How to change the color profile in Photoshop. Photo life. Color selection in CMYK

Precise and reliable color management requires accurate ICC-compatible profiles for all color rendering devices. For example, without an accurate scanner profile, a well-scanned image may not display correctly in another program due to differences between the display algorithms used by the scanner and the program. Inaccurate color rendering can result in unnecessary and possibly harmful “enhancements” being made to a good image. Given an accurate profile, the program importing the image can correct for differences with the device and reproduce true colors in the scanned image.

The color management system uses the following types of profiles:

Monitor Profiles: Describe the current way the monitor reproduces color. This profile should be created first because accurate color reproduction on the monitor screen allows you to make important decisions regarding colors at the design stage. If the colors on the monitor screen do not correspond to the real colors of the document, then it will not be possible to maintain accurate color reproduction during the work process.

Input device profiles: Describe the colors that the input device is capable of capturing or scanning. If with digital camera Since several profiles are available, Adobe recommends choosing Adobe RGB. Otherwise, you can use a profile with sRGB space (which is the default on most cameras). Additionally, advanced users can apply different profiles for different light sources. When working with a scanner, some photographers create separate profiles for each type or brand of film being scanned.

Output Device Profiles: Describe the color space of output devices such as desktop printers or printing presses. The color management system uses output device profiles to correctly match document colors to colors within the output device's color space gamut. In addition, the output device profile must take into account specific printing conditions, such as paper and ink types. For example, glossy and matte paper can convey different color ranges. Color profiles are included with most printer drivers. It makes sense to try out the standard ones before investing in creating custom profiles.

Document Profiles: Describe the specific RGB or CMYK color space used in the document. By assigning a profile, or tagging a document with a profile, the application determines the actual colors of the document. For example, the entry R = 127, G = 12, B = 107 is simply a set of numbers that different devices will display differently. However, when tagged with the Adobe RGB color space, these numbers determine the actual color or wavelength of light (in this case, one of the shades of purple). When color management is enabled, Adobe applications automatically assign a profile to new documents based on the workspace settings you specify in the Color Settings dialog box. Documents without profiles assigned are called unlabeled and contain only the original color values. When working with untagged documents, Adobe applications use the profile of the current working environment to display and edit colors.

Manage color using profiles

A. Profiles describe the color spaces of the input device and document B. Based on the descriptions in the profiles, the color management system identifies the actual colors of the document C. Based on data from the monitor profile, the color management system converts the numeric values ​​of the colors in the document into the monitor color space D. Based on information from the output device profile, the color management system translates the numeric values ​​of the colors in the document into the color values ​​of the output device to ensure correct color reproduction when printing

About calibrating and characterizing your monitor

Using profiling software, you can calibrate your monitor and determine its characteristics. Calibrating your monitor allows you to adjust your monitor to a specific standard, such as setting your monitor to display colors at a standard white point color temperature of 5000°K (Kelvin). Specifying a monitor simply creates a profile that describes its current color reproduction.

The monitor calibration procedure includes setting the following video parameters:

Brightness and Contrast: The overall level and intensity range of the monitor, respectively. These parameters are no different from similar television parameters. The monitor calibration program allows you to set the optimal brightness and contrast range for calibration.

Gamma: Brightness of the midtones. The monitor reproduces values ​​from black to white non-linearly - the value diagram will be a curve, not a straight line. Gamma determines the position of the point that lies in the center of the curve between black and white.

Phosphors: substances that emit light in cathode ray tube monitors. Different phosphors have different color characteristics.

White point: The color and intensity of the maximum whiteness that the monitor can reproduce.

Monitor Calibration and Profile Settings

Calibrating a monitor means adjusting it to a known specification. After calibrating the monitor, the program allows you to save the resulting color profile. A profile determines the color behavior of a monitor - what colors a given monitor can or cannot reproduce and how the numeric values ​​of colors should be converted to display them accurately.

Note. Monitor performance changes and deteriorates over time, so you should calibrate your monitor and create a profile once a month. If it is difficult or impossible to calibrate your monitor to a standard, it may be too old and faded.

