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S
Sagatustra
Participant
June 2, 2021
Answered

Colours become dull when document is exported to PDF from InDesign

  • June 2, 2021
  • 2 replies
  • 14938 views

Hi! So my colour setting is set to CMYK in InDesign, but when I export the document to PDF (print quality) the colours still turns dull. Is there a way to preview the "true" CMYK colours when editing in InDesign? So I can avoid unpleasant suprises like this.

Correct answer rob day

Are you viewing the PDF in Acrobat or some other PDF viewer?

 

If you export using one of the PDF/X presets,  Acrobat will use the PDF/X’s Output Intent profile for the preview (the Document CMYK profile in your case) and you should get a match to the InDesign page with Overprint Preview turned on. Other PDF viewers aren’t necessarily color managed and may not use the CMYK output intent profile, which affects the preview. 

 

Also make sure you are not experiencing the color management bug that happened with some recent updates—your Color Settings should not be Emulate InDesign 2.0 CMS Off.

 

 

2 replies

Brad @ Roaring Mouse
Community Expert
Brad @ Roaring MouseCommunity Expert
Community Expert
June 3, 2021

As far as "is there a way..." , YES there is.

You want to turn on "Proof Colors" under the "View" menu to show what differences will occur based on your Color Settings (CMS).

In my attached sample, I'm using two Pantones I know are out of gamut for CMYK printing: PMS165 (orange) and Pantone Green. On the left is how they look on my screen in with the "Proof Colors" turned off... quite vibrant. For this sample file, I have set my CMS  CMYK output to "US Sheetfed Coated". So now, with "Proof Colors" turned on, you can see the change in values on the right, as this is the closest CMYK match.

You can toggle this on and off as desired so you can preview any of your output. Worth using!

 

    S
    SagatustraAuthor
    Participant
    June 3, 2021

    The colours do turn a little bit more dull when activating "Proof Colors", but not nearly as dull as they become when exported to PDF. In the picture you can see the PDF version on the right side.

    rob day
    Community Expert
    rob dayCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
    Community Expert
    June 3, 2021

    Are you viewing the PDF in Acrobat or some other PDF viewer?

     

    If you export using one of the PDF/X presets,  Acrobat will use the PDF/X’s Output Intent profile for the preview (the Document CMYK profile in your case) and you should get a match to the InDesign page with Overprint Preview turned on. Other PDF viewers aren’t necessarily color managed and may not use the CMYK output intent profile, which affects the preview. 

     

    Also make sure you are not experiencing the color management bug that happened with some recent updates—your Color Settings should not be Emulate InDesign 2.0 CMS Off.

     

     

      Brad @ Roaring Mouse
      Community Expert
      Brad @ Roaring MouseCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      June 3, 2021

      First off, check your Color Management settings in all your CC apps to make sure they weren't reset to something other than what you expect. There was bug a couple of point versions back of PS and Illustrator that reset these settings: supposedly fixed now, but that's not to say your settings weren't changed before and you hadn't yet noticed.  If you use Bridge to sync all your settings, check there first.

      Second, if your intention is going to print and are designing with out of gamut RGB colours/Pantones, then yes, these "bright" colors will convert duller.

      Third: what are your export settings when creating your PDFs... particularly the settings for Output > Color Conversion?

       

        S
        SagatustraAuthor
        Participant
        June 3, 2021

        My "Color Conversion" is set to "Convert to Destination (Preserve Numbers)", and my "Destination" is set to the standard "Document-CMYK-Coated FOGRA39 (ISO 12647-2:2004)".

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