You are selecting out of gamut colours for your working colour space – That’s what the exclamation mark is telling you
I understand that my program indicates that I am out of the "color gamut". However, this would mean that all work on Photoshop and Illustrator is limited to dark colors. I want to use a blue like the windows default blue, but it knocks me down to a navy. I never had this problem prior to the re-install. Why would this happen? Can I change the settings?
Andy,
The Gamut available is that of your current working space.
Change your working space and you change the available Gamut.
If I change the color mode to RGB it allows me to view the lighter blues. However, when I switch over to CMYK it automatically changes all blues to navy. I am trying to send a company logo to print and it keeps changing the colors. Is this typical of CMYK, or are my settings incorrect?
Thanks.
I think Len is referring to the ICC color profiles…am I right? Your color profiles may be set up incorrectly.
Andy
The CMYK gamut is considerably smaller than the RGB one. And, if you want to print with CMYK (commercial printing, not to a computer printer) then PS is saving you a lot of grief by not letting you use colors that cannot be reproduced.
Your options are to accept PS’s choice for closest color, or use a Pantone spot color (which will cost more to print, unless it is the only color in the job.)
Most large company logos are specified as Pantone, by the way.
Thanks for the help.
I am trying to print a blue like the Microsoft Windows Default blue. Is this impossible with CMYK? Can I not reproduce a hexidecimal color like 0000ff?
Andy, is that the only color in the logo? If not, how many colors are there?
No. Half of the logo is blue and half of it is black.
My company name is Hammer Tutoring. "Hammer" is blue and "Tutoring" is black.
Sounds to me like you only need two spot colors (ie. Pantone colors) instead of using CMYK which is four colors (you going down the more expensive road if you use CMYK).
Do you have a Pantone color book to reference from?
Thanks for your quick reponses.
No I do not have a Pantone color book.
I use Vista Print for printing. Here is what their website has to say about color options: "VistaPrint uses the high quality, 4-color CMYK Process for printing."
Can I get a lighter blue using CMYK? Am I limited to navy?
To answer your question, yes, CMYK can produce a lighter blue (in fact, CMYK is capable of creating any color in the visble spectrum).
Back to what I was saying: because your logo only has two colors, it would be cheaper to do the output as such and not in CMYK. If you have a printed sample of the blue you are after, you could send it to the printer and have them spec the Pantone color. Just remember to ask for a color proof.
I realise nothing I have said so far solves the issue you are having with PS. Everthing I am suggesting is meant as a workaround. I am at a loss as to why your color selection is behaving the way it is…not sure about this….but maybe try deleting the preferences file…just a thought…
Does your logo exist as vector art?
Andy,
Am I limited to navy?<<
No, but you won’t get a highly saturated light blue from CMYK inks – the nearest would be 100c,0m,0y,0k. Start from that and then add magenta to the settings to send the Cyan more blue. Probably something like 100C 30M, 0Y, 0K will be somewhere near…..
Another good starting point…
try these:
C=30
M=15
Y=0
K=0
OR
C=50
Y=30
Y=0
k=0
These values come from a great CMYK color swatch book that I have. The first values are a very light blue (almost sky blue)and the second values are a bit darker.
This is getting pretty dark but not bad:
C=65
M=40
Y=0
k=0
Notice the pattern between the three values…a good starting point. Yes? No?
It’s impossible to get 89C 69M, 0Y, 0K? Thanks for your help.
No, thats totally possible (wouldn’t that be a darker blue?). To simplify, I would round those numbers off like this:
C=90
M=70
Y=0
K=0
PS> Rounding those values off isn’t going to affect the color.
Even though it shows up as a darker blue (really close to navy) on photoshop when I plug in those values. Is that typical? Do you think it has anything to do with my settings?
I have tried that CMYK value in other apps, and don’t see a huge difference (they all seem fairly dark – as mentioned, those values seem (to me anyway) to be for a darker color.
You may need to calibrate your monitor properly via adobe gamma and ICC color profiles. Visit Ian Lyons great website for a color calibration tutorial:
<
http://www.computer-darkroom.com/ps7-colour/ps7_1.htm>
Andy,
What do you have selected as your CMYK working space?
What colour are you seeing when, with the document IN the CMYK colour space, you select 84C 0M 8Y 0K?
I believe that the entire image is my CMYK working space. How do I check?
"What colour are you seeing when, with the document IN the CMYK colour space, you select 84C 0M 8Y 0K?"
I see a turqouise blue.
I think that I am unable to get a sharp blue using CMYK colors. The blues that I would like to use are always out of the color gamut. Is it possible to print in CMYK the windows default blue?
I believe that the entire image is my CMYK working space. How do I check?
Len is referring to the ICC color profiles. To check, EDIT>COLOR SETTINGS.
I still think you could save yourself alot of headache by using Pantone colors if you havn’t been able to get an accurate color using CMYK.
Andy,
Is it possible to print in CMYK the windows default blue?<<
Not sure what you mean by "windows default blue"….but probably not.
