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Color Match RGB to CMYK
I understand that most print houses use CMYK in their printing, and most of us work in RGB mode on the designs and photos. before printing i either have to switch to CMYK mode or the print house does so for me. the problem is the colors in many cases are not close, the fine tuned color correction on the photos is ruined and looks not half as good, so here is the question:
is there a way to convert RGB to CMYK while preserving the exact same tones, if not, is there a way to re-color correct the CMYK to match the exact same tones as in RGB mode.
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4 Replies
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RGB is a larger color gamut than CMYK, so there’s going to be overlapping colors, but lots that you can’t replicate in CMYK. I recommend CMYK preview in Photoshop to preview your colors while in RGB mode. Color chart: https://a.img-dpreview.com/reviews/KodakDCS760/Samples/Colourspace/ProPhotoRGB.jpg
https://www.youtube.com/graphicsdump
https://www.myr3d.com -
Thanks Scott for your reply, i get why they are different, and i can check a preview of the cmyk while working in RGB mode, thats no problem, but my question is
how to get it to match the RGB mode
or how can i get my printed materials to have the same tones and on the computer
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You can’t get the same tones as RGB. You can get “close” to RGB, but you’re going to be trying to achieve something that is not possible, just because of simple math. To make it appear a little better and get better output, make sure you calibrate your monitor, and, make sure your images levels and contrast are correct – something I find helps the appearance. Also, try adjusting curves to remove color casts and to increase values where needed. If you want to learn a great deal more about color correction, read a book by Dan Margulis.
https://www.youtube.com/graphicsdump
https://www.myr3d.com -
Rather than starting a new thread with a similar quandary, I will add my own here:
Let’s say I design DVD slipart in CMYK and the matching DVD label in RGB. I do this because the Epson stylus printer for the DVD art is CMYK (although today I discovered you can set it to RGB – so maybe it is not really CMYK – regardless of that, when we do a large job and get the artwork printed on glossy cardstock at our local print shop, CMYK is the norm) – the inkjet DVD label printer is RGB.
Well as one would expect, the same color looks completell different on the two printouts – different ink, paper, color space – no surprise. But then we usually have to print many variations of both until we get something that matches – or is as close as possible given the differences in media.
Is there a a better way?
Tanks
Mike Cohen
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