RGB vs. CMYK
RGB is a color build system used by your computer monitor to display full color. CMYK is the color space that commercial printing presses use to reproduce your printing project. RGB is Red, Green and Blue, while CMYK is Cyan (blue), Magenta (red), Yellow and Black. The final printed project that you see on your computer screen will not necessarily be the same exact colors reproduced by a high quality offset printing press. In most cases there won’t be a big difference, but there are some colors produced by an RGB monitor that cannot be reproduced via CMYK on a press.

Get Color Right – Spot Colors
Spot colors are used most frequently for one and two color jobs when an exact color needs to be repeatedly reproduced. Logos are perfect example spot colors. For example, if your logo needs a distinctive blue, tell your commercial printer your the Pantone® PMS color choice. This number is then matched on the press to deliver the exact result you need.

Pantone Matching System (PMS)
PMS is the popular Pantone® color matching system used by the printing industry to print spot colors. Most applications that support color printing allow you to specify colors by indicating the Pantone name or number. This assures that you get the right color when the file is printed, even though the color may not look right when displayed on your monitor. PMS works well for spot colors but not for process colors, which are generally specified using the CMYK color model.

There is a reason for this. Color company Pantone picked turquoise as the color of the year for 2010, supposedly because it reflects the desire of people to regain hope amidst signs of economic recovery. “It is believed to be a protective talisman, a color of deep compassion and healing, and a color of faith and truth, inspired by water and sky,” the firm said. “Turquoise transports us to an exciting, tropical paradise while offering a sense of protection and healing in stressful times.”

As in terms such as blueprint, blue ocean, and blue chip show, blue is often associated with the ideal, hope and a bright future. There are 111 types of blue from indigo to ultra marine, and despite subtle differences, all symbolize trust and hope. In her book “Wie Farben Wirken (How Colors Work)” the German writer Eva Heller wrote that blue has the highest level of preference and the lowest level of dislike among the public. She found that 46 percent of men and 44 percent of women liked blue whereas just 1 percent of men and 2 percent of women disliked it.

Blue projects a sense of security as well as professionalism and trust. Many global companies like Samsung, AT&T and BMW use blue as the main color in their logo.

Blue also represents success. Olympic champion figure skater Kim Yu-na wore blue dress in her winning free program. Her choice was not inconsiderate of the “Olympic blue” magic. From 1998 until 2006, women gold medalists in figure skating all wore blue dresses in the free skate.

In ancient Rome, blue was associated with the barbarians. But the breakthrough came in the 19th and 20th centuries with the expansion of the jeans industry. Color therapists say blue has painkilling effects. Dark blue adds elegance and grace, and turquoise beauty. Therapists also recommend looking at the sky or at a blue screen on the computer when the eyes get tired.

Color Expert has your favorite color libraries:
* PANTONE(R) solid coated
* PANTONE(R) solid uncoated
* PANTONE(R) Goe(TM) coated
* PANTONE(R) Goe(TM) uncoated
* PANTONE(R) f + h cotton
* PANTONE(R) f + h paper
* Web Safe Colors
* HTML Colors

We built Color Expert from the ground up with the creative spirit in mind. Designers of all types, regardless of their medium, have a common thread—and that common thread is color. We use it to be loud, quiet, bold, subtle, soothing, frenzied and sometimes just to stand out. But working with color can be difficult away from the studio.

Case in point. You’re visiting a client and they want a good color combo to go with PANTONE 123 C. These things can take time. Especially if you have to go hunting around for swatches in your color books. You know, the ones you left back at the studio. Well, not to seem too dramatic, but with Color Expert, it takes about 15 seconds and 8 taps. Make that 9 taps if it’s not already running. Sure, you’ll want to play around with it after that. It’s actually kind of addicting. But what a great place to start.

