My CMYK images have very different colours on other programs

[sifly]

I am using Photoshop CS2 on a Sony Vaio with Windows Vista. When creating CMYK illustrations in this program the colours look fine. When these images are viewed on another computer or in a different program (like when I view them on the web) the colours are very different.

I have attached a file to show the problem. When going between RGB and CMYK in Photoshop on my computer there is always very little difference. Obviously Photoshop is not displaying the CMYK colours correctly but I am not sure how to fix this. I have also included a screen grab of my current colour settings. I have already played about with these an experimented with different combinations but haven't had any luck and have noticed no change. I have looked around the web for answers to my problem but have had no luck in finding any help on this.

I would be very grateful if somebody could help me with this. Please let me know if you need any other information from me.

Thank you,

Simon

 

[spamjim]

This issue appears to be ignoring proper color management. When developing for the web, you should not be using monitor RGB as a working space. Only you have that working space.

The most basic web color management recipe is this:
1) Switch/convert to sRGB when you are working (save a copy if you need to maintain the image in another colorspace)
2) Use Save for Web function and include the ICC color profile on color critical images

...

In general, an illustrator should never work in CMYK. It is a much smaller palette for color. That's like using 12 crayons out of a box of 64. If you need to see what your work will look like as CMYK, switch the view (try view menu->proof setup and proof colors). You can use all your crayons in RGB color mode.

 

[sifly]

Thanks for your response. Sorry, I don't think I explained myself fully. When I am working for web based images I always work in RGB and have no problem with this, but will swap to sRGB workspace.

For my illustration work which is going in books/magazines then I work in an RGB document with a CMYK view (ctrl y). I never work in CMYK documents as certain filters don't work and things seem to act very differently. But my work for print has to be CMYK to send to the client. This is where my problem is as the CMYK documents on my Photoshop look very different when using a different program or looking at them on a different computer (the difference is shown in the image in my original post). This suggests that Photoshop is not displaying CMYK colours correctly. I have tried many different combinations in the colour management section but have not managed to sort this problem out.

As mentioned I use the CMYK view but there is hardly any difference when I switch between RGB and CMYK. I know that there should be a clear difference as I have seen this on other computers but on mine there is hardly any difference between the two modes. Can you think of any reason for this? Changing between different colour workspaces has no effect on this issue.

I hope this makes sense.

 

[apepp]

...changing between rgb and cmyk won't always reveal a noticeable difference on screen as it depends on the subject matter of the image...

...not all computers display the same colors especially if you are dealing with monitors that aren't properly calibrated with the correct calibration tools...

...also, not all software programs honour cmyk embedded profiles...

...strictly speaking the web isn't color managed either, colors that shift when saving for web out of Photoshop can occur when your not converting to srgb color space before you save for web. For web images there isn't really any value in embedding profiles in my experience, especially if you want the colors to look the same in all browsers...

...embedding profiles in cmyk images for print can also cause issues on output depending on a print providers workflow. Many print workflows will actually strip them out so that no conversion errors occur to the cmyk numbers. Embedding the wrong profiles in a print environment is often worse than having no profile at all in some cases...profiles in cmyk images need to handled with caution...

...if Photoshop is displaying colors off then it's a good sign your monitor calibration profile needs correcting. So I would start by ensuring your monitor is well calibrated and ensure your color settings across the adobe suite are synchronised with the same color management settings.



andrew

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http://www.apepp.info

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[mscallisto]

Have you tried the Adobe Gamma calibration tool found in your control panel?

sam

 

[spamjim]

I always work in RGB and have no problem with this, but will swap to sRGB workspace.

You seem to be confusing color modes and color profiles. These are two very different things.

For web images there isn't really any value in embedding profiles in my experience, especially if you want the colors to look the same in all browsers...

If your audience may include Mac users (which foolishly rely on monitor RGB for untagged images) or users of any platform with a wide gamut display, there certainly is value in embedding color profiles in color-critical images.

Here's a good primer...

http://gearoracle.com/guides/web-browser-color-management-guide/

 

[apepp]

...there might be some value in ones experience to embed profiles in web images...

...much of my work involves matching html elements to the background colors of images, sometimes as blends. In effect color consistency (not embedding profiles) would be regarded more important than color accuracy in many cases for the wider audience.

andrew

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http://www.apepp.info

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[spamjim]

It is true that you would use monitor RGB (ie: no color management) to properly match web page interface images (buttons, borders, boxes, etc) with color defined in HTML. But a featured photo or illustration that is considered color-critical should be color managed. We may find ourselves toggling color management.

This is a situation where Simon will want to make use of color management.

 

[dan2229]

I was told that RGB is for viewing on a computer like a website, and that CYMK is for press.

Daniel