Most profiling software automatically assigns the new monitor profile as the default profile. For a description of how to manually assign a monitor profile, see your operating system Help.

1. Make sure the monitor is on for at least half an hour. This time is enough for the monitor to warm up and provide the most stable color reproduction.
2. The monitor must be capable of displaying thousands of colors or more. It is best if the monitor displays several million colors, that is, works with 24-bit or greater color depth.
3. There should be no colored patterned background on your desktop - only neutral shades of gray. Dappled patterns or bright colors around a document make it difficult to see colors accurately.
4. To calibrate your monitor and create a monitor profile, do one of the following:
   • If working on Windows, install and run utility program monitor calibration.
   • When working on Mac OS, use the Calibration tool located in the System Preferences/Monitors/Color tab.
   • For best results use third party programs and measuring devices. As a rule, the combination of a colorimeter and specialized software allows you to create more accurate profiles, since the device evaluates the colors displayed on the monitor much more accurately than the human eye.

Setting a color profile

Color profiles are often installed when a device is added to the system. The accuracy of these profiles (often called standard profiles or nested profiles) varies among different equipment manufacturers. You can also obtain device profiles from your service provider, download them from the Internet, or create custom profiles using professional equipment.

• On Windows, right-click the profile and select Install Profile. Or copy the profiles to the WINDOWS\system32\spool\drivers\color folder.
• On Mac OS, copy the profiles to the /Libraries/ColorSync/Profiles or /Users/[username]/Libraries/ColorSync/Profiles folder.

After installing color profiles, restart your Adobe applications.

Embedding a color profile

To embed a color profile into a document created in Illustrator, InDesign, or Photoshop, the document must be saved or exported in a format that supports ICC profiles.

1. Save or export this document in one of the following formats: Adobe PDF, PSD (Photoshop), AI (Illustrator), INDD (InDesign), JPEG, Photoshop EPS, Large Document Format or TIFF.
2. Select the option to embed ICC profiles. The exact name and location of this setting varies by application. Additional Instructions see Adobe Help.

Embed a color profile (Acrobat)

A color profile can be embedded into an object or an entire PDF document. Acrobat attaches the appropriate profile specified in the Convert Colors dialog box to the selected color space in the PDF document. For more information, see the Acrobat Help topics about color conversion.

Change a document's color profile

It is only necessary to change the color profile of a document in extremely rare cases. This is because the application automatically assigns a color profile to the document based on the settings in the Adjust Colors dialog box. You should manually change the color profile only when preparing a document for output on another device or when changing the strategy for working with the document. Changing your profile is recommended only for experienced users.

You can change the color profile in your document in one of the following ways:

• Assign a new profile. The color values ​​in the document do not change, but the new profile can significantly change the appearance of the colors displayed on the monitor screen.
• Remove a profile so that the document no longer uses color management.
• (Acrobat, Photoshop, and InDesign) Convert colors in a document to a different color space profile. The color values ​​are shifted in such a way as to preserve the original appearance of the colors.

Assign or remove a color profile (Illustrator, Photoshop)

Choose Edit > Assign Profile.

Select an option and click OK.

Undo color management in a document: Removes an existing profile from the document. Select this option only if you know for sure that your document does not need color management. Once a profile is removed from a document, color rendering will be determined by the application's workspace profiles.

Working [color model: workspace]

Profile

Assign or remove a color profile (InDesign)

1. Choose Edit > Assign Profiles.
2. If you are using an RGB or CMYK profile, select one of the following options:

Cancel (Use current workspace): Removes an existing profile from the document. Select this option only if you know for sure that your document does not need color management. Once a profile is removed from a document, color rendering will be determined by the application's workspace profiles, and profiles can no longer be embedded in the document.

Assign current workspace to [workspace] Assigns a workspace profile to a document.

Assign profile: Allows you to select a different profile. The application assigns a new profile to the document without converting colors to profile space. In this case, the color rendition on the monitor screen may change dramatically.

1. Select a rendering method for each type of graphic in the document. For each graphics type, you can choose one of four standard methods, or you can select the Use Color Adjustment Method option, which uses the rendering method specified in the Color Adjustment dialog box. For more information about rendering methods, see Help.