And how about building your Spring Collection’s palette from that flamingo you saw at the zoo? Well, you can get started on that one in about 8 taps as well. Suddenly your design begins the moment inspiration hits you, no matter where you are. But Color Expert is more than just a Color Wheel and Image Picker, it’s also a Swatch Book that contains all of your favorite libraries, many with CMYK data. So give it a spin with your iPhone or iPod touch.

The world is full of color. And now that world fits in your pocket. Color Expert. Tap into it.

About Pantone, Inc.
Pantone, a wholly owned subsidiary of X-Rite, Incorporated, has been the world’s color authority for 45 years, providing design professionals with products and services for the colorful exploration and expression of creativity. Always a source for color inspiration, Pantone now offers designer-inspired products and services for consumers. More information is available at www.pantone.com.

Device Requirements:
* iPhone and iPod touch
* Requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later
* 2.3 MB

Pricing and Availability:
Color Expert 1.1 is only $9.99 (USD) and available exclusively through the App Store in the Reference category.

Code Line
Color Expert 1.1
Purchase and Download
Overview/Tutorial Video
Screenshot
App Icon
Code Line is a proven developer of software geared toward improving the workflow of Graphic Artists. Its products include Art Directors Toolkit, Art Files, SneakPeek Pro for Mac and Color Expert for iPhone. For more information, visit their website. Copyright (C) 2010 Code Line. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone and iPod are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. PANTONE(R) and other Pantone trademarks are the property of Pantone LLC. (C) Pantone LLC, 2007.

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Matheau Dakoske
President
818-610-2228

X-Rite, Incorporated–the world leader in color management and measurement technologies X-Rite announces ColorChecker Passport, an all-new solution for digital photographers working in a Raw workflow to quickly and easily capture accurate color, instantly enhance portraits and landscapes, and maintain color control from capture to edit.

For more info: www.cjcstrategists.com/resources/xrite/X-Rite_Passport_Press_Brief.pdf

“We developed Passport for photographers in a digital workflow, those working in Raw but also JPEG shooters as an all-in-one ‘capture to edit’ solution for color control and creativity. It’s a powerful solution that becomes even more powerful when combined with Adobe Imaging Solutions, for DNG profile creation and also to ensure accurate color, image to image and camera to camera, and a new easy level of creativity with one-click enhancement capabilities,” states X-Rite Senior VP of Sales and Marketing Iris Mangelschots.

ColorChecker Passport includes
(http://www.xritephoto.com/ph_product_overview.aspx?id=1257&tab=videos):
White Balance Target–a newly formulated neutral reference point to eliminate color casts, and improve camera display previews for more reliable histograms as well as speed up post-production editing.
Classic Target–provides the industry standard in color referencing for specific color evaluation, plus DNG profile creation for predictable and repeatable results from image to image and camera to camera.
Creative Enhancement Target–offers fast, one-click creative enhancements and a visual reference for judging, controlling and editing images for shadow details, highlight clipping or color shifts.
Camera Calibration Software–offers quick and easy custom DNG profiles for Adobe Imaging solutions.
Protective Case that is rugged, fits a camera bag or pocket, and self-stands in multiple positions; included lanyard for additional scene placement convenience.
“With ColorChecker Passport, you can expect much faster image processing time, improved quality control, all in a cool little package that you can take anywhere,” Mangelschots confirms.

To download a video of ColorChecker Passport hosted by Seth Resnick, visit www.xritephoto.com.

About X-Rite
(NASDAQ: XRIT) X-Rite is the global leader in color science and technology. The company, which includes color industry leader PANTONE Inc., develops, manufactures, markets and supports innovative color solutions through measurement systems, software, color standards and services.

For the most part it’s not a huge difference, but it could be. There are certain colors that don’t reproduce well when converted from RGB color to CMYK.  Most people who design in RGB are either Web designers, using Pantone colors or novices.  Novices tend to design in RGB to get the brighter colors then use their software to convert to CMYK.  It’s not a crime to design your piece in RGB then convert to CMYK, but consider this; printing is all about expectations.  You have something you need printed you expect it to look a certain way.  Either you or your designer setup the file, you previewed it on your computer, sent it to your printer and he sent you a pdf proof.  Everything looks great, you approve it and a few days later it shows up at your doorstep.

