If the Eyedropper picks up the sep. preview values for a CMYK PDF, then is it an inconsistency that it picks up the RGB values for a legitimately RGB image?   I think that's the engineering problem with PDF. I want the eydropper to pickup actual color value, which it does nicely for RGB, CMYK, or Lab images. Maybe those numbers aren't easily accessible with PDF. ... View more

I'm talking C++. With the 3 native color spaces, the eyedropper accurately picks up the image's values which may or may not be the output values. Sep Preview always shows the output values, which could be different if profiles conflict. So if the aim of the eyedropper is to pickup the image's native color then there is a difference. In the case of PDFs, Sep Preview is showing the grayscale's output value (CMYK 0|0|0|K) not the actual gray value. In the real world they are the same but in the CM world they are not. Given the complexity of PDF color, maybe reading native file color inside of a PDF isn't as easy to engineer as we are imagining? ... View more

I'm sure it's possible to get those values. I can't find anything on the Sep Preview panel in the AS dictionary. Is there something there? ... View more

WHY is it not possible to pick those up directly from placed rasters? It does for CMYK and RGB images. The eye dropper returns 100 Black when I sample a directly placed grayscale image. PDFs could have any number of color objects and embedded profiles, so I'm guessing that's why it's an RGB proxy. Also, the eyedropper/PDF proxy relationship isn't reliable in anyway making a script impossible. It looks like the eyedropper picks up RGB values based on the color management setting when the PDF is placed, but the preview of an untagged PDF changes with the document's profile assignment. So below I've placed the PDF into a doc with US Sheetfed Uncoated assigned, switched the assignment to US Sheetfed Coated, sampled the 40% patch, and the RGB value isn't even close: ... View more

Oh. I'm sure it's possible. Not until ID has a grayscale space. ... View more

In my post 23 test I placed the grayscale in ID and exported the page as PDF/X-1a (no profile) and then as PDF/X-4 (embed profiles). Then I placed both files in an ID doc with Preserve Embedded as the policy. The two placed PDFs have different RGB proxies even though the gray output values are identical. If I do the same out of Illustrator I get the same results. Here's my test: http://www.zenodesign.com/forum/gspdf.zip ... View more

The results are the same out of Illustrator. Remember the question here is can you get the grayscale output value from the eyedropper (the value that shows in Sep Preview)? ID doesn't apply any dot gain to grayscale images, the values go unchanged on to the black plate. When the grayscale is inside of a PDF and the PDF includes a CMYK profile the preview depends on the embedded CMYK profile, or the ID document CMYK profile if there's no profile included. You won't be able to come up with a working formula because the sampled RGB values are dependent on the assigned CMYK profile. ... View more

When I ran it on my test the top returned 38, the bottom returned 47—not very useful in either case if you are looking for 40% ... View more

Grayscale image values are put on the black plate and output unchanged (ID ignores grayscale profiles). Their previews are adjusted by the assigned CMYK profile, which could be anything. Even if you could come up with an equation that converts the RGB to the output K value, it would only work for one profile. ... View more

If the aim really is to get the output K value there's no way. Depending on what profiles are embedded the same original gray value can produce any number of RGB eyedropper values. So below is a doc with US Sheetfed Uncoated assigned with it's profile policy set to Preserve. The top PDF has no embedded profile (it gets the doc's profile). The bottom PDF has US SWOP Coated embedded and the profile is preserved. When I eyedropper the 40% patch from each image I get very different values 168|174|174 for the uncoated version, and 153|153|153 for the bottom version. In both images Sep Preview has the output as 0|0|0|40: ... View more

but actually I guess it's just a coincidence Definitely a coincidence. If you are trying to find a K value that has the same appearance as a neutral RGB value there isn't a single constant that would get you there. If you change profiles the number wouldn't work and it probably doesn't work over the entire tonal scale anyway. The maximum black profile trick does get you the correct conversion of RGB to Dot Gain 20% grayscale, but doesn't necessarily get you the same appearance because the black only CMYK color you get is previewed through your document's CMYK profile not a Dot Gain 20% grayscale profile. If your doc is all black/grayscale you could assign the MaxBlack profile and it would work. Otherwise Sep Preview is the way to go. ... View more

where does it come from? Trial and error. As I mentioned in post 6 there's no CM here. I was about to say a color managed conversion from neutral RGB colors to a black only CMYK is impossible, but remembered I use this profile to convert a grayscale image to black only CMYK and it will also work for neutral RGB: http://www.zenodesign.com/forum/MaxBlack.zip With the profile assigned to your doc, AdobeRGB 169|169|169 converts to 0|0|0|40.75—the same conversion you would get in PS converting from AdobeRGB to 20% Dot Gain grayscale. So this simple script works: tell application "Adobe InDesign CS5.5"           set docprofile to CMYK profile of active document           set CMYK profile of active document to "MaxBlack"           set space of fill color of selection to CMYK           set CMYK profile of active document to docprofile end tell ... View more

For simplicity, etc., I really do like Peter's idea of using the Sep. Preview. I missed Peter's post—sep preview does give you the file's exact gray value. For image files the eyedropper gives you correct values for Lab, CMYK, RGB images but not for grayscale because it doesn't exist. I've been wishing out loud for a grayscale space since ID2, but something tells me it won't happen. The missing grayscale space creates a number of display problems, but no output problems so it's probably not a priority. 1.15 is indeed a magic number. Reversing the L value gets you a linear tonal scale, so multiplying by some number imitates a curve—something like what you would get with Photoshop's 20% dot gain grayscale profile. ... View more

