Converting to CMYK using Photoshop Elements

[anneb66388887]

I need to be able to convert to CMYK, but I'm not able to in my current version of Photoshop, which version do i need ?

[c.pfaffenbichler]

I'm not able to in my current version of Photoshop

Will you let us know which version that is?

As far as I know any Photoshop (proper) version since version 2 could convert images to CMYK, so what about the image – what are its Color Mode and Bit Depth?

Could you please post a screenshot with the pertinent Panels (Layers, Channels, Options Bar, …) visible?

[postrophe]

Hi

Also : Supply pertinent information for quicker answers.

The more information you supply about your situation, the better equipped other community members will be to answer. Consider including the following in your question:

Adobe product and version number.

Operating system and version number.

What you were doing when the problem occurred.

Full screenshots of the problem.

Computer hardware, such as CPU, GPU, amount of RAM.

And more importantly, what's your end goal?

Thank you.

Pierre

[Derek Cross]

Why do you want to convert your image to CMYK?

[Rogerr]

it would be for sending the file to a professional printer. They require CMYK Files

[Bettina Di Virgilio]

If you've Photoshop Elements, you just need a full version of Photoshop.

[anneb66388887]

My current version is 'Adobe Photoshop Elements 7', my pictures needs to be printed in a catalogue, and that requirers CMYK.

I can see that there is a version called 'Photoshop CC' - is this the one ?

[c.pfaffenbichler]

and that requirers CMYK.

Which CMYK Space exactly?

Unless you have a clearly stated target space handing off profiled RGB images would seem to make more sense.

[Derek Cross]

Supply your images as RGB and let the publisher/designer/printer do any conversion to CMYK.

This is important.

[c.pfaffenbichler]

Supply your images as RGB and let the publisher/designer/printer do any conversion to CMYK.

Some printers (for newspapers in particular) may require the data to be sent separated.

But unless they specify the CMYK target space that requirement would indeed be pretty much nonsensical.

[Derek Cross]

Why nonsensical?

[c.pfaffenbichler]

When the printer does not specify the CMYK space one basically has to guess which one tho use.

And while the chosen one may fit the needs it may also be considerably off, for example ISO Coated v2 could seriously overshoot the TAC if the actual printing process was newsprint.

Not to mention that Photoshop’s default CMYK space is not particularly useful in much of the world but inexperienced users might just go with that.

The printer could naturally re-separate a profiled CMYK image (CMYK-to-CMYK) but the loss of quality might be noticeable.

[Derek Cross]

Converting to CMYK yourself is the worst possible outcome. It'll often mean converting CMYK to CMYK or CMYK to RGB, imagine the loss of quality.

For more information read this from some of the world's greatest experts: http://indesignsecrets.com/import-rgb-images-indesign-convert-cmyk-export.php

[c.pfaffenbichler]

I am aware of the involved issues.

Sometimes it does make sense to separate.

Edit: But of course only if the target space is known.

Not only for proofing, but because of other issues (banding for example) as well.

Like I said in particular with newsprint – the small gamut of ISOnewspaper26v4 for example may cause considerable changes in appearance of an image, in which case it may be better to make the choice of Render Intent oneself instead of leaving it up to the printer.

[c.pfaffenbichler]

But I agree that in general handing of profiled RGB images is better and for actual print PDFS we usually do place RGB images and separate on PDF Export.

[adaptable_body5EF8]

Thank you that makes sense.

[Bettina Di Virgilio · Accepted solution]

Elements doesn't support CMYK, that's the reason. Yes, you can use Photoshop CC.

[Derek Cross]

You can use Photoshop (instead of PS Elements) for optimising your images but please don't convert them yourself to CMYK.

[Artist-Writer+]

When uploading book covers to Ingram Spark which prints their books using offset printing you HAVE to convert it to CMYK. This is not an option. They will not do it for you. They tell you that you must upload the coverdesign in CMYK and if you do not do that their system just rejects the file and you are stuck.

I have Pholoshop Elements 13 but cannot do it on that.

[MichelBParis]

When uploading book covers to Ingram Spark which prints their books using offset printing you HAVE to convert it to CMYK. This is not an option. They will not do it for you. They tell you that you must upload the coverdesign in CMYK and if you do not do that their system just rejects the file and you are stuck.

I have Pholoshop Elements 13 but cannot do it on that.

By @Artist-Writer+

This old discusson gives excellent advice and excellent explanations from the best experts of color management. My advice won't be from a color and printing expert, it will be from an old PSE user who has been a customer of offset printing services with the advice of design studios. In a nutshell, those offset printing providers are the only ones to know exactly about their technical printing process, I mean inks and papers. At best, they can provide 'profiles' for users with the right softwares to give them CMYK files, generally in pdf format. Those users have to trust those profiles which have anyway the drawback of losing some 30% of the colours in the original RGB photos. As a customer, I would never have trusted a supplier refusing to do the conversion; it's their job, their responsability; and it's natural that this job is not for free.

In this conversation, you'll see that often, the designers provide not only the CMYK files, but also the original RGB files for controlling the test outputs.

You can see that even those experts have different choices, so it would be totally insane to provide CMYK conversion for the users of PSE.

For me, a supplier refusing to do the conversion for a reasonable price would be on my black list.

[Angel.M.Johnson]

That's a little difficult to do for self published authors when Ingram Spark is the leader in publishing for wide distribution in paperback. We don't really have the "ability" to just blacklist them. 

[dickh75944191]

I speak from experience when I say that Ingram Spark did an adequate job of printing a cover I designed in Photoshop Elements 2019.  And while it's true that Ingram Spark's cover design directions request that you submit a PDF whose prepress colors have been converted from RGB to CMYK, it isn't true that if you fail to do so (I, for instance, did not) Ingram will reject the file and you'll be stuck.  Instead, when you upload the PDF of the cover Ingram Spark will analyze it and, noting that it doesn't use CMYK colors, warn you that the printed cover -- and even the eproof of the printed book -- may not display the colors correctly.

As happened to me, this warning turned out to be warranted.  My cover used dark red type against a beige-colored background; when the book was printed the background developed a slightly pink tint I don't care for, but otherwise the front and back cover and spine printed exactly as I designed them.  So I'd grade the results a solid B or B+.

Lastly, let me warn anyone who plans to use Ingram Spark that its PDF compliance requirements ("Files must be PDF/X-1a:2001 or PDF/X-3:2002 compliant") proved impossible for me to meet.  The requirements claim that these PDF settings may be achieved using Adobe Acrobat 6 Professional (PDF/X-1a:2001) or Adobe Acrobat 7 Professional (PDF/X-3:2002), but I found to my frustration that the very latest pro flavor of Adobe Acrobat I downloaded was unable to conform my Photoshop Elements 2019 PDF to either of these prepress compliance standards.  Had it been possible I'd like to think my experience with the unwanted pink tint on the cover would have been avoided.

[Derek Cross]

So there you have it OP.

Keep your images in RGB. It means they have the widest gamut (you loose around a third of the color when you convert to CMYK).

Remember the RGB color mode is correct (1) for websites (2) for your desk-top color printer, which will come with its own software to convert it to CMYK (or more depending on the model) (3) photo bureaux can use the mode and do their own color conversion, and (4) commercial litho printers will convert the images when they are included in publications etc they print to the space most suitable for the substrate.

[c.pfaffenbichler]

Remember the RGB color mode is correct (1) for websites

Allow me to nitpick here: It is not the RGB Color Mode as such, but the sRGB Color Space that should ascertain a fairly reliable result for web purposes.

[Derek Cross]

True, but most browsers don't have color management.