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Posted on 16/12/10 03:52:03 AM |
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Les Moore
Surreal Storyteller Posts: 92 Reply  |
I could use some CMYK help please...
Okay, first let me start by saying that my knowledge of photoshop (and the printing process) is very...VERY basic so if you could dumb down your answers for me I would appreciate it  .
So here's my problem...Ive been getting offers from people to do some CD covers and different things and I want to start getting into doing that but I have no idea how the whole CMYK thing works and because of that I've embarassed myself more than a few times. Ill do a piece that looks great on my screen and looks great if it's printed out on a regular home printer (RGB) but if it's a piece that's going to be sent to a professional printer (CMYK) it always prints WAY darker than it should (to the point that it pretty much ruins the piece) and the colors are always dull and less vibrant than they should be. I've tried to search online about this and I've learned that this is a common problem for people who have no idea what the hell they're doing...like me, it seems kind of complicated so I was hoping someone here might be able to dumb down the process for me so i can at least try to get a grasp on it. This is where I'm at...I've adjusted my screen with Adobe Gamma, I set photoshop to "Working CMYK", then when I'm done with the piece and flatten it I then I go to "Image">"Mode">"CMYK Color" then save it. This obviously doesn't work...at all. Like I said I'm an idiot when it comes to this so if someone could make this as simple as possible and at least get me headed in the right direction I would GREATLY appreciate it! Thanks. |
Posted on 16/12/10 1:42:30 PM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 7052 Reply  |
Re: I could use some CMYK help please...
I explain the difference between RGB and CMYK in the book - page 440 in the CS5 edition. Computer monitors are capable of much more saturated colour than printed publications, and it's all to do with the way the colour is generated: on screen, we start with black and the more colour we add, the brighter it gets. On paper, we start with white, and the more colour we add, the darker the result. The only real way to gauge the difference is experience. Turning on Proof Colors (command/ctrl Y) will give you an indication, but that's only a rough guide. You just have to learn not to use over-bright colours. The other issue is to do with the CMYK transfer. If you're working for a commercial publication, the best thing is to supply them with an RGB file and let them do the CMYK conversion. They'll have worked out custom CMYK curves that produce the most accurate colour for their combination of printing technology and paper stock. Sorry there's no simple answer to this one! |
Posted on 17/12/10 06:36:22 AM |
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Les Moore
Surreal Storyteller Posts: 92 Reply |
Re: I could use some CMYK help please...
Thanks for the advice Steve I appreciate it. Let me ask you something (if you don't mind) since you know all about this...you mentioned sending them an RGB file and lettting them convert it to CMYK. That sounds great but I always thought it was the artist responsibility to to do that...no? Is it common practice to let them convert it to CMYK or is that frowned upon in general? For example...I'm interested in trying to get into book cover design (among other stuff) so would it be acceptable to send them a piece that's an RGB file without looking unprofessional? Like I said I'm kind of new to all this so any advice is greatly appreciated. |
Posted on 17/12/10 08:51:34 AM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 7052 Reply |
Re: I could use some CMYK help please...
Always worth speaking to them first. But all the publishers I work for ask for RGB images, to ensure the quality: simply changing the mode from RGB to CMYK in Photoshop simply won't do the job correctly. Having said that, when I produce my books, I supply the printers with final CMYK PDF files. But then I do get detailed instructions from them on exactly how they want the PDFs prepared - the details vary considerably from printer to printer. As I say, talk to the publishers, and find out what they want. CMYK conversion is a black art, and they'll almost certainly want to run this part of the process themselves. |
Posted on 17/12/10 7:40:44 PM |
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Les Moore
Surreal Storyteller Posts: 92 Reply |
Re: I could use some CMYK help please...
That's really good news. Thanks so much! I have a little more hope now  . |