RGB vs. CMYK Color Adjustments

GB
Posted By
Gordon_Biggar
Oct 29, 2003
Views
531
Replies
10
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Closed
I am using Windows 2000 Pro, Photoshop 6.0 and Word 2000.

When I make adjustments in Photoshop to digital camera images (in JPEG format), using RGB or CMYK color modes, I am only able to display those edited images adjusted with RGB in Windows Explorer or in Microsoft Word. Images adjusted with CMYK show up as a small square with a red X through them. However, I am able to read successfully both types of saved files back into Photoshop. Am I doing something wrong, or are other software programs unable to handle the images with CMYK color adjustments?

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Gordon Biggar
Houston, Texas

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CC
Chris_Cox
Oct 29, 2003
Most other applications won’t handle CMYK, or won’t handle it correctly.
RL
Robert_Levine
Oct 29, 2003
Word does not understand CMYK.

Bob
GB
Gordon_Biggar
Oct 29, 2003
A rather naive question, but from one not overly experienced in the use of PS: can I obtain the same quality of color adjustment using RGB as with CMYK, or is this one of those "it depends" types of questions? Since there are two approaches, one must obviously be superior for making certain types of color adjustments, relative to the other.

The major problem that I have incurred using digital photos is that they need to be lightened, especially for close-ups taken in the macro mode. CMYK appears to give me this lighter image without destroying the color balance. Maybe with practice I can achieve the same results with RGB?

Since I will be using photos with text in a Word document, it appears that I will have to redo all of my pics, which were adjusted with CMYK.

Many thanks for the posts to my questions.

Gordon Biggar
GH
Gary_Hummell
Oct 29, 2003
When you are editing images in Photoshop, you should probably consider where the images are going next. If you are going to web or inkjet/laser printers, stay in RGB. The CMYK colorspace is useful mostly for press. You can move between the RGB and CMYK colorspaces in Photoshop but that can result is some unintended losses if the final output is RGB.

Gary
RL
Robert_Levine
Oct 29, 2003
In reality, RGB is a much better working space for color correction. But if you’re going to press and you don’t have completely RGB color managed workflow, you should stick with CMYK.

Bob
GB
Gordon_Biggar
Oct 29, 2003
Gary —

Thanks for the post. The images are being inserted into a book that will be published shortly. Does that count as "press?" But, since I am using Word for the formatting, I guess that I am restricted to using RGB. Perhaps, I would obtain better results if I adjusted each color individually, instead of using the combined triangle (?) to adjust brightness.

Do you know if software, such as Quark Ecpress (probably better suited for what I am doing), will handle both color modes?

Many thanks.

Gordon Biggar
DM
Don_McCahill
Oct 29, 2003
Are you having this book published professionally, or are you doing it yourself. If it is being published by an established printing house, they will not be working from your Word files (not directly … they will use the text, but not the paging).

Commercially printed work should be done in CMYK. Do the image in CMYK mode until you have it as you like (I am assuming you will get color profiles for the press to be used) and then save a copy as a TIFF format in CMYK, not JPG. The resolution should be 200-300 dpi … a 72 dpi image will be pretty useless.

You can then convert to RGB and save a copy for your Word file. The print shop will use these as "position only" images that tell them where to insert the good TIFF files.

In any case, talk to the printer, or the production expert at the publisher, as soon as possible in the job. Each place has its own ways of doing things, and what might be ideal for one could be unworkable in another.
MM
Mac_McDougald
Oct 29, 2003
I’ve done quite a bit of scanning work for pictures that will be published in books, both b/w and color.

In every case, either grayscale or RGB images were happily accepted. The publishing houses converted according to their own parameters.

300ppi at actual print size also made the publishers quite happy.

Mac
L
LenHewitt
Oct 29, 2003
Gordon,

Do you know if software, such as Quark Ecpress (probably better suited for
what I am doing), will handle both color modes?
<<

Yes, although you would find InDesign far better integrated with Photoshop and generally superior
V
viol8ion
Oct 29, 2003
This is sort of along the lines of another question earlier. Personally I work in RGB in TIFF format even though the bulk of my images will eventually be destined for press. I do all color correction in RGB, TIFF, then "save as" JPG for web or for printing to an inkjet; and then convert the original to CMYK, make a few minor tweaks if needed and save those for press.

Of course most of my images are product images, if you are photographing people, then a different workflow might work better. Whichever flow you choose, avoid switching back and forth between RGB & CMYK on the same image. I try to convert color modes only one time.

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