Colour Management Workshop

There are two colour modes CMYK AND RGB

CMYK 

- Print
- Ink on paper
- Subtractive
- ( 100% of all inks = black)
- Not all colours are reproducible for CMYK

RGB

- Light of monitor. projector etc
- Addictive
- (100% of all light = White)
- Has a wider gamut than CMYK. This is most obvious when using brighter colours.

- Photoshop works faster in RGB. Also the default mode for Photoshop is RGB so working in CMYK  reduces the adjustments you can use and makes the programme run much slower!

- Proof colours show what CMYK would look like whilst still working in RGB

- Gamut warnings on view represents any colour that is out of the CMYK colour mode. Adjustments can be used to change this.

- Proof colours can be used working CMYK

-  ! triangle stands for outside the RGB / CMYK spectrum. Always work within the warning or else it will change once you print.

- Unlike Photoshop illustrator works comfortably in CMYK.

- Swatches are useful to use as they make sure there is consistency across designs

- Random colours can be used to fill and deleted unused swatches. To do this you can select and create own swatch and unselect global and you are done!

RGB in Illustrator 

- You should click into the colour mode to see if there is a gamut warning. If it not showing then you can change the document into a CMYK document with no change.

When printing designs you should ask yourself where am I getting this printed?

- Check with the printers what resources they have as some printers have better resources than others so can print a wider variety of colours.

- Pantone match system ( RMS) is a presumed coloured ink. It helps provide an accurate representation reaching outside of CMYK colours. This is highly useful in branding for instance McDonalds will use this so their logo is the same colour everywhere!

- Pantone has 14 base colours and transparent white. If the colours can be printed CMYK has 4 dots.

- Colour library to show Pantone

- Coated and uncoated = paper

- Indesign - create new swatch, drop down to Pantone and select.