Membership card - CMYK

[mcdon47]

Hi, using Windows 10 (64x) and Photoshop Elements 2018, I need to create a membership card. The company that print the membership cards want me to do it using CMYK. However, when starting from scratch, in Colour Mode, it only show the options: RGB Colour, Greyscale and Bitmap. How do I select CMYK?

[MichelBParis · Accepted solution]

mcdon47  wrote

Hi, using Windows 10 (64x) and Photoshop Elements 2018, I need to create a membership card. The company that print the membership cards want me to do it using CMYK. However, when starting from scratch, in Colour Mode, it only show the options: RGB Colour, Greyscale and Bitmap. How do I select CMYK?

Photoshop Elements does not support the CMYK moce, which seems very wise to me.

To tell the truth, I can hardly imagine in 2018 a printer service (visit cards) which is not able to work on RGB originals. If he charges a small additional charge, ok. But if he does not have Photoshop or an equivalent pro software that does not tell anything good about him.

It's not the job of the photographer to do the craft of the printer, and a CMYK conversion has to take into account physical parameters (paper, ink...) that the printer only can know. As a customer, I consider it's his responsibility.

That said, other experts in this forum may help you:

- You can find Internet sites which can do a conversion

- Other softwares like the free Inkscape can do the conversion.

[WM70_54]

Strange reaction:

Strange reaction, because RGB works in 8, 16 or 32 bit color pallets. CMYK works with 8 bit.
Your camera or at least your monitor is calibrated. The RGB profile holds your calibration info.

Yes, de print service offices can move your RGB to their CMYK, but the color balance is not in your hand anymore.
Specially your blues and purple will shift. They will do their best, but the risk it at you side.
Typical is that Photoshop CC itself still provides CMYK. Are those pro users stupid or do they get something they do not use?
Also affinity photo provides you CMYK, cost you around 50 Euro and you have the color balance in your hands.
You can start in Photoshop elements and move the psd file to Affinity if you like to get your CMYK profile correct.
It is a one time investment and you done (same like elements).
Might be you will not even use photoshop anymore if you get used in this tool.
Powerful part from Adobe for me is that they support the color calibration cards w/o a problem. Many do not.
Otherwise I already stopped with Adobe.
And, all my pro (press) print service offices ask me to give the correct CMYK formatted files.
They all can translate RGB, but they do not guarantee the correct color balance.
If it is just a one time use, I would let the print service translate the RGB. If you go more often, then get yourself to a CMYK convert tool yourself to get all correct.

[mcdon47]

Thank you, I'm satisfied with your explanation.

[rayek.elfin]

Elements XXL (plugin for elements) adds CMYK support to Photoshop Elements. The plugin by itself is equally or more expensive than getting either PhotoLine or Affinity Photo to convert images to CMYK in a much more controlled manner - so unless you really want to stick with Elements, I'd say get PhotoLine or Affinity Photo for this task instead. And both are more similar to Photoshop in terms of image editing features as well, and outperform Elements.

A great free option is Krita (www.krita.org): it supports CMYK image mode, soft proofing, and provides an out-of-gamut preview too. Convert your RGB images to CMYK mode for free!