How Important is Color?

Matt · VIP

Whether you're working with Photoshop or Elements, Adobe gives you the ability to change your color settings. This means you can work with profiles that are designed for webwork, or profiles that optimize printing as a few examples!

I'm probably guilty of not always paying enough attention to these settings as I should! But I'm turning a new leaf! How do you manage the colors in your images?

combiBob · Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2008 6:06 am Post subject:

I work for a magazine publisher and color management is pretty much "etched in stone" here. With several people working on the images, it has to be.

We have all the flexibility we want as far as the raw images go, (before art directors get hold of them) as well as HOW we want to achieve what they ask for. But everything goes to CMYK and will print on a press. Every operator knows color by the numbers and can reasonably predict what will print. Weird profiles would throw a big wrench into that.

Epson proofers with individual SWOP profiles supply random color to simulate the papers used and they're very close. In fact the printers send the Epsons back with the printed magazines and they're nearly dead on.

All of my freelance work usually prints too and I'll supply a layered RGB with a flattened CMYK.

Matt · VIP

Very interesting Combibob, sounds like you have it all down to a fine art!
Incidently, what version of RGB do you use for prepress (before the conversion) if you don't mind me asking?

combiBob · Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2008 8:56 pm Post subject:

Not a problem.

Both work and home is ProPhoto RGB. It seems to hold highlight shape a little better. I'm sure somebody more scientific could explain why one is better than another. Not me.

And one photographer I work with wants Adode RGB (1998).

Matt · VIP

Thanks conbibob, I've heard a lot of good things with ProPhoto RGB although I haven't experimented with it much myself. Seem to stick with good old Adobe RGB most of the time.

Thanks for your reply, it's all very interesting!

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