

The mixture referred to as rich black involves the popular CMYK colors: cyan, magenta, yellow and black.

As a quick reference, the RGB color mode is best for digital work, while CMYK is used for print products. These are generally much brighter than CMYK and also include fluorescent and metallic colours.īoth RGB and CMYK are modes for mixing color in graphic design. Pantone colours (also known as spot colours) are specially formulated inks that have a unique colour. These colors are usually expressed as percentages of each base color, for example a deep plum color would be expressed like this: C=74 M=89 Y=27 K=13. When designing for a printed format, the best color profile to use is CMYK, which uses the base colors of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (or Black). Click on the original RGB image and start editing.Press Ctrl+Y (Windows) or Cmd+Y (MAC) to see a CMYK preview of your image.This opens another view of your existing document. How do I know if Photoshop is CMYK? Photoshop : Quick Tip – See RGB and CMYK at the same time Next, click “Color Mode” on the menu and then click “CMYK.” Finally, go to “Color Type” menu and click “Process” then click “OK.” Follow these steps for every Pantone colors in your file. Understanding the RGB and CMYK difference is an essential part of successful graphic design.Ġ:152:26Convert a File from CMYK to RGB in PhotoShop - YouTubeYouTubeĬlick “Edit,” then “Edit Colors” then “Convert to CMYK.” Then click on one of the Pantone colors twice. Most design fields recognize RGB as the primary colors, while CMYK is a subtractive model of color. Rich black uses CMYK values of: C = 60, M = 60, Y = 60, K = 100.įundamentally, RGB is best for websites and digital communications, while CMYK is better for print materials. Regular black has CMYK values of: C = 0, M = 0, Y = 0, K = 100. Using blacks in printing Black can be achieved in 2 different ways. CMYK refers to the four ink plates used in some color printing: cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (black). The CMYK color model (process color, four color) is a subtractive color model, based on the CMY color model, used in color printing, and is also used to describe the printing process itself. This results in a much smaller colour gamut-in fact, it's nearly half that of RGB. So if you've chosen a colour that isn't in the range CMYK can print, unfortunately, this means it will come out much duller than what you see on screen.ĬMYK (Subtractive colour) CMYK is a subtractive type of colour process, meaning unlike RGB, when colours are combined light is removed or absorbed making the colours darker instead of brighter.

Understanding RGB and CMYK RGB's additive colour process means it produces colours and brightness that CMYK just can't reproduce. If you are supplying artwork in its original format, such as InDesign or QuarkXPress, then it is better to convert colours to CMYK before supplying artwork and files. RGB colours may look good on screen but they will need converting to CMYK for printing. Should I convert RGB to CMYK for printing?

Click on the little CMYK conversion icon and your CMYK values will be displayed right in the Color palette. In Illustrator, you can easily check the CMYK values of the Pantone color by selecting the Pantone color in question and viewing the Color palette. This acronym stands for Cyan (blue), Magenta (M), Yellow (Y) and Black (K). The color system utilized for printing color is CMYK. This plate impresses the artistic detail of an image, usually in black ink. The black is referred to as K denoting key, a shorthand for the printing term key plate. Why does K represent black in the colour combination CMYK? CMYK stands for cyan, magenta, yellow, and key or black.