Types of graphics include the following.

Pure Color Method: defines the rendering method for the entire vector graphics(solid areas of color) in native InDesign objects.

Default image method: Determines the default rendering method for bitmap images placed in InDesign. It can be changed for individual images.

Post-overlay method: Specifies the rendering method for the proof space or final image for the colors that result from applying transparency on the page. Select this option if your document contains transparent objects.

1. To view the results of assigning a new profile in the document, select View and click OK.

Converting document color values ​​for another profile (Photoshop)

1. Choose Edit > Convert to Profile.
2. Under Destination Space, select the color profile to which you want to convert the colors in your document. The document will be converted and marked with the new profile.
3. In the Conversion Options section, specify the color management algorithm, rendering method, and black point and dither options (if available). (See Color Conversion Options section.)
4. To flatten all document layers into one during conversion, select the Flatten option.

Convert document colors to Multichannel, Device Link, or Abstract profiles (Photoshop)

1. Choose Edit > Convert to Profile.
2. Click the "Advanced" button. The following additional ICC profile types are available in the Target Space section:

Multichannel: Profiles that support more than four color channels. Useful when printing with more than four colors.

Communication with the device: Profiles that convert from one device color space to another without using an intermediate color space. Useful when special device value mappings are required (for example, 100% black).

Abstract: Profiles that let you apply custom effects to your images. Abstract profiles can have both input and output LAB/XYZ values, allowing you to create custom LUTs for special effects.

Note. Grayscale, RGB, LAB, and CMYK color profiles are grouped into categories in an expanded view. They are combined into the Profile menu in the base view.

1. To view the color conversion results in your document, select Preview.

Convert document colors to another profile (Acrobat)

IN PDF documents colors are converted by choosing Tools > Prepress > Color Conversion. For more information, see the Acrobat Help topics about color conversion.

A few months ago, a designer asked me for advice on Actions in Photoshop. The girl who designed the furniture catalog needed a simple and quick way creating mirror images of furniture. Since all the furniture was completely different, it was not possible to create one action for all the items.

And a month later, after the work was completed and printed, she contacted me with another problem.

The completed and printed design turned out to be too faded and dark. Which is a common problem for many aspiring print designers. I didn’t escape this problem at one time either. Why does the print sometimes turn out too dark? Why is it so difficult to work in CMYK and why does the result on the computer look so much brighter than the result on paper?

Of course, first of all, I asked to send me the layouts made and prepared for printing, because the problem does not always lie in the preparation for printing stage. But after seeing the layouts, the reason for the grayness and faded colors immediately became clear to me. And in this article I want to identify this reason, as well as offer you solutions to correct it.

In this article I want to talk not just about preparation for printing, but only about those important points on which the color on print depends. I also do not pretend to be comprehensive, because it is impossible for one article to cover everything in the world.

Monitor calibration

Start over. One problem with CMYK color grading and dim light samples can be an incorrectly calibrated monitor. Or rather, not calibrated at all. Today there is a kingdom of cheap TN matrices on the market, which can be calibrated by turning your head. Nevertheless, even in such matrices it is possible to achieve minimally acceptable color rendering. You shouldn't see any color casts in the image below. The more clearly you see them, the more your monitor needs calibration.

Monitor calibration is a large topic and requires separate consideration. I will just try to give general recommendations. The monitor must display gamma 2.2 correctly. An incorrectly adjusted gamma gives you the wrong idea of ​​the undertones. For example, it seems to you that you have chosen white, but in reality you are working with quite dark shades of gray. The reason for this is shades burnt out by brightness and incorrectly adjusted gamma.

In some cases, the monitor may have a distorted hue. For example, white color is shaded with light blue. In other situations, white may turn yellow. In such situations, you need to adjust the RGB curves of the monitor. In my experience, in only 5% of situations the error in CMYK color correction is at the level of an uncalibrated monitor.

Professional color correctors, it must be said, do not consider the term “Monitor Calibration” acceptable in relation to cheap TN matrices on budget monitors at all. If you don't understand calibration, you don't have necessary programs, there is no special device for calibration, the best thing you can do is return to the default monitor settings.

