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Participant
September 4, 2018
Question

Converting issues (RGB -> CMYK)

  • September 4, 2018
  • 6 replies
  • 2195 views

Hi!

I want to print some illustrations and I am aware that I have to correct some colors after a color profile change.

But when I´m converting a RGB-file to CMYK, the colors currently don´t change. They are shown in RGB, although Photoshop tells me that´s the CMYK profile. The odd thing is, that my testprints did change the colors and are in CMYK. Only Photoshop itself doesn´t show the right colors. 

Things I´ve already tried:

-converting other Illustrations ( same issue)
-restarting / updating Photoshop
-using different monitors
-flattening files

Thanks ahead for any help!

This topic has been closed for replies.

6 replies

rob day
Community Expert
Community Expert
September 4, 2018

But when I´m converting a RGB-file to CMYK, the colors currently don´t change. They are shown in RGB, although Photoshop tells me that´s the CMYK profile.

If you have View>Proof Colors checked, using the default Working CMYK as the Proof Setup, there wouldn't be a color appearance change even if the RGB colors are out-of-gamut, because Proof Colors previews the expected color change.

Also the title bar tells you what the document's color mode and proofing status is.  Here the title bar tells me the active layer, the document's color mode, the bit depth, and the proofing color mode. The asterisk tells me the the document's assigned Adobe RGB profile doesn't match the current Color Settings Working Space

Theresa J
Community Expert
Community Expert
September 4, 2018

I’m guessing that you are using the color picker / eye dropper tool to sample the colors in your converted CMYK image, and reading the values in the color panel. The color panel can display color mixes in several different color modes, so it won’t tell you what actual color mode the document is. You can read RGB mixes from a CMYK image and visa versa.

Look at the channels panel instead. A CMYK document will have 5 channels and an RGB document will have 4.

Community Expert
September 4, 2018

The other Dave is right on the money

davescm
Community Expert
Community Expert
September 4, 2018

Hi

If all the colours in your RGB file are within the gamut (the color range that can be displayed) of the CMYK profile you have chosen, then you will not see a difference on converting. You will see a difference if out of gamut colours are included in the RGB file.

Dave

FluttiAuthor
Participant
September 4, 2018

You´re right! And I have to thank all of you for your fast help.


Luckily I got a message with a note about the (real) problem from my print service:
The testprints went out wrong (and the conversion was fine).


I can´t thank all of you enough - It was my first time using that forum and I didn´t expect so many answers in such a short time.

c.pfaffenbichler
Community Expert
Community Expert
September 4, 2018

Also: What were the conversion settings (Intent etc.)?

c.pfaffenbichler
Community Expert
Community Expert
September 4, 2018

RGB, CMYK – which RGB, which CMYK?

Please set the Status Bar to »Document Profile« and post more meaningful screenshots of the original RGB image and the separated image.