OH MY GOD… it doesn’t look like what I expected!  How can this be?  Good question.

Ever go to Best Buy or Walmart and see the huge display wall of LCD & plasma TV’s?  When you look at all the TV’s you’ll see that they are usually grouped by price then brand.  The other thing you’ll see is that they are all playing the same show.  Now you’ll notice that the white car on one screen looks bluer than the others & on another screen it’s redder.  Some are brighter and some are darker.  Some have high contrast some have low contrast.  So if these thousand dollar TV’s display color that is all over the place, then how can you expect your monitor to show the same colors as your designer or printer.

The short answer you can’t.  PDF proofs are more for layout and spell checking than for color.

So where does that leave you?  Take care in how you prepare you files.  Understand the process and adjust your expectations accordingly.  And most importantly, speak to you PRINTER!

ColorMunki 1.1 Key Advantages:

* More Precise, Pro-like Display Control–now, for the first time, users can easily adjust light functionality when color matching–even from display to display, including:
o Optimized Display Luminance–based on either ambient light measurement or user specified values;
o User-defined ambient light levels–quickly evaluate work environment lighting before profiling;
o Optimized display contrast and brightness (backlight) workflow–with all-new automated pass/fail contrast-clipping test where user proceeds to next step when passed for a quicker workflow;

o More precise control of display luminance–with target and actual measured luminance values displayed and an option for automatic video LUT adjustments;
o User-defined profile naming.

* Expanded AppSet support:
o CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4*;
o Adobe InDesign CS4* (Mac/Windows);
o QuarkXPress 8*.

* Expanded palette synchronization:
o Corel PainterX*;
o Adobe Photoshop CS4*;
o Adobe InDesign CS4* (Mac/Win platforms);
o QuarkXPress 8*.

Workgroup has announced the local availability of Corel’s Painter 11 – an update to Corel’s digital painting and illustration program which has been designed specifically around customer and user requests.

“Since its inception, Painter has set a standard in painting and illustration software,” says Kevin George, Corel product manager at Workgroup. “With version 11, artists can now expand their digital toolset with advanced painting and natural media tools.

“This includes new pressure-sensitive brushes that allow hand and brush to work fluidly as one, producing high texture and precision brushstrokes with enhanced drawing tools and customisable media, which results in distinct, realistic art.”

With Painter 11, artists can expand their digital toolset with painting media designed to extend the capabilities of digital photography programs such as Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo and Adobe Photoshop. New colour management tools improve colour recognition when importing files from other applications and individual colour profiles per document create greater colour accuracy for each file.

“For users looking to embark on an artistic education, Painter 11 offers the ability to experiment with colour theory and composition faster than in a traditional environment and without the toxins and mess,” says George. “With the option to undo brushstrokes and other effects, this digital art studio provides the ability to experiment in an unlimited capacity, giving students, teachers, and other new users the confidence to explore a wide variety of artistic techniques.”

Color management has always had a bit of a voodoo associated with it. Unfortunately, managing color is not as simple as specifying a color for a given pixel and having your intent carried out across all input and output devices. Indeed, the physical functioning of the two primary components—the monitor and the printer—are markedly different.

Monitor color is created using an additive process in which three color primaries (red, green, and blue) are mixed together to yield a specific color that is emitted (like a flashlight) from the screen. Printer color, on the other hand, is subtractive in that the pigments in the inks and dyes remove wavelengths of light before it is reflected to the eye. This process uses an entirely different set of primaries than your monitor, that is, the colors of the inks present. Even if your printer has green ink, it is not likely to ever create the same shade of green that is emitted from your monitor for a variety of reasons, including the whiteness or color of the paper it is printed on and the nature of the light source illuminating the printed page. Combine this with the idiosyncrasies of human color perception and you’ve got quite job trying to keep things consistent.

