Colour difference between Indesign and Acrobat preview

[markd66074679]

Hi there,
Colour in my Indesign documents often look different once i exported them to PDF. My colour settings are synchronized, in Indesign i'm previewing with Coated FOGRA39, the same profile i use when exporting and viewing in Acrobat.
CMYK values in Acrobat are correct but most of the time colours look slightly different, which always makes me wonder which i should trust most.
Of course i know that in print it will be different anyhow, but i'd like my on screen previews to be as accurate and reliable as possible.
Is there a reason they don't match and can i correct this?
Thanks!

Indesign 17.1 / Acrobat Pro 2022.003.20314

[cmoke73]

Hi markd66074679
What are your export-settings?

[markd66074679]

Normally i use PDF/X-1a:2001. But i also tried with PDF/x-4:2010

[Rishabh_Tiwari]

Hi @markd66074679 ,

Thank you for reaching out. I understand the importance of accurate on-screen previews, and I'm here to help you resolve this issue. To better understand your issue, would you mind sharing a few more details like:

1. Are you exporting your PDF with settings such as downsampling or compression?
2. Have you tried exporting your PDF with different color profiles to see if the color match improves?
3. Have you tried checking the color profiles of your monitor and printer to ensure they match?

We're here to help - Just need more information.

Thanks

Rishabh

[markd66074679]

Hi, yes i tried different settings. For instance i often have to deliver files for printing on uncoated paper so i then use PSO Uncoated v3. But then also the PDF preview differs from Indesign. See attached file.
Yes, the PDF settings contain compression and downsampling, but the 'normal' settings as in standard PDF/X-1a:2001.
I think color profile of my monitor doesn't really matter because i'm viewing Indesign and Acrobat on the same monitor.

[rob day]

Hi @markd66074679 , If you are soft proofing for Document CMYK, you don’t need to turn on Proof Colors with the Proof Setup set to Working CMYK. Try turning off Proof Colors, and turn on Overprint/Separation Preview, that will give you the correct Document CMYK soft proof preview:

[markd66074679]

Hi Rob, Thanks for your reply! Somehow it works different here, i turned of Proof Colors and turned on Overprint Preview but there's still a significant difference. Do you have any idea what else might be the cause?

[rob day]

Is the PDF on the right Exported as PDF/X? Can you share the ID and PDF files?

[markd66074679]

Yes, the pdf is PDF/X and the color is process. Here's the files. Thanks!

[rob day · Accepted solution]

I noticed that your InDesign test file has no assigned CMYK profile. Does it happen if you assign FOGRA 39 via Edit>Assign Profiles... and export to Document CMYK? If I do that I get a match:

[markd66074679]

Yes, that to works! I get a match as well.
The weird thing is that now also the test.pdf i made earlier matches the Indesign file, while obviously the pdf hasn't changed since i assigned the profile. I'll do some more testing tomorrow. Thanks very much for now!

[rob day]

Not sure why that works, normally a file with no profile assignment falls back to the Color Settings’ Working Space profile.

In general you want all your files to have an RGB and CMYK profile assignment, otherwise the document color would change everytime you open the file depending on whatever the current Color Settings’ Working spaces happen to be.

[markd66074679]

Hi Rob, sorry to bother you again after a long while. but i'm still (or again) struggling with this issue, the colour difference between Indesign and Acrobat. Your tip from a while ago (assigning a profile) doesn't do the trick. The file in the example has Fogra39 profile and colour settings are synchronized. Do you have another idea why the colour of the PDF is so different?

[rob day]

Are you seeing a difference in all default PDF/X-4 exports, or only when the document’s Assigned CMYK profile is FOGRA 39? I can’t replicate what you are showing in your captures. Re-reading your earlier post it might be a bad Monitor profile. What OS are you on?

[markd66074679]

 I'm on OS 13.3.1 Ventura, but it also happened on earlier OS.
And yes, it happens also when using other CMYK profiles. But i think i found something that might be causing it: when i turn of CPU performance in Indesign prefs it seems to be OK. Your remark about bad monitor profile pointed me in that direction. I'll experiment some more. Thanks!

