Skip to main content
P
PinkRock
Participating Frequently
March 2, 2022
Question

How do I get our brand color in a CMYK image?

  • March 2, 2022
  • 5 replies
  • 1959 views

I made a render using Cinema 4D and used Photoshop to convert this RGB image to CMYK to be printed.

The render shows the interior of a large building with some escalators, and a large cloud above it. For this cloud I used (bright shades of) our brand color. I was able to fix a lot of the dull colours after the convert, but unfortunately not our brand color (which is 100% Magenta). 

 

How can I get our bright brand color back in the CMYK image?

Should I combine the CMYK image with the PMS version of the brand color? 

 

Many thanks in advance!

Peter

This topic has been closed for replies.

5 replies

Leslie Moak Murray
Community Expert
Leslie Moak MurrayCommunity Expert
Community Expert
March 2, 2022

I work in CMYK, and am very familiar with the issue of duller colors. You can often improve them by going Image>Adjustments>Hue/Saturation. If the magenta is not on its own layer, you can do this with an Adjustment Layer:

 

-Layer>New Adjustment Layer

-In Properties, choose "Master"

-From the dropdown list, choose "Magentas" and play with that

In my example below, the result isn't magenta, I know! This is from something I did yesterday:

 

 

P
PinkRockAuthor
Participating Frequently
March 3, 2022

Thank you guys for your replies!

But I still haven't heard any of you about combining a PMS color with CMYK.

 

What would happen if I took the Magenta PMS color of our brand and painted that color on some areas in my CMYK image? 

D Fosse
Community Expert
D FosseCommunity Expert
Community Expert
March 3, 2022

That means printing with spot inks in addition to the CMYK inks. Expensive and technically more complicated, but doable if important.

 

However, I don't see the point or purpose. If that color is defined as 100% magenta (in whatever CMYK profile) - then that's the color you get in that particular printing process.

 

Just stick with consistent and correct CMYK profiles, and the color will match. The rest is perception (as Conrad explained).

    Mylenium
    Mylenium
    Legend
    March 2, 2022

    The real trick likely is to subtract all other colors from the area in question in your 3D render and then re-color it with an overlay and even without using spot colors that may require an actual separate Magenta separation. I doubt you would be able to get the densities controlled in such a way that it could be done in one pass otherwise. It's been ages ago, but the T-Online/ T-Mobile/ Telekom CI guides have some info on that somewhere as well. For backlit displays I think you simply need to adhere to the special papers and foils that those companies use and obtain a suitable profile if possible. You can also try to just slap on a Exposure/ Gamma adjustment for preview purposes and compensate the colors. The specifics will depend, though. LEDs behave differently from tubes...

     

    Mylenium

      Stephen Marsh
      Community Expert
      Stephen MarshCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      March 2, 2022

      What are the Lab colour values of the brand colour? If the logo is in RGB or CMYK then you need to have the correct ICC profile assigned/tagged to the image in order to get the Lab values.

       

      The brand colour would be correct in perfect lighting, however, the render is simulating a "scene" and with the lighting in the scene render, it may not be appropriate for the brand colour to appear with ideal values.

      P
      PinkRockAuthor
      Participating Frequently
      March 2, 2022

      Okay, but I just don't get it: how do the big companies get their colors so bright in printed advertisements?
      I.e. what do I need to do (in Photoshop) to get similar results? Combining CMYK with a PMS color is not an option?

      Stephen Marsh
      Community Expert
      Stephen MarshCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      March 2, 2022

      You don't want magenta – you need luscious!

        T
        Test Screen Name
        Legend
        March 2, 2022

        If you mean it is 100% magenta in RGB, there is absolutely no way you can reproduce that in CMYK. Print processes cannot do that, and you may need to modify your expectations. 

          P
          PinkRockAuthor
          Participating Frequently
          March 2, 2022

          And how about PMS / Spot colors? I thought perhaps I could use them to colorize the CMYK image a bit?

          P
          PinkRockAuthor
          Participating Frequently
          March 2, 2022

          I mean, by adding them to the CMYK image and using a brush to add some more (PMS) color

            D Fosse
            Community Expert
            D FosseCommunity Expert
            Community Expert
            March 2, 2022

            What CMYK profile are you using? What CMYK profile is the brand color defined in?

             

            As long as the profile is given, 0-100-0-0 is unambiguously defined.

             

            CMYK always refers to a specific offset printing process, an offset press calibrated to a certain standard, using certain inks on certain paper stock. The profile tells you which process. There is no such thing as an abstract generic "CMYK".

             

            P
            PinkRockAuthor
            Participating Frequently
            March 2, 2022

            Good point, I forgot to mention I'm using FOGRA39 as CMYK color profile.

             

            I have used the official RGB values for the brand color in the render, but I'd like to keep the right colors in the CMYK converted image. I actually do have the CMYK and even PMS values of the brand color, but I'm not sure how to embed these in my CMYK converted render.

            Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
            Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices