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Participant
March 14, 2025
Question

Colors converting PDF export

  • March 14, 2025
  • 3 replies
  • 481 views

I have been working with InDesign for many years.

I mainly create magazines and art books.

Until now, I have always converted images to CMYK / 300dpi in Photoshop to ensure the correct profile for printing.

However, I will soon be working on an art book with a very large number of photos, all provided by a photographer in RGB.

I am wondering if InDesign has the ability to correctly convert the profile of all images during a high-quality PDF export.

This would save a significant amount of work beforehand.

3 replies

Brad @ Roaring Mouse
Community Expert
Community Expert
March 15, 2025

If you intend to pre-convert to CMYK, obtain the profile from the printer that they will use for the job, especially if they have a  custom one for each of their specific press situations (we did for our presses). They may also just say to use a standard "off the shelf" profile, e.g one of the FOGRA or GRACOL ones, but DON'T pre-convert before you know what they want. If you don't know, you would be better off saving an uncoverted PDF with tagged profiles included; if they have a modern RIP, it will handle this just peachy and get you the best reproduction possible, but this depends on the experience of the specific printer. Even some supposedly "high end" commercial printers are dumb on color management, sad to say.

Robert at ID-Tasker
Legend
March 14, 2025

@Lucile Alabama

 

As long as a correct profile will be assigned to the RGB photo - you have nothing to worry about.

 

Of course, it would be great, if you can get your hands on the profile of the printer. 

 

And, of course, you need to have your monitor calibrated 😉 

 

Willi Adelberger
Community Expert
Community Expert
March 14, 2025

Adobe CC installs the Adobe Color Engine once for all programs, With the same settings you get in InDesign and Photoshop the very same result upon color converting, or with printing aRGB to CMYK from Photoshop. In Photoshop you should turn on the CMYK proof preview.

Since 1999 Adobe recommends to use RGB images in InDesign.

Participant
March 14, 2025

Thanks for your answer Willi,
The thing is I have worked in the past with printers who didn't accept my files because I didn't convert in CMYK before exporting the file.

Willi Adelberger
Community Expert
Community Expert
March 14, 2025

When you deliver CMYK-PDFs the printer cannot distinguish where you have converted them in your workflow. Never deliver open INDD files, give the printer a final PDF according to their standards.