[rob day]

Also is the fill color a Process or Spot color?

[Erica Endicott]

I just had the weirdest thing happen, as I was trying to solve this same problem. I tried all kinds of different ways to output my PDF and kept getting a mismatch in the color. I tried all kinds of different color settings in all my programs (InDesign, Photoshop, and Acrobat) and kept getting a mismatch. Finally I tried looking at Acrobat's Preferences. Under Page Display, I tried changing the transparency color blending space from RGB to CMYK, no change. I then tried changing the Overprint Preview to Always, no change. Then I tried, on a lark, changing the Smooth Text from For Laptop/LCD Screens to None. BINGO! Now, here's the weirdest thing: when I tried to change it back, the color did not go back to being wrong. It seems it's not a setting problem, it's a bug. Somehow I triggered it to display my colors correctly. Hopefully others can try this and see if it works for them. If Adobe has a bug reporting page, I'll post this there.

[markd66074679]

Hi, that'sfunny because with me it definitely is the Indesign CPU performance setting, like i mentioned before. When i turn it on, Indesign displays the colors incorrectly and different from Acrobat. When i turn it off colors are the same.
This only happens on my MacBook screen, by the way, on my 30" Apple monitor colors are good, also when CPU performance is turend on.

[Erica Endicott]

I haven't checked yet on my MacBook screen; I have an HP Z27 external monitor and I was using it for this test yesterday. When I changed from GPU to CPU and back again, I didn't see any difference. I will definitely look to see if I get a difference on my MacBook screen, though! For the record, I have a Apple M2 Max with 12‑core CPU, 38‑core GPU, 16‑core Neural Engine, 64GB unified memory, 14-inch Liquid Retina XDR display. I'm running macOS 13.4, InDesign 18.5 and Acrobat Pro 2023.003.20269. 

[rob day]

I have an HP Z27 external monitor and I was using it for this test yesterday.

Hi @Erica Endicott , Can you show the color difference in a screen capture, when both the InDesign and exported PDF/X-4 pages are viewed on the same display? Something like this where I’m viewing with AcrobatPro’s Output Preview open and the Indesign document set to Overprint Preview:

[Erica Endicott]

So funny, yesterday after I "fixed" the problem I couldn't get it to show up again, but today (after shutting my computer down last night) the problem is back. Here's what it looks like! InDesign file on left, with Overprint Preview and Proof Colors turned on. AcrobatPro on right. FWIW, if I open the image of the woman in Photoshop, it matches InDesign but not Acrobat.

[rob day]

with Overprint Preview and Proof Colors turned on

When you Exported the PDF was the Destination and Output Intent set to Document CMYK–US Sheetfed Coated? Is your InDesign document’s assigned profile is US Sheetfed Coated? Check Edit>Assign Profiles... not Color Settings.

Also, when you are soft proofing to your document’s CMYK profile, you only need Overprint Preview turned on—don’t also turn on Proof Colors. Proof Colors is only useful when you need to view a soft proof for a different output device.

If your PDF/X-4 Export was to Document CMYK, and turning on Oveprint Preview with Proof Colors Off doesn’t give you a match, the problem would have to be with the Monitor Profile. Maybe check that the Monitor Profiles assigned to your display(s) are actually the correct profiles for the respective displays:

[Erica Endicott]

When you Exported the PDF was the Destination and Output Intent set to Document CMYK–US Sheetfed Coated? Is your InDesign document’s assigned profile is US Sheetfed Coated?

Yes, and yes.

you only need Overprint Preview turned on—don’t also turn on Proof Colors

Not getting any difference that compares to what I was seeing in Acrobat anyway.

the problem would have to be with the Monitor Profile

Why would the monitor profile matter when I'm seeing both things on the same monitor? Also, I use a Spyder to calibrate monthly.

[rob day]

Also, I use a Spyder to calibrate monthly.

Have you double checked that the Monitor Profile generated by the most recent calibration of the HP Z27 external monitor is the one chosen for that display in the Display Prefs?

[Erica Endicott]

Yes, it is.