Changing the color mode of multiple files

[PhiH]

Hi everyone!

I have 40+ files that I have to switch from their RGB color mode to a CYMK color mode since they will need to be printed. I was wondering if there was a way to this action for multiple PSD files, or if I'll have to go into each one and export a new version of it manually?

Would this maybe work in Bridges? 

Thanks in Advance!

[D Fosse]

Making an action and batching that from Bridge is simple enough.

But not so fast! You just say "printed", but printed how? CMYK is strictly for commercial offset print. In that case, you need to ask the printer which CMYK profile to use. There is no such thing as a generic "CMYK".  Any offset printing process is characterized by a certain CMYK profile, and you need to know what that is and convert to it.

Image > Mode just converts to whatever you have set as your working CMYK, and chances are that's not the correct one for the process.

If this is going to an inkjet printer, however, do not convert. Inkjet printers are RGB devices that expect RGB data, and a CMYK file would just have to be converted back. They use more than four inks and CMYK makes no sense. Again, if this is a commercial print provider, ask what RGB profile they want.

[PhiH]

Ohhh, thanks for that input!
That reminds me, it's highly unlikely that it will be printed with offset printing due to it's low item number. 

But if I had to switch color modes, even if just a different type of RGB, how would that look like in Bridge?

[D Fosse · Accepted solution]

Don't use Image > Mode, it just goes to the working space.

Use Edit > Convert to Profile, where you convert to the specific profile you want. 

Bridge doesn't do profile conversions, but you can set it to show what the embedded profile is. You can also do this in Photoshop (which I generally recommend):

[PhiH]

Got it! Thanks a bunch!