g andrews rgb gatf 2009

Obstacles to RGB Workflow

Glenn AndrewsColor Clarity

RGB….Leaders

The Academic and Scientific communities got there first!

Biophysical JournalJournal of Experimental MedicineJournal of Lipid ResearchCountless others

“Faster, Brighter, More Accurate”

Biophysical Journal…. “more accurate color when images are posted online, and a more controlled conversion to CMYK for the printed journal”.

“With this change, the online version will become the definitive version, and authors will receive electronic page proofs with a figure quality that will be identical to the online Journal”.

Why did academics get there first?

In academics, transmission of knowledge is the goal….printing is only one of many mediums available, so obstacles were few.

Keeping their eye on the ball….communication….academics expanded their reach into the print world

Why has printing lagged?

In the print world, printing itself is the goal…and other mediums are seen, if at all, as unwanted competition..a strong disincentive.

Focusing on the craft of printing is our tradition, but we risk painting ourselves into a corner.

Reasons to avoid CMYK

Supplied CMYK files are of unknown provenance

CMYK is a one-way streetCMYK has limited archival valueDon’t abdicate the traditional role of color separation.

Reasons to choose RGB

RGB allows more flexibility in Photoshop

RGB consistent with web useRGB exploits the full gamut of digital presses and wide format devices

RGB has archival value

RGB in a CMYK World

Rotinpress of Girona, Spain converted to RGB in the smallest color space of all…newsprint.

“Better chromatic transforms, better control of ink coverage

“No editor or designer who has tried to work this way wants to return to amanagement in CMYK”.

Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself

Everybody has their own concerns:Designers: Fear of looking unprepared, unprofessional.

Color retouchers: Loss of CMYK security

Prep: Fear of the unknown (What if something goes wrong?)

Printers (Just don’t tell them)

Early vs Late Binding

Early Binding: work in RGB, convert to CMYK before creating final files. The entry-level commitment.

Late Binding: Maintain RGB though to final files, allow conversion to take place within the workflow.

What about PMS colors?

Great if you live only in a cmyk+spots world

Some conversion difficulties remainYour spot elements are probably already getting processed anyway

Consider wide-gamut printing

Supplied Image too Dark

Correcting Dark Images

Dark RGB file brightens up easily with minimal side effects

Dark CMYK file loses shape and saturation, “falls apart”

Supplied Image too Light

Correcting Light Images

RGB darkens up easily, TAC remains consistent with output profile intentions intact

CMYK darkens reasonably well. Saturation lags. TAC can easily exceed limits.

Adobe Bridge..

Assure consistent color performance within all Creative Suite applications.

Load custom settings onto server for consistency among all workstations

Adobe Bridge

G7 Commercial Coated 1

Best choice overall for commercial printing.

Does prompt for mismatches.

Custom SWOP 3

Custom sRGB to GRACoL

Light vs Pigment

Plus C in CMYK file

Plus R in RGB file

Using Adjustment Layers to increase precision

Selective Color Correction

Plus “K” in RGB file

Recap:

Management of color is the big picture, CMYK is a narrow specialty

RGB gives BETTER control over the final CMYK files

Skill transfer to RGB minimal To maintain ownership of CMYK, become fluent

in RGB

Thanks for listening!Glenn Andrews

Color Clarityglenncolorguy@yahoo.com