Graphic Design Contests

**pappasaa** · 05-06-2005, 07:54 PM

How do i keep the same colors used in RGB when converting to CMYK. Is it possible or do I just haveto deal with it.

I am doing a hot pink flyer and designed it in RGB but then conrevted it to CMYK for printing and everything just went to a dull gray/pink color and It just killed the entire thing. Any input would be great.

**Yoxim** · 05-06-2005, 11:01 PM

That's because the RGB color space has millions of colors as oposed to CMYK which has thousands of colors. The shade of pink you are using simply isn't available in the CMYK color space. It's a fact of life and it happens all the time. All the colors look much more cooler and vibrant in RGB then they do in CMYK. The only way to get around this is to either find a compromise or to use spot colors. Considering you didn't know the difference between RGB and CMYK, I doubt you know about spot colors. I'm not calling you stupid or anything, but even if you did know about spot colors, unless you are using a profesisonal printer who prints on a press, you are screwed. They are custom mixed colors made to your exact specifications. For example, the blue in AT&T's logo, the red in Sprint, the Pepsi blue, the Coke red, those are colors which were mixed for and trademarked by these companies. Their shade never varies. Spot colors are great, but they cost money.

**0beron** · 05-06-2005, 11:43 PM

Surely the colour spaces are no different, you are just specifying the colour a different way - eg 100% red is the same as 100%M 100%Y?

It sounds like your software is adjusting your colours on screen to indicate the approximate colour when printing. Changing the colour model shouldn't affect the contents of the image, and if you're printing on a desktop printer it shouldn't make any difference.

Someone tell me if I've got the wrong idea here....

**CasaPages** · 05:53 AM

My 2 cents..... Try laying out the major color elemnts in CMYK and then move over any/all aspects of your design to the new design.... if its only the pink that changed the most it shouldn't be that hard...However I have noticed that with CMYK you can not get as vibrant colors as you can in say RGB.....

Oberon I think you are on the right track but transfering from RGB to CMYK is more than just a application adjusting colors...from personal experince I have noticed that a lot of colors are just not supported by CMYK since it is a printing color schema.... Thus unlike RGB which is thousands of colors CMYK is limited to the variations in a standard printshops inks combos....... In other words pritting on paper is limited to the inks you can blend...... I could also be wrong since im no printer and have never really worked in a print shop but knowing that CMYK is a printing color set Im assuming that you are limited....

perhapes you should contact the printer you "will be/have been" using and consult with them on their available colors and the associated costs of recreating them on various medias.....or even just contacting any printer and ask them the question....who knows they might be cool and give you a hand....

edit-

I know a few people in this industry, perhapes if I run in to any of them this weekend I'll bounce the question off them and see what they have to say........