Correct color profile

Before you start working in CMYK, make sure you select the correct color profile for the job. This can be done in Edit > Color Settings So, what is a profile and why is it needed in CMYK. When I started working as a print designer, I studied a lot of information on this topic and read hundreds of articles. I was faced with graphs, curves, complex terminology. It felt like some specialists were talking about profiles to other specialists. There are a lot of really complex articles on color correction on the Internet and not enough simple articles that explain to a novice designer what all this is needed for.

Let's just say that there are hundreds and thousands of different printing devices in the world. Each of these printers, depending on its device and the quality of components, can print colors very differently. In this case, we get a situation in which different monitors, depending on the quality of the matrix, show color differently. But printers can print this color in completely different ways. Color profiles were created for this purpose, to show and print color in all this variety of abilities of various devices - to establish certain rules.

A color profile is the essence, a file that describes exactly how a specific device should display or output a specific color. Together, all profiles can be divided into 3 types. The first are intended for devices that capture color (scanners, cameras), the second for devices that display color (monitors), and the third for printing color (printers).

So which CMYK color profile should you choose and work in? It must be said that when working in CMYK you are already working in one of the profiles by default. In the Color Settings panel you will find a lot of profiles for printing, but which one is right for the job? Naturally, the correct profile is the one in which your design will be printed by the printing house. This means you need to carefully read the printing requirements of a particular printing house, find the requirements for the color profile and set yourself the same one. In this case, you will see colors exactly as a specific printing house can print it on a specific printer.

Alas, the designer does not always know where the design will be printed, by whom and when. In this case, I would advise you to stick to the general settings. In the same Color Settings window, select Europe Prepress for printing in Europe or North America for printing in America. We must understand that General settings- are common. And general means average. Suitable for a wide variety of printers. At the same time, the average settings are far from The best way get good colors from a particular machine. It is for this reason that many printing houses make their own color profiles, taking into account the specifics of their specific equipment.

At a minimum, you need to know for what purpose your design will be used and what paper it will be printed on. For example, if the layout will be used for a newspaper, then you will need a special “newspaper” color profile. IN standard settings Photoshop, you will find News American Newspaper, which includes a similar type of color profile. The specificity of this profile is that it limits the % of paint per point of paper. This is because newsprint is too thin and absorbent. And the excess paint will spread across paper like watercolor.

Color brightness in CMYK

Whatever you see on your monitor, the printed version will invariably be grayer and darker. This is an inevitable process due to differences in color display on the monitor and on paper. The colors on the screen glow and the colors on the paper appear through the reflection of the light. The brightness of the paint depends on the degree of lighting. Everyone understands that the brighter the room, the better the paper print is visible. If we talk about packaging, then most often printed products are wrapped in plastic. The plastic wrappers are glossy and produce glare when exposed to light. And, of course, they reduce the visibility of the print by another 10-20%

Knowing in advance about this property of color display, you should make the design intentionally brighter, given that in reality it will look darker. If you have a semi-dark room, the design has halftones, elements are barely visible through the darkness, be prepared for the fact that you will get an even black color on the print. And all the details visible on the monitor will simply disappear in print. In addition, the color on the print will invariably lose its saturation and brightness. In the color settings in Photoshop, you can take these flaws into account in advance by setting a 10-20% loss of saturation.

Color correction in CMYK

Now that we've sorted out monitor calibration, color profiles, and the ability of paint to match the screen original, I'll return to the work of the designer girl. As soon as I saw the layouts, it was obvious to me what the reason for the bad and dark colors was.

Once you start preparing your graphics for printing, you should forget about the color on your monitor. What you see is most often an illusion. The most main mistake, which novice designers do - choosing colors through Color Picker. When you're choosing colors for your design, you need to forget about the pixels on the screen. Instead, you need to think in paint. Instead of pixels, imagine layers of paint that will fall on top of each other to form color.

