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Janni1
Participating Frequently
October 20, 2019
Question

Jpg picture gets dull in Photoshop

  • October 20, 2019
  • 5 replies
  • 4629 views

Hi guys

 

I have a problem, that I can't seem to google my way out of.

I've made a picture in Photoshop in CMYK - 16 bit for print. When I save it as JPEG it looks fine - but I need to convert it for PDF, so I tried importing it to InDesign, but the colors look slighty lighter. It's not much - og I don't find a solution, it will work as it is, but it annoys me, that I can't figure it out. same thing happens when saving directly from PS or converting the picture online. I've tried changing changing to RGB in PS, but it didn't do anything. Color settings is standard, as every time I tried changing anything it just got worse. Tried different color profiles too. I attached the pdf and the original jpg PiC. 

 

Please heeelp 🙂

    This topic has been closed for replies.

    5 replies

    A
    alisonv25218141
    Known Participant
    October 21, 2019

    Hi Janni,

     

    When preparing files for print, I always work at 300dpi in CMYK and when I open a new document I choose Coated Fogra 39 because that is the standard that the printers use in my country.  This way, the monitor will be showing me approximately how the final product will be like when printed.  For me, it is useless seeing a very vivid fluorescent green on the monitor, when in fact it will never print like that.

    Also when dealing with small text, and the print will be done in offset, one should always use a one colour (for example c0 m0 y0 k100), to avoid misregistration. You cannot do this with RGB.

      rob day
      Community Expert
      rob dayCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      October 21, 2019

      When preparing files for print, I always work at 300dpi in CMYK and when I open a new document I choose Coated Fogra 39 because that is the standard that the printers use in my country.

       

      You can, but don’t have to make the conversion in Photoshop. The image color correction and edits can be done in an RGB space with Proof Setup set to Coated Fogra as the Device to Simulate, and Proof Colors turned on, which will show the CMYK color appearance without making the device dependent conversion. You can also get the Coated Fogra output numbers while editing in RGB by setting Info Eyedropper setting to Proof Color.

       

      Janni does have a problem with white text on a black background, but normally you would use a pagelayout app like InDesign for setting text. The image files can be placed as RGB and converted to Fogra on an export to PDF, and the text can be set as CMYK builds and output unchanged.

        D Fosse
        Community Expert
        D FosseCommunity Expert
        Community Expert
        October 20, 2019

        OK. The problem with CMYK is that it's really not for beginners. You need to know what you're doing, there are many ways to ruin a file.

         

        If you're editing in CMYK you need to be aware of the total ink limit. You can't go to 100% on all four plates, that results in ink smearing and drying problems. The limit is built into each profile and is typically 280 - 330%. A conversion is always safe, but subsequent editing can quickly get you over the limit.

         

        You also need to understand the difference between K-only black (black plate only) and rich black (all four plates), and when you have 100K overprinting the other plates and when not.

         

         

        J
        Janni1Author
        Participating Frequently
        October 22, 2019

        Might be, but since my company doesn't have the money to employ 3 different people, I'm doing a 3-man job and I'm just gonna have to learn 🙂

        D Fosse
        Community Expert
        D FosseCommunity Expert
        Community Expert
        October 20, 2019

        Janni has one thing right:

        "Color settings is standard, as every time I tried changing anything it just got worse."

        That's an entirely correct observation, and exactly the right approach. Keep everything at defaults.

         

        Janni, you need to simplify your procedure. Assuming you really need CMYK, which I'm not at all sure of, that should wait until the very end. Work in RGB until you're ready to export a press-ready PDF from InDesign. The image should stay RGB in the InDesign file.

         

        Above all, you need to make sure that the color profile (sRGB, Adobe RGB, ProPhoto) is always embedded in the file, and follows the file at all times. This is critical. If the profile is stripped somewhere, anything can happen.

         

        Also make sure that all applications respect that color profile and treat it correctly. This is where Color Management Policies come in. For RGB content, they should always be "Preserve Embedded Profiles", both in Photoshop and InDesign. Yes, this is the default, don't change it.

         

        Now if you really need the end product to be a CMYK file, you must know the correct CMYK profile to use. The Photoshop/InDesign default is very likely useless here. Everything stops here, you can't go any further until you know this. Ask the printer, do whatever it takes. You must know. Then you can prepare the Export to PDF settings accordingly.

          rob day
          Community Expert
          rob dayCommunity Expert
          Community Expert
          October 20, 2019

          Work in RGB until you're ready to export a press-ready PDF from InDesign. The image should stay RGB in the InDesign file.

           

          In a Photoshop layout like this an RGB black background behind the white text would convert to 4-color CMYK creating a registration or trapping problem on an offset press. The text layout should really be done in InDesign, but if the layout has been constructed in Photoshop there would be no need to use ID at all—the Save As could be directly to PDF/X-4 from Photoshop. In that case text layers would remain as vectors, and the black background could be output as 0|0|0|100 CMYK. If the ouput is a poster to an inkjet printer, then the mode should not be CMYK, but there still would be no reason to use ID.

           

          rob day
          Community Expert
          rob dayCommunity Expert
          Community Expert
          October 20, 2019

          Did you create the file in Photoshop, or import it from another application? The JPEG you posted is 8-bit RGB, with no color profile embedded. It’s also 29" x 19.7" at 72ppi, all of which makes it seem like the image came from somewhere else. Also, InDesign does not support 16-bit image formats—16-bit images get converted to 8-bit for export and print.

            c.pfaffenbichler
            Community Expert
            c.pfaffenbichlerCommunity Expert
            Community Expert
            October 20, 2019

            »It’s also 29" x 19.7" at 72ppi«

            And 72ppi seems like an ill fit for printing. 

            rob day
            Community Expert
            rob dayCommunity Expert
            Community Expert
            October 20, 2019

            The pixel dimensions are 2094 x 1417, so it could be output as 7" x 4.7" @ 300 ppi. I assumed it was resized in InDesign as a postcard, but the PDF dimensions are 36" x 24", so maybe it is a poster?

              c.pfaffenbichler
              Community Expert
              c.pfaffenbichlerCommunity Expert
              Community Expert
              October 20, 2019

              • Why did you work in CMYK and did you know the correct CMYK space you were going to print ultimately? 

              • The jpg you posted is untagged RGB, but you claimed you worked in CMYK, right? 

              • Why is it untagged? That is a good way to getting bad or at least unpredictable results. 

              • Please don’t make statements like »Color settings is standard« but instead simply state the actual settings (maybe post a screenshot). 

              • What is »Tried different color profiles too« supposed to mean? 

              • What is »but I need to convert it for PDF« supposed to mean? 

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