Colour Management Induction

Colour Modes

• CMYK - ink on paper, subtractive (100% of inks are black)
• RGB - for 'screen', light on monitor or projector etc. additive (100% of all lighT ARE WHITE)

*RGB HAS A WIDER GAMUT (RANGE) OF COLLURS THAN CMYK SO NOT ALL RGB COLOURS CAN BE REPRODUCED IN CMYK (NOT ALL COLOURS ALL ON SCREEN CAN BE REPRODUCED IN PRINTED INK)

*Photoshop

How to know which colours are outside the printable range of colours (CMYK GAMUT)

• View -> Gamut Warning

Solution* - work in Gamut warning as much as possible the convert the image in CMYK before printing.

• Hue & Saturation - adjust hue and saturation
• Proof Colours - allows you to work in RGB but preview that you see is the CMYK colours. 

What happens when you choosing the colours in Photoshop?

*Warning sign will appear if you choose a colour that is outside the printable range of colours.

*Illustrator

• Swatches palette - able to consistently apply exactly the same colour within a complicated vector shape design.

Delete all the unused colours from the swatch palette before doing any work then make a new swatch.

Add Used Colours - helps add specific colours used that are not on the swatch list already.

*Global Swatch 

• allows you to work with tints of an ink. 
• links the artwork and swatch 'globally' simply by editing the swatch

Why spot colours

• allow accurate reproduction of a colour
• can be cheaper 
• print colours that are not reproducible in CMYK.

PMS is not of any use unless creating design for COMMERCIAL usage.