This way of perceiving color does not develop immediately. When I started working as a print designer, I asked for samples of every job I did. This helped me see the results of my work on the monitor. Having completed several dozen works in this way, you will gain invaluable experience and understanding of how and in what shades CMYK paint is mixed. As a result, you will stop perceiving color on the monitor completely, and only CMYK numbers will remain in your head.

Selection of colors in CMYK

The most common beginner mistake graphic designer when working in CMYK, this means working with colors as if he were drawing a design for a website. You open your Color Picker, click on the light swatch and use it. You should immediately wean yourself from this bad habit. It's easy to understand why you shouldn't do this if you know how Color Picker works in CMYK mode.

The principle of its design is simple, you click on the palette and get a sample. Next you use this color for your design. If we switch to CMYK mode, nothing will change with the Color Picker window. It will remain exactly the same as in RGB mode, confusing newbies. Why? Actually I do not know. This is a mystery to me. But the actual Color Picker window when working in CMYK only limits the selection of RGB colors. You can still choose the poisonous Lime color, but when you try to paint the shape with this color, Photoshop will automatically convert this color to the highest possible CMYK color.

The reason for this is that the Color Picker window is still running in the RGB system. You still see the full RGB color palette. And all that changes the CMYK mode for this dialog box is that now the unavailable RGB colors are truly unavailable. The same state of affairs persists in all graphic editors. The same thing happens in Corel Draw and other programs. And the biggest mistake a novice print designer can make is to select black through the Color Picker window and apply it to the text.

In reality, the following happens. You select the black color in the Color Picker palette and Photoshop, without caring at all about how this color will look on print, mathematically selects the closest color scheme. Therefore, having chosen seemingly black, we get a mishmash of Progressive Black.

If you set the ideal digital values ​​to C0M0Y0K100, you will find black paint somewhere closer to a purple hue. But you will never be able to find this combination with a pipette. Even if you spend your whole life looking for this color combination only in this area. The same applies to all other pure CMYK shades. You will never find a perfect green (C100Y100).

Exactly the same problems arise in all dark shades, especially brown shades. By selecting brown from the Color Picker window, you create a chaotic mixture of random colors. For example, by choosing a nice dark brown color on the screen, we get a mixture of C40 M76 Y100 K55 paints. Mathematically everything is correct. But on paper, such a combination would have disastrous consequences. To understand why, you will have to go back to childhood and remember how in childhood we painted gouache on paper.

Probably everyone in childhood played with paints, mixing them together. And each new shade violated the “purity” of the color, making the color darker and more indistinct. The same thing happens when printing in CMYK. For example, I created 4 color petals and layered them on top of each other using the Multiply blending mode, which simulates the overlay of paints. In total, we have two tint paints that create the red color we need. And two darkening colors. Converting red to brown. In reality, when printed, this color will look almost like black.

For darkening paint, one coat is sufficient. The black channel can also be such a layer, but it is better to use the blue one. Excess black paint will “gray” the layout. And excess blue darkens and creates the wrong shade. If we select the eyedropper and start taking samples from the layout, we will find incorrect mixed combinations throughout the layout.

And if we decompose the image into channels and look exclusively at black, we will find a large-scale gray veil throughout the entire layout. And it is not surprising that the catalog turned out to be 2 times darker than it should have been if 2 layers of paint were used instead of one to darken it. This black channel is where the problem with color correction lies.

Instead of the dark brown chosen with the pipette, I picked up another brown, through Windows panel>Colors. But this time it doesn't use the extra extra black channel. And the color shade is very close. But on print the difference will be striking.

Because brown using 3 channels will look much lighter than brown using 4 channels. This is what happened in the designer’s layout. Instead of rich browns there are gray canvases and darkness. Having studied the layout, I even found mixtures of 4 colors even in fairly light areas of the catalog. And almost everywhere, not 10 to 5% black paint is mixed. There is no need to be afraid of black paint, but it should be used only in the darkest, most contrasting shades, where black paint is indispensable.

