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January 28, 2019
Question

Convert jpg image from rgb to cmyk

  • January 28, 2019
  • 4 replies
  • 3771 views

I have a lot of rgb jpg images but when I want to bring them into a book and print this book, the colours need to be in cmyk. Is there any possibility to convert this images without any colour changement? For example that the orange are going to be darker. The photos are mostly about trains so with alot of colours, espacialy when the photo is sunny.

Best Regards

Christian Möllemorden

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    4 replies

    Derek Cross
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    January 28, 2019

    The correct workflow is to optimise your images in Photoshop (straighten, color correct, sharpen etc), keep them in RGB color mode, ensure the resolution is around 300PPI in the size you'll be printing them at in InDesign.

    Place the images into your InDesign document, where you can add the text, color panels etc. Double check in the Links panel that each image has an effective resolution of between 200 and 300PPI, and there are no errors in the pre-flight.

    Also ensure that those images that bleed do so. Unless you've been given a spec by your printer select from the InDesign presets, PDF/X-4. Export as Pages (not Spreads) tick Use Document Bleed Settings and Crop Marks. (This PDF will convert to CMYK).

    Norman Sanders
    Legend
    January 28, 2019

    Christian, the printing ink gamut of color is smaller than your RGB gamut and when color is critical in lithographic reproduction, an additional color plate is often used (at an additional cost, of course) to meet the demand.

    In addition, converting RGB to CMYK without knowing the lithographer’s  print profile is risky business and is probably not giving you an accurate preview. I suggest you leave the conversion to the lithographer and request a proof  (in the US it is often referred to as a Contract Proof). Base your decision and options on that.

    Litho Ink: Regarding the ability of yellow to absorb B light, the magenta’s ability to absorb G and cyan’s ability to absorb R --in my experience I have found that usually Yellow does a fine job, magenta less so, and cyan is the weakest in the triad. So, in your case, the M is limiting orange match. If it is grayish, check the amount of C.

    Cosmetics offer a great challenge and extra plates (called touch plates or kickers) are used -- extras such as peach, warm gray and special reds. Regarding Cyan, if you were to dip an ink knife into a can of cyan and.draw it down to its lightest ink layer, you will see it go.toward gray.

    Oh, one more thing regarding the appearance of color saturation and contrast : discuss a varnish pass with your lithographer.

    c.pfaffenbichler
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    January 28, 2019

    Some colors in an RGB image may forever be out of gamut for some or even all commercial CMYK Spaces, but maybe these pages can provide a Color Management introduction:

    Understand Photoshop color management

    COLOR MANAGEMENT PHOTOSHOP CC CS6 Basic ColorManagement Theory ICC Profiles Color Spaces Calibrated Monitor Professional…

    c.pfaffenbichler
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    January 28, 2019
    Is there any possibility to convert this images without any colour changement?

    As you fail to mention both the involved RGB Space/s and the CMYK Space I assume you have little idea about Color Management and you may want to read up on it.

    Some RGB Spaces can be almost completely represented in some CMYK Spaces, others even less so.

    So what are they?

    In general it is perfectly acceptable to place profiled RGB images in a page layout application like Indesign and separate on pdf export, so you may be wasting your time trying to convert the images before placing them.

    January 28, 2019

    Thanks for your answer.

    You're right when you're saying that I have not really the plan about farb managemant.

    I want to create a book with photos and text. So I must convert my images to cmyk before I import the images into a text document.

    But when I look at professional books, they have all good looking photos with good looking colours. There is nowhere a too dark photo or something like that.

    Somehow they must have gotten it too.

    It can not be that your rgb image which looks at your PC beautiful, looks like a total crap when your print it