RGB to CMYK

[faisal]

What do I have to keep in mind when converting...colour reproduction wise...

Also on conversion, CS3 asks if the image should be flattened or not...what does that mean???

Thanks...

[arc]

you should check under "View" the gamut warning, whatever shows up gray will be colors that aren't going to look the same (uncheck it to make all the gray areas disappear), you can also use the Proof Setup, and check mark CMYK then check mark the "Proof Colors" and it'll show you what the image will look like in CMYK so you can make adjustments to those areas BEFORE you convert it to CMYK. The image will probably look more dull.

Flattening an image means all your layers will be flattened to just one layer, and that layer itself will have no transparency options...meaning if you use your eraser or lasso and delete an area, that area will now be the background color instead of a transparent area.

be sure to do a "Save As" before you convert it, you can do it after but if you have the habit of just saving it while you're working on it, you'll overwrite your original file.

[Margus]

What do I have to keep in mind when converting...colour reproduction wise...
Thanks...

The best what you can do is not to convert anything from one color space to another. I'm dead serious about it - there is always some unexpected change of colors and like a rule of thumb - the most important colors will look totally different. Orange turns to read or yellow, light blue to greenesh or dark blue, etc....

Stick to the sRGB whenever the result is important to you. And if you have to deal with a print house demanding CMYK colors then give them your pictures still in sRGB and ask them to convert the pictures themselves without any loss of colors. If they are professionals they can do the conversion in the best way.

You are welcome... :)

[D Thompson]

What do I have to keep in mind when converting...colour reproduction wise...

Also on conversion, CS3 asks if the image should be flattened or not...what does that mean???

Thanks...

Main thing is color shift

Flatten just means it will merge all of the layers into 1 background layer.

Why do you want to convert to CMYK? As I understand it, you would then have to convert back unless you are outputting to a commercial printing press.

[faisal]

I'm providing pictures to a marketing company who want to use them to make a company brochure...so there designer wants the pictures in CMYK color and in TIFF format....so I'm just wondering the effects of the conversion....

I have converted my pictures and it does not make that much of a difference for the portrait shots but in the other shots (of trucks and buildings) I am kinda worried cause the greens are not bright enough and I'm scared to bump up the saturation as I'm told in print, high amount of saturation is a bad idea and duller pictures are the way to go as they look better in print...correct me if I'm wrong...

[D Thompson]

OK, I'd say they are using a printing press for brochures. You probably want to provide them with a flattened TIFF, but I'd keep my original PSD with layers if you have any. They may want you to correct or change something, so I'd definitely keep my working file.

Sorry, can't comment on the saturation and printing in CMYK.

[faisal]

I'm keeping my originals with me....so that's not a problem.....and I have flattened my image when saving....

Thanks....