If you continue to test the layout elements, you will find that even the red elements were selected through the dialog box. And even they look faded and gray, because instead of the correct C0M100Y100K0 you will find there indistinct C10M87Y95K4

Further study of the layout revealed the following problem. Everywhere the designer used a “subtle play of shadows.” Various shades of brown, the difference between which is clearly visible on the screen. But the content of these shades is still mathematically wild. In reality, there will be no difference between shades like C65M62Y64K75 and C57M72Y73K80 and all the subtle play of shadows will disappear. And all because in one color the darkness is compensated by Blue, in the other there is less blue, but more black. 4 fully charged channels will merge into one dark color, and no play of shades on the print will be visible.

On the contrary, if you use 3 channels and adjusted percentages, for example C50M100Y100K0 and C60M100Y100K0, the difference in shades will be obvious.

Color selection in CMYK

The best way to select CMYK colors is with the Color panel. If in RBG mode this window is a mystery, then with CMYK everything is clear and simple. It is difficult to logically understand how the combination of Blue and Red produces poisonous Blue. This logic is very difficult to understand.

In contrast, it is much easier to understand that when you combine yellow and magenta, you get red. When you mix Blue and Yellow, you get Green. Because each of us drew in childhood with paints or even felt-tip pens, mixing different shades. When working in CMYK, I would highly recommend using the Color panel instead of the Color Picker dialog box.

Conclusion

Don't think that I forbid you to use dialog box Color Picker. You can still take samples with a pipette, but once you select one, always adjust the color value by changing the CMYK numbers. Stick to even values, avoid 4-channel impurities. Don't be afraid of bright and clean colors. Well, in turn, I will try to continue to cover various aspects of preparing graphics for printing and color correction in CMYK.

Color management in Photoshop is a huge topic. And although many may think that there is little interesting and new in it, we will answer - you are mistaken. The reason for this is, at a minimum, constant updates of the application itself. At the most, choosing a display mode or palette or profile does not mean “being a god” in control and knowing all the intricacies of working with color.

Today we will talk about different modes, parameter settings, what all this affects and how to work with a document in one color mode while preserving all the data of another. It's no secret that some customers ask to send design layouts in different formats. Moreover, a creative person often enjoys not only working on websites, but also drawing logos, art, and much more. Therefore, it seems to us that, in general, our information will not be superfluous for you.

RGBvsCMYK

By default, all computer rendering is done in the RGB (red-green-blue) color space. Before printing, accordingly, we also receive much larger set color shades, which makes the document more saturated and vibrant. But the printing itself is carried out in CMYK mode (turquoise, magenta, yellow and black). Of course, if you transfer an image from one mode to another, the color palette will change. In other words, RGB colors will be “lost” in CMYK. Some “liveness” of the plot, brightness of colors, and saturation will be lost. And the reason for this is simple: RGB includes many more colors and shades.

But this turn of events (loss of flowers) can be avoided.

First, let's convert our palette image from RGB (default) to CMYK using Image -> Mode. Then select the desired option. You will see a message indicating that the profile you have selected will be converted, as well as information about where this profile can be changed.

Below you can clearly see how colors are lost and changed in CMYK. We think the changes in the palette are clearly visible, although they are very subtle and largely depend on how your monitor renders color. Try to translate images of different colors yourself and get amazing results.

Knowing the conversion of colors, you can now look at the possibility of gaining more control over it (conversion). This will require customizing the color profile of your printer, ink, and even paper. It’s easier, of course, to set up a profile in the printer settings, but if you don’t have such information, skills and knowledge, then there is a more universal option.

To have more control over color management, open Editing -> Color Settings. A window that is rich in information and, for many, confusing with information, opens before us. If you opened it for the first time, then there are probably no changes here yet and you will see the default values ​​for the current Photoshop versions. These settings are fine in most cases. However, if you need to prepare your images for printing (and more, but more on that later), then these settings may not cope with all your requirements.

Choose region. The description of each region will tell you the features of the color sets and the dependence on the type of paper. If you are preparing not print, but Web, then there are several options here that are different from each other. Since you and I live and work in Europe, the choice of the appropriate region becomes obvious.

