, seems like an interesting script.

[Laubender]

posterns  wrote

…if you load his script into InDesign, the dialog boxes show up in English. So thanks, seems like an interesting script.

It is, indeed.

And it's educational as well. List all your placed images and graphics and decide for the images if you need to place them again after changing your conflicting profiles with Assign > Profile or by using the script.

Regards,
Uwe

[Gusgsm · Accepted solution]

"So when exporting a PDF from an InDesign book file (.indb file), I get the message, “your documents may have different source color profiles defined resulting in unexpected output.”

This specific warning when exporting a PDF from a book (INDB) is not related with the presence of RGB pictures inside one of the InDesign documents (INDD). It means that at least one of the INDD docs that form the book has different Colour management policies, that is: It uses different CMYK/RGB profiles.

For example: almost all the book docs (INDD) could have been prepared with RGB/CMYK working profiles set as sRGB and ISO Coated v2, but one of them has used by mistake ISONewspaper26v4 instead of ISO Coated v2. If the book is exported to PDF for print, InDesign might treat this document in a different way, resulting in an unexpected shift of colour (hence the warning).

The solution is making sure that the colour policies and the the working profiles are all set the same in all the documents (INDD) of the book (INDB) and, in the case of those documents already created with different policies and working profiles, you've got to assign and convert them to the appropriated colour profiles (assign and convert, in that order), and then save.

You'll see that the warning disappears.

[Guest]

Thanks. That helped. Turns out one or two chapters had a different profile. I initially just assigned the profile and that got rid of the warning. Is it necessary to also convert if the output is the same color working space?

[rob day]

Is it necessary to also convert if the output is the same color working space?

Either that, or assign the intended output profile to all of the chapters.

If you use conflicting CMYK profiles either in the individual documents, or during export there will be CMYK-to-CMYK conversions, which will likely cause problems—that’s the reason for the original warning. Single color blacks and grays will convert to 4-color mixes causing registration problems on press, and any custom CMYK swatch builds will be converted to new values.

[Guest]

Thanks Rob

Like Gusgsm, you also had the correct answer. I have now assigned the FoGRa39 color space to all chapters.

Jeff

[rob day]

Is this just referencing the fact that I have placed images with different color profiles or is this telling me that individual chapter documents have different color profiles?

It's the latter—the individual chapter InDesign documents have a conflicting profile assignment(s). Open each document and use Edit>Assign profiles (not Color Settings) to match up the assignments. The document CMYK profiles should be the FoGRa39 profile you will be using in the Export>Output tab.

[Steve Werner]

It might be a good feature request at the link below to add synchronizing color profile assignments to the attributes which can be synced between InDesign documents in a book file:

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