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need help with RGB/CMYK colors


giuls

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Noob here ..and completely clueless. This question is not really related to photoshop (I'm actually using Illustrator), but I don't think it will make much of a difference.
I made a logo and now I need to add color. I have to use the same red used in the previous logo and all I have is a gif of that logo. What is the proper way to do this? All I know is that I'm supposed to deliever the CMYK file. Do I use the color picker in illustrator and apply the color on the new logo? I tried this, it looks fine on screen, but when I print it, it looks darker and dull. As I said, I'm completely clueless. I really need to study how this stuff works, but for now I need to solve this problem. Thanks in advanced
 

ALB68

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Your computer monitor only sees RGB colors. Ai default color space is CMYK as the program is guessing that it is going to a commercial printer. If this is a logo and the colors are critical, I suggest you insist that the client provide you with definitive color information as a Pantone color match. What you see on your monitor and what is printed is not necessarily going to look the same especially if you don;t have a calibrated monitor and proper color management setup which should be step one in working with colors. See this article http://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/selecting-colors.html
http://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/color.html#about_colors_in_digital_graphics
This video explains how to access the Pantone color swatches in Ai.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHqkN3bohMg

Color is a very involved subject, so hopefully this info will get you on the way to a better understanding.
 
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giuls

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Color is a very involved subject,
I noticed that too!! :( I do logos and illustrations as a hobby and I want to start to make it profitable. But the whole color thing really scares me. I don't even know where to start.

Thanks for the help!
 

ALB68

Dear Departed Guru and PSG Staff Member
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Nothing to be scared of..once the principles are understood and the proper setups are accomplished, you'll be producing colors like a pro fairly quick. Lots of info here too. We consider Tom Mann to be our resident expert on the subject, maybe he will chime in and add some links to good threads here.
I noticed that too!! :( I do logos and illustrations as a hobby and I want to start to make it profitable. But the whole color thing really scares me. I don't even know where to start.

Thanks for the help!
 

Tom Mann

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OP: "...it looks fine on screen, but when I print it, it looks darker and dull. ..."

This is because when you feed the same "numbers" (ie, RGB or CMYK values) to different output devices, there is *absolutely* no reason to believe the results should look the same. The only way they will look the same, and hence be useful to you as a guide when designing the logo, is as Larry (ALB) suggested, a completely color managed work flow.

Put differently, this means that for the colors on all these devices to agree with each other, you must have installed on your system a color profile (ie, an *.icm file) for each output device used by this file, ie, your monitor, your personal printer, and the commercial printer.

If you don't have this, probably the best alternative for you is to make a separate layer that contains only that one color that must be matched perfectly, and have the printer print that as a "spot color" (Google this term). You simply tell the printer which Pantone (or other) color you want, they get the ink for that color, and it will print perfectly, no matter what it may happen to look like on your display or personal printer.

With respect to study material on color management, unfortunately, I'm the wrong guy to ask. I haven't been browsing the book stores or Internet looking for material on color management for years. Someone else may be more familiar with good introductory material. You can try Googling it, but there is so much erroneous information about color management on the web, it's hard to tell what's right and what's wrong unless you already know the material yourself, LOL.

Instead of relying on the web for info on this topic, a better approach is probably to get a book on the subject. I just Googled {"color management" site:amazon.com} and got quite a few hits that looked like they would be helpful. I noticed that among them were some books by Bruce Frasier and Andrew Rodney. These guys are the *real* experts on this subject.

HTH,

Tom M


PS - Note that *.icm files are to define both color spaces AND output device characteristics. They are not the same.
 

giuls

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Thanks a lot for the help. I had tried before to ask for a proper bibliography on the subjects, but had no luck. thanks!
 

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