Color space RGB You can leave the default selection, or you can choose what will be optimal for you and will be better reflected on the monitor. In addition, please note that:

• if you work only for the web, then SRGB will be quite enough;
• set of flowers ColorMatch RGB automatically select those that work for Apple devices(Mac Book);
• kit ProPhoto RGB represents the widest space and richest shades. Of course, it is most suitable for high-quality graphics, photographs, and special effects.

Select similarly palettesCMYK. But it's worth remembering that some inkjet models Epson printers, Canon and HP work just with RGB data, not CMYK, so your settings will have no effect in this case. Therefore, the universal choice remains US Web Coated (SWOP) v2.

Strategies

Color management strategies were introduced in Photoshop CS 6 and are present throughout the Photoshop CC series. Some users have difficulty understanding why the settings are needed at all and how it will affect their work. Let's try to understand together using simpler and more illustrative examples.

Each space has the same set of policies, so let's generalize using RGB as an example.

Off- Photoshop will ignore working with document profiles. That is, When saving an image, the profile will not be embedded and if you open it on another computer or in another application, the color scheme will be different. If there is a color profile in the document and it matches the current profile in Photoshop, then the application will use it automatically and save it in the document.

When pasting from the clipboard, the image will not change and adjust to the current color space, which means that if you paste something into your site layout, appearance this could be radically different.

Save built-in profiles - default value, as the functionality is more flexible. If the document being opened has a built-in profile that does not correspond to what is in Photoshop, then the document will open with the built-in one and will be processed taking into account its characteristics. That is, Photoshop itself won't try to change what's already there. The application will behave similarly if the color profiles match. When you create and save a new document, the current application profile will be embedded and saved in the document by default.

Convert to workspace - a difficult function and there are those designers who like to use it. If the document does not have a built-in profile, then Photoshop will automatically convert it to the current one and will work with it in the future. But when saving, again, it will not save anything in it (color profile). If the document, on the contrary, has color data, but it differs from the current space in the application, then Photoshop, again, converts it to the selected one. Saving will occur with the new settings (current for the application). When you paste an image from the clipboard (or paste it), the color scheme is converted.

One way or another, if the color profiles do not match, Photoshop displays warnings, so you can realize that there are shortcomings in the settings at any time.

Conversion

Click Method and you will see four different options. Most of the time you have already worked with the " Relative colorimetric" To explain the essence in a nutshell, then colors that are common in a certain color gamut for several devices remain unchanged, while all others are changed and compressed. This will match colors based on white on both devices. It is convenient for printing and the best option for previewing.

Perceptual option are chosen for working with photographs and printing them, since colors between devices are completely preserved and are not deleted or compressed. For working with the Web, this option is good, but impractical. The more colors, the larger the document size, and in fact, colors in web design should be used clear and bright, and not “ shades of something with the addition of something like that" If you process graphics, images, etc., then Perceptual will undoubtedly have an advantage.

Color proofs

Working in RGB space is convenient and familiar. But constantly converting to CMYK or selecting the display of colors in a separate window is painstaking. There is an easier way.

We created a sketch in standard RGB. Let's go to View -> Proof options. And here we can select what we need or click “ Custom" This is where things get interesting!

Depending on the choice of space (and here both RGB and CMYK are collected from the same lists as in color settings), you will see how your image will change. At the same time, the main thing is color informationRGB will not be lost. Moreover, you will see RGB (deep, rich, bright) colors in the palettes. But when you select a brush and start painting, the color will automatically change depending on your color profile.

This option for working with graphics has its advantages. The file size in RGB is always smaller, plus you always have access to all the image editing features in Photoshop.

Also note the parameter " Store numeric valuesRGB" Quite often it distorts colors to the point of disgrace, and although in this window we do not create a profile, but only imitate it, it is still better to avoid incidents and refuse to check the box.

Adobe Bridge

If you have the Adobe Bridge application (usually bundled with some Adobe applications or installed separately), then the selected and configured color profile can be saved and transferred to other Adobe applications. If your work is not limited to just Photoshop and you have to create in Illustrator or InDesign, Muse, Adobe XD (the newest), then constantly seeing color mismatches can be inconvenient.

