Everything must be ready to print, right? Not quite. Setting the proper color mode for your design is where it all begins. This is determined by whether you want to use your design in a digital or physical format. RGB and CMYK are the two most common color modes. Making your file in the wrong color mode may be a disaster since your completed product will show colors that are completely different and/or inaccurate.

To begin, let’s clarify the difference between color modes and their implications.

RGB:

The RGB color model, often known as an additive model, is made up of red, green and blue. The RGB model is better recognized as an additive system since the colors are combined to generate the images we see on a computer screen. When light from the screen is directed on the colors, they bleed together on the eye’s retina, generating the intended hues (AKA how we really perceive colors).

Additive Model

The colors behind the projected illumination system, which are produced by mixing a number of various light hues together, are additive. All colors begin with black or the lack of light and then different colors (or lights) are added to generate visible hues. The primary major light hues utilized in the additive model are red, green and blue. A secondary additive color is created when two of the primary major hues are mixed, creating cyan, magenta or yellow.

The RGB color mode is frequently used on digital displays such as televisions and computer monitors (LCD/LED). RGB may only be utilized by light-emitting devices. If you’re printing your product on a digital printer, an image created in the RGB color mode is only suitable for print if it’s inked properly.

If you want your design to be printed professionally, you should change the color mode to CMYK, which we’ll describe next.

CMYK:

CMYK stands for cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. This is a subtractive model in which the colors are subtracted from natural white light before being converted to pigments that are then printed in tiny dots on paper.

Subtracting magenta from yellow, for example, would result in the color red. The more colors you combine, the darker they will get because you are removing white.

Subtractive Model

In this case, the color white is generated by adding all of the colors together. As a result, the darker your creative prints will be if you combine more hues together. This is because light is absorbed or subtracted to create various colors. The CMYK mode’s key tone is black (K). This color helps to neutralize photographs and add depth to shadows.

It’s crucial to remember that CMYK inks won’t always produce the same hue as your original photo. However, there are several options for CMYK combinations to get the same picture on paper, making it appear similar to what it would on the computer in RGB mode. Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign all include CMYK presets that recommend suitable color combinations for a wide range of press/printer configurations.

Why Do These Two Modes Render Differently?

The amount of white space utilized and colors mixed together will vary from design to design. As a result, RGB and CMYK are rendered differently.

Because RGB has such a huge color palette, a file created in this format may utilize bright, vibrant colors. When it is converted to CMYK, the second color model that does not include the same variety of hues, many of these vivid colors become ineffective and look dull or hazy. The colors will appear darker printed, no matter what color mode you use to create a design. Because each printer has different image and graphic standards, speaking with the printing firm ahead of time might help avoid your design from losing too much color in print. If you just want to print documents that are compliant with the ISO’s PDF format, make a note of what formats the printer can handle and how file conversions work. Every printer is unique, so each DPI will be different as well.

If you know which paper and printer you’ll be using, the file may be converted to CMYK in the most effective manner possible.

Which One Should I Use?

We’ve already established that RGB is preferable for digital mediums and CMYK is better suited for print media. While this is true, many designers prefer to start with the RGB mode and then convert to CMYK before submitting it to printing. This is because you have a lot more options when designing in RGB rather than CMYK.

The RGB (Red, Green, Blue) color model is also very flexible in terms of file restrictions. It’s more compact than other formats and can handle smaller files; additionally, the three most popular editing software (Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, and Adobe Illustrator) all use the RGB format. Last but not least, if you want a design that works well both online and on paper, you’ll already have a web-ready file in the RGB mode.

However, if color accuracy is critical to the quality of your prints and you want to get technical about colors being precise, you may go all out and make your design entirely in CMYK. Designing in this mode will probably aid in the clarity of your final product’s representation.

The differences between the two color modes affect how they appear, so using the CMYK color mode is one approach to guarantee that the colors in your completed product don’t become too flat. If you have a complex design, this is an excellent option.

Learn what type of printer your completed work will be sent to. If you’re creating a digital print, keep your file in RGB format. This is the superior choice when printing photographs because it uses the greatest color space. However, if you need to print on an offset, full-color processing printer, convert your file to CMYK.

Always keep the medium you want to work with in mind when attempting to achieve the closest color accuracy.

Conversion Tools

It’s time to learn how to convert now that you know why it’s essential and vital to have your files set in the proper color mode before printing. The most frequent approach designers use is to create their image entirely in RGB mode, then convert it at the end to CMYK.

Before you convert, make a backup of your file and bear in mind that the color interactions between layer blending modes will alter when the mode changes—this is typical. Before you convert, you may flatten your file; however, it isn’t necessary.

Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign are the most popular programs used to create designs, and all of them assume RGB mode. After that, these applications make it simple to convert your file to CMYK and assign a certain rendering intent in order for it to be print-ready. Here’s how to go about it:

Illustrator: File > Document Color Mode > CMYK or RGB Color.

InDesign: Window > Color > Dropdown button in the upper right corner > CMYK or RGB.

This is a guide on how to translate color modes from Photoshop to be used for printing:

Step 1 > In Photoshop, Select “Edit” then “Color Setting”.

Step 2 > Select a CMYK profile best fit for the final printing conditions.

Step 3 > You may use the “More Options” drop-down menu to define the rendering intent when switching RGB values to CMYK. For photos, “Perceptual” is ideal since it will retain the image’s visual connections.

Step 4 > Open the RGB image you want to convert.

Step 5 > Make any edits, apply any filters and adjustments while the image is still in RGB mode.

Step 6 > Click on “Select” – “Gamut Warning” to view any colors that turn gray, which indicate colors that can’t be created in CMYK. Depending on the rendering intent you previously specified, Photoshop will choose the closest color it can to replace these hues.

Step 7 > Select “Image” – “Mode” – “CMYK Color”. Remember that some bright colors may change to a dull color after the conversion.

Here are some free online resources you can use if you don’t have any of those editing programs:

www.cmyk2rgb.com

https://webriti.com/online-tools-convert-rgb-to-cmyk/

Now that we’ve gone over the main differences of RGB vs CMYK, which color mode do you enjoy working in?