Need some help re: CMYK & RGB

[TexasRuya]

Okay, this is making me nervous. Someone give me a logical explanation for this, please. Kizzie touched up a couple of pics for me (awesome job, btw) & sent them back in RGB as well as CMYK, which is great. When I look at the CMYK ones on my computer at work, they look fine. When I look at them at home suddenly I'm an alien - my skin has a lavender cast to it & any hot pink color appears purple.

Is this just my monitor at home? Why would it be such a difference from work? If I have the CMYK/tif file printed, my skin isn't really going to turn out lavender when I get it back, is it? How 'off' would the picture/colors be if I used RGB for print instead of CMYK?

[HubicRuzz]

Looks like the monitor is not calibrated.

What do you plan to do with the photos? If it is used for print it's not a huge deal that the colors don't show up properly on the monitor as long as the hard copy print is ok.

If it is for the web, I'd be using the RGB. CMYK is more for hard copy prints.

[sabrinabellydancer]

If it is for the web, I'd be using the RGB. CMYK is more for hard copy prints.

exactly. cmyk is for color separated printing.

(short for cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (black), and often referred to as process color or four color)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CMYK

Projection of primary color lights on a screen shows secondary colors where two overlap; the combination of all three of red, green, and blue...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RGB

[KDizzle]

Hey Ruya,

Your home monitor isn't calibrated. If you use RGB for printing, your colors will be off as the printers using 4/Color printing for flyers and such. I checked the files on several computers and it looked fine on all my computers. (I got a little paranoid that they saved funky). So you should be all set. Kiz :)

ETA: also when you do prints you can ask for a proof before they print so you can sign off on the colors, to double check spelling etc.

[TexasRuya]

Thank you! i knew something had to be up with the home computer/monitor but it still made me go .w.: Sometimes you just need someone (or many others, lol) to confirm it for you, ya know?

[TexasRuya]

Just an update. My monitor's fine. Because I got my print back today - with lavender-gray skin, anything that should be magenta/pink is purple instead. And yellow has an orange tinge to it.

Kizzie upped the colors & sent them to me again. Before they looked 'off' from the start when I'd download & open the file. Now they look fine on download & initial open, but when I save it to my computer, it goes 'off' again.

what the heck is happening?

[Lauren_]

I don't know. It sounds like the software you're opening the file with is converting the colors from cmyk to rgb when you save the file?

When I worked as a graphic artist regularly, I used to send the client a pdf or jpg proof that would display nicely on their monitor. After they approved the proof, I'd usually upload the print-ready version of the file (which my customer might not be able to open at all) to my server and give the customer a link so their printer could download the file directly.

The printer and the graphic artist should speak the same language, use compatible software, and both have monitors that are color corrected for CMYK files. The client rarely has any of that, and I always worried about a customer's computer inadvertently altering a file, or the customer panicking because on his/her computer the printer-language file looked bad (wrong colors, jagged text, etc).

Anyhooooo... my solution would be to bypass your computer altogether and let the printer and graphic artist resolve the issue.

[HubicRuzz]

Just an update. My monitor's fine. Because I got my print back today - with lavender-gray skin, anything that should be magenta/pink is purple instead. And yellow has an orange tinge to it.

Kizzie upped the colors & sent them to me again. Before they looked 'off' from the start when I'd download & open the file. Now they look fine on download & initial open, but when I save it to my computer, it goes 'off' again.

what the heck is happening?

How are you "saving it" to your computer?

[KDizzle]

Hey Ruya,

Sorry we are having such issues with your file. I have been doing this for 10 yrs and have never encountered this before. I think I know what is going on, it is happening when you save onto your computer. Check your email, I sent instructions.

[TexasRuya]

Hi everyone, just wanted to clarify, Kizzie has been great & done a wonderful job, the problem with the TIFs are on my end, my computer is doing something to them & I don't know what. Just wanted to put that out there because I don't want anyone to think I was complaining about Kizzie or her quality of work, because that's not at all the case - her work is great & I do recommend her for Photoshop work. My computer's just out to hex me, lol

[adeylah]

Ruya, Unless a printer specifically asks for CMYK, use the RGB. The colors tend to be brighter and truer. I have to work in CMYK since I'm a designer for a newspaper and it always bums me out to see the way CMYK flattens color.

[TexasRuya]

Thanks, actually we finally got it worked out and I just got my cards back & they look fabulous. Thanks everyone!

[roguepen]

If you are using Photoshop, check which color profile you are using for viewing. One of the billboard companies I deal with uses templates with a Fuji Color profile that turned a PMS teal color to purple. (Looked teal on the final billboard, though.)

I usually stick with the Adobe RGB profile in Photoshop and I also use it for my camera.