Please note that even the latest Photoshop CC 2017 renders colors much differently by default than Photoshop CC 2015. Therefore, you can either click save profile in the window Color Setting and then in another application Download. But this is if you only work in Photoshop.

Or open Adobe Bridge and go to Editing -> Color SettingsC.S.. The settings synchronization window will appear. You can then choose which settings you want to sync across all Adobe applications installed on your computer. If you saved your profile in Photoshop, you can load it here by clicking " Show saved files» and synchronize your own data.

Conclusion

We talked about and put together general information on working with color in Photoshop, profiles and color space. That is why there are no examples of website designs, analysis of interesting special effects, etc. But knowing the basics of color is no less important for a web designer. And here's a simple example why.

You created a website/logo layout or an image of something and didn’t pay attention to the color settings. Another designer has access to your PSD, for example if you work in a team. Or they sent you an existing PSD and asked you to correct something in it. There are many variations, the point is that everyone has access to the file. But when you open it on different computers or Mac Books, everyone sees it differently, with different color shades. And at the same time they try to offend you with a poor selection of colors. Cause? Settings of control strategies, transformation of general profile selection. You will have to synchronize the settings or substitute and save your own.

If your task is to create only a PSD and transfer it to the customer, then it is also worth remembering about profiles and the fact that colors may be displayed slightly, but differently. Moreover, if you work not only in web design, but also with logos and photographs, then color profiles and even more so need to be adjusted to a wider range and fullness of shades.

When working with digital images, we sooner or later encounter issues related to color reproduction. The most common of them are: “Why does the same picture look different on different monitors?”, “Why do I see different colors when printing, not the same as on the monitor?”, “Why, after uploading to the Internet, the picture began to look like not like in Photoshop?”...

All these questions are relevant to the topic of our article. Let's try to figure them out.

Each display device can reproduce a specific set of colors (this is called the device's color gamut, or gamut in English). Color gamuts various devices may differ noticeably, and colors outside the overall gamut will not appear identically on two devices. For example, the monitor may display some colors that are not available to the printer, and vice versa. As a general rule, monitors display light, bright colors better (this is due to the fact that the image on them is backlit!). Moreover, at different models The color gamut of devices of the same type (for example, monitors) can also vary greatly.

Medium color gamut inkjet printer. The picture is quite conditional, because... the same printer will have different coverage depending on the ink and paper used.

**Standard color spaces

In order to bring certainty to working with color, abstract color spaces were “invented” - not tied to specific devices. There are three most famous and widespread abstract spaces: * sRGB. This is a fairly narrow space, so almost any monitor can display all of its colors. The sRGB color space is the de facto standard for the Internet (and for printing images in many darkrooms); * Adobe RGB (1998). This space is much wider, therefore, there are fewer color distortions during work. It is well suited for preparing images for printing. However, you need to take into account that not every monitor is capable of displaying all the colors of this space. * ProPhoto RGB. Its color gamut is so wide that it includes colors that are not perceived by the human eye and do not even exist in nature at all!

Comparison of color gamuts of abstract color spaces.
Color field - area of ​​visible colors

A reasonable question arises - what space should you choose for work?

**Preparing images for publication on the Internet

If you plan to upload your processed images to the Internet or print them in a darkroom, be sure (!) to convert them to sRGB space. The fact is that many browsers believe that all images should be in sRGB, and if the picture is in a different profile, the color will be noticeably distorted.

If you're working in Photoshop, this is done with the menu command Edit > Convert to Profile. From the variety of options on the list Target Space need to choose sRGB(see picture).

Another option is to save images with the command File > Save for Web, in this case in the save dialog (on the left) you need to check the box Convert to sRGB.

If you use Lightroom, then in the export dialog you should also set sRGB- this setting is performed in the section File Settings.

If you use another editor, you also need to set the settings there in the same way.

**When are wider spaces needed?

If you use a monitor with a wide color gamut, or print your photos on high-quality photo printers or photo presses like Durst, it makes sense to save your work in the wider Adobe RGB space. But keep in mind that the visual difference will not be visible in all scenes (compared to sRGB).

**To summarize, unless you have a compelling reason to use other color spaces, it makes sense to work in sRGB.