On Jan 21, 2004, at 2:37 PM, Ron Jones wrote:
Whilst I am aware that Photoshop can convert rgb files to cmyk, I
would be interested in finding out if there are any alternative
software programmes or working methods which give more accurate
results. By accurate I mean a conversion that gets as close as
possible to the original rgb file. I'm Mac-based using Photoshop 7.
Ron Jones
Are you going to commercial printing (traditional offset) or are you
sending your photos to some type of short-run technology (such as
large-format inkjet)?
If you are using commercial printing, you might look into Hexachrome,
a 6-color process which adds Green and Orange and significantly
increases the color range. Although Photoshop does not separate into
Hexachrome out of the box, I believe there are third-party plug-ins
that will allow you to do this.
Also, many high-end commercial silk screeners use 12 or even 20 colors
for a single print, although the cost to separate each photo is quite
high as the quality work is done by few talented individuals.
CMYK was never intended to be the best at reproducing all of the colors
in the rainbow. Instead, it compromises quality for cost.
If you are just looking for a better CMYK, then I would recommend that
you talk with a commercial printing company that specializes in art
reproduction and other high-end work. There are a number of settings
in the CMYK "Color Settings" dialog that can be used to "fine tune"
Photoshop to your commercial printer's liking; such as UCR, GCR, Dot
Gain, Black Ink Limit, Total Ink Limit, UCA, etc...
Also look into seminars that train you to use ICC profiles from start
(scan/digital camera) to finish. The purpose of profiles is to handle
RGB to CMYK conversion that provides the best color rendition that the
final media can handle.
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