How do I convert a camera image from RGB to CMYK for commercial printing?
Asked 11/25/2013
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I have a digital photo from a camera in RGB and need to prepare it for a print shop for items like flyers, pamphlets, business cards, or magazines (not photographic prints on light-sensitive paper). What is the proper way to convert the file to CMYK, and what should I watch for when sending it for commercial printing?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
12y ago
2 Answers
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There is no "correct" way to do it. There are many, many different ways and all of them are equally correct. Are you looking to reduce it to spot color or is it full color printing? Does the resolution or color depth of their printing process require dithering? These all matter greatly for proper selection of how to convert the image.
If it is truely full color CMYK printing, it is simply a matter of opening it up in Photoshop and changing the color space to CMYK. (Under the Image menu if memory serves) Photoshop will find the nearest match and try to approximate (your display is RGB, so it won't be exact) the final color for you. You can then make adjustments as necessary to the image before saving it for print.
If it isn't full color CMYK with a comparable color space to your image, then things become considerably more challenging, however without more detail about the process you need there is too much to cover here.
Originally by user11392. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user11392
12y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
There isn’t one universal “correct” CMYK conversion. The right method depends on the print process: full-color CMYK, spot color, resolution, screening/dithering, and the printer’s requirements all affect the result.
For standard full-color commercial printing, the usual workflow is to open the image in an editor such as Photoshop and convert the document’s color mode/profile from RGB to CMYK. The software will map RGB colors to the nearest printable CMYK equivalents, but some colors will shift because monitors display RGB and printing uses inks.
After conversion, inspect the image and make any needed adjustments before saving the print file. If the job is not standard full-color CMYK, or if the print shop uses a specific press/profile, their requirements matter a lot.
Best practice: ask the print shop what file format, CMYK profile, resolution, and color setup they want before converting. Their specs should determine the final settings.
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