This version keeps you in ID. It isn't a color managed conversion but comes close if your doc profile is SWOP: tell application "Adobe InDesign CS5.5"     set space of fill color of selection to LAB     set {a, b, c} to color value of fill color of selection     set myKvalue to (100 - a) * 1.15     if myKvalue is greater than 100 then         set myKvalue to 100     end if     set space of fill color of selection to CMYK     set color value of fill color of selection to {0, 0, 0, myKvalue} end tell ... View more

Without a grayscale space there's no way to get a color managed  conversion to grayscale inside of ID. With AppleScript I can go get the conversion from Photoshop. This takes the RGB fill of the current selection and gets the grayscale conversion in PS based on the current PS Color Settings: tell application "Adobe InDesign CS5.5"     activate     set {a, b, c} to color value of fill color of selection     tell application "Adobe Photoshop CS5"         set theColor to {class:RGB color, red:a, green:b, blue:c}         set gs to convert color theColor to grayscale         set k to gray value of gs             end tell     set properties of fill color of selection to {space:CMYK, color value:{0, 0, 0, k}}     display dialog "CMYK 0|0|0|" & k end tell Don't know if you can do something similar with JavaScript edit: I added a line to update the selection fill with the converted CMYK color ... View more

Your error message isn't for a missing PDF preset. I'm wondering if something happened when you tried to edit the script. Could you download the script again (from post 32), run it and see if you get a different error message, and post that? My assumption that the PDF/X-4 preset is universally available seems to be causing problems, so I might post a version with a list of presets to choose from when I get some time. ... View more

The text layers came rasterized and I actually need them to be recognized as text layers since I would need to key off the info in them...is this possible with some extra preset modification or I'm just asking for too much already Sorry the script is saving out PDFs of the layers and the text has to be rasterized when the PDF is opened into PS. ... View more

The conversion from 100% black to 92% black indicates there's a conversion to grayscale happening somewhere. It would be impossible to convert 0|0|0|100 CMYK to 0|0|0|92 CMYK when converting from one CMYK profile to another—there would always be CMY in the mix. If you set your PS Color Settings to the default and open the PDF with Grayscale set as the mode, the black converts to 93% ... View more

Everything on page 1 of your posted PDF is on the black plate, so if you or your printer are printing to Composite Gray there will be a conversion from CMYK (0|0|0|100) to grayscale, which would typically get you 92% black if SWOP CMYK is the source. You need to print the black plate separation or composite CMYK to output the black values unchanged. ... View more

I don't see why PDF wouldn't work. I just did a quick test placing a complex PDF/x and one native ID object on a page and exported it as an FLA. When I open the FLA the spread's movie clip asset has two objects—the PDF as a bitmap and the ID object, so there shouldn't be a problem tweening the PDF bitmap object in and out. ... View more

I see, that might work, haven't tried it, just make and re-import the PDF without flattening into PNG. Would that still flatten it into a single image which wouldn't cause the re-drawing issues when the pages are loading in the platform? What do you mean by platform and re-drawing? Re-drawing in InDesign or is a problem with exported SWFs in a browser? When you place a PDF in ID it is previewed as one object. ... View more

The PNG conversion is to flatten the artwork layer into a single image so the platform handling the files loads them quicker and helps keep the file sizes down a little. Why do you need to convert the exported PDF to PNG(pixels)? Have you tried exporting a PDF/x-4 and simply placing it rather than adding the extra steps of rastering the PDF? It's not surprising that you are having CM problems with PNGs, if you select a PNG and look at the Info panel you'll see that ID ignores its profile and assigns the document's RGB profile instead. ... View more

You're welome, just remember if you move your version of the script to another InDesign you'll also need to copy or remake your preset. ... View more

I just double checked the last script I posted with CS5 (not CS5.5) and it worked, so I'm guesing it has something to do with your German version. Try making making your own preset starting with the PDF/X-4 preset and use it in the script, so if your new preset is named myPDFpreset then change: set myPDFPreset to "[PDF/X-4:2007]" to: set myPDFPreset to "myPDFpreset" Click the AppleScript Editor's Compile button and resave the script. ... View more

That seems totally wrong to me, but I'm a PC user, so Lots of stuff on Mac seems odd to me. The described behavior is not what you would expect on a Mac—I'm running two monitors each with their own calibration and profile and get an exact match between PS and ID. ... View more

My monitor color is currently just set on "Cinema," however I tried setting up a calibration today on it and it looked the same so I think i's calibrated pretty well. I also tried putting the monitor on sRGB IEC61966-2.1 (and also tried a few other monitor settings like Adobe RGB1998) and there was still a color discrepancy. From the OSX Displays preference pane you should be able to assign each monitor its own profile. You shouldn't be setting a monitor's profile to an RGB editing space like sRGB or AdobeRGB because it is unlikely one of those profiles describes the display. It sounds like either ID or PS are picking up the wrong monitor profile when the CMYK values are converted back to RGB for display. If you don't have access to a hardware calibrator, you should at least try running through the Apple software calibration for each monitor and assign the appropriate display profile in the two panels. The preference pane would look something like this—I have checked Show Profiles for this display only, which limits the list to my calibration profiles and Apple's profile ... View more

Just to be sure there's not something up with the document have you try creating a new doc with your Color Settings set to North America General 2 and placing the file? I can't replicate your problem when I do that—I'm running two cinema displays. Also have you tried disconnecting the PC monitor and restarting to make sure the dual monitors aren't causing a problem. ... View more

Have you confirmed for us that the CMYK numbers match between ID's Separation Setup and PS's Info Panel? If you've never run any kind of calibration what are you using as a monitor profile in your Displays Pref—you should get separate preference panes for each monitor? ... View more