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Color management – workflow
Hello!
Ever since our first novajet III, I´ve never really understood the proper use of color management. Lately I´v been reading up on the subject and things are starting to make sense. But one thing I cant get straight is whats the best workflow.
I have calibrated my scanner and monitor using EZcolor from monaco, and the Colorprof module of Posterprint to profile our Mimaki JV3.
So, what I do when printing bitmapped images is:
Scan the image
In Photoshop, apply scanner profile and convert to adobe rgb 1998 workingspace, make any necessary adjustments and save (attaching rgb profile).
In Posterprint, set the appropriate print environment (icc-profile and density) for the printmedia being used, import file (with rbg profile attached) and the conversion rbg (adobe rgb profile) – cmyk (my printmedia profile) is taken care of by the rip.
When printing vector graphics I use a cmyk-chart printed on the same media as my final print to pick the colors I want. Just type the cmyk values into corel, rip using no input profile, no probelm, prints perfect.
So, here comes the tricky part: ripping a file with both embedded images and vector graphics. Since I want to use the rgb colorspace to get the most vivd color possible for my scanned images, I loose the control over the vector colors (I want to set cmyk values for the vector colors).
What I do today is converting the scanned image to cmyk using Photoshop and convert to profile, choosing my icc profile for the required media from my rip. Then import the bitmap to corel and apply the vector graphics. The drawback in this workflow is the finished file from corel is only suitable for one of my print medias. Printing this file on a media with a wider cmyk colorspace will result in a print with less color than available from that perticular media.
What I want is a file to archive with the full rgb colorspace to be used on any media, and still have control over vector color using cmyk values.
What about exporting images as rbg, and vector as cmyk to an eps-file from corel?
I´ve tried that but when imported to Posterprint the rbg data is converted to cmy (no k) in a process I have no control over.This is how I understood all the info I´ve read on color managing. Please correct me if there´s anything wrong. And by all means please fill in with your own experience!
Over the years I´ve thrown away so much media, ink and time on getting the colors right. Finally it´s all starting to work out 😆
So, what´s your worflow?
Since english is not my native language i hope I´ve written this so you all can understand it 🙂
Happy printing!
/Niklas -
2 Replies
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Hi Niklas
Seems to me you have understood and implimented much of what a colour management workflow system is about. I have been in exactly the same position, and have attened colour management courses, where I have come out more confused than when I went in. I have the opinion now from talking to people who do the colour profiling for various rips and substrates that colour management will only answer 70-80 percent of the questions asked of it. Colour is a subjective preference after all. Have you looked at http://www.color.org they are the controlling body for colour management, and there is some usefull information there.
Ian
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Colour is subjective when it is not managed!!
The idea of colour management within your workflow is to control control from start to finish. Once set up correctly, you will wonder how you ever coped without it!
To try to answer some of your questions, I have some of my own for you.
Within your RIP, can you not set it up to accept both RGB and CMYK images within one file? This is possible in both Best and Onyx RIPS. Unfortunately, I am not familiar with Posterprint.
Also, have you set Coreldraw up correctly. This is very important, as Corel has a quite confusing way of dealing with colour management.
Finally. How are you creating your ICC output profiles? Are you creating these yourself?
Let me know, and I will come back with some answers for you
Richard
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