Then, when you think about all the possible input elements—graphics software, digital cameras, and various scanners and all the possible output possibilities—printers of countless varieties, presses, film, and digital video (not to mention the displays—projectors, LCD, LED, and CRT), there is a nearly endless number of combinations and unending complexities involved in getting color ‘right.’

To help get this mayhem under control, you need both hardware and software. These help determine what colors your various input and output devices are capable of creating, a process called calibration or profiling. Then, once you know where you stand in color-space, you need tools for gauging matching accuracy, palette creation, and exploration. And that’s where X-Rite’s ColorMunki 1.1 suite of tools enters the picture.

ColorMunki suite

Tools for measuring and managing color have existed for a long time, primarily for use in the printing industry. X-Rite has introduced the ColorMunki suite targeted at the entry-level professional market—the photographer who needs consistent prints for her customers, the designer who wants to explore color options while ensuring the proper translation from computer to product, and even the enthusiast who just wants better color reproduction.

The ColorMunki line is split into three products—Create, Design, and Photo, each aimed at a particular need. They consist of a color measurement device and associated software. The software is similar across the three products, while the hardware varies between the Create product (a colorimeter) and the Design and Photo products (a spectrophotometer). I had a look at each package, using a recent vintage MacBook Pro and Mac Pro with dual 24-inch Apple Cinema displays () driven by an ATI Radeon X1900 card. Xerox Phaser 6180 () and Canon i900D () color printers provided output.

Create

ColorMunki Create is the suite’s entry-level product. It comes with a USB bus-powered colorimeter that is used to calibrate your monitor along with the ColorMunki Create software.

Create allows you to compose sets of colors (palettes) that you can then export to other desktop software, like Illustrator and Photoshop, to help maintain consistency across applications. You can create these palettes in an assortment of ways: you can enter your own color values; select from various Pantone color libraries; create harmonious sets automatically; or auto-extract a color set from an image. The last option is particularly fun and useful, giving the designer a set of colors based on those most predominant in a source image. Matching other colors in a design to an image or using one of the image’s colors to find other harmonious colors gives designers a nice set of tools for exploring the color potential in their work.

In Create, monitor profiling is straightforward. The software instructs you to place the device on the screen, push one button, and you’re off to the races. The process is automatic and requires no user intervention. After about two minutes, you’ve got a profile that is specifically tailored to your monitor. Since monitors change or drift over time (CRTs are notoriously worse than LCDs and LEDs) the software can remind you to re-calibrate at a given interval. Once a month is probably OK for most users.

Design

ColorMunki Design is the step up from Create, and aimed, as its name implies, at designers. It includes software with the same functionality as Create, as well as plug-ins for various desktop publishing applications, called AppSet, to keep palettes and color settings in sync across them. On the hardware side, it includes a USB bus-powered spectrophotometer instead of a monitor calibrator. A spectrophotometer can read colors from emissive sources, like your monitor, as well as from reflective material, allowing you to ‘digitize’ colors from objects, fabric, or printed material. So, along with profiling your monitor’s color reproduction, you can also profile your printers.

Like monitor profiling, the printer profiling process is very simple. You print out a sheet of colored stripes and scan them with the ColorMunki device. The software then processes them and prints a second ‘tune-up’ sheet that is measured using the spectrophotometer to refine the profile’s calibration, and you’re done—at least for that printer and paper combination. You’ll want to re-calibrate if you switch printers or papers. We calibrated the Xerox printer to standard copy paper and the Canon to glossy and matte photo paper. Purists will want to calibrate whenever an ink tank is changed, but that’s not absolutely necessary for the casual user. All three products in the ColorMunki suite provide similar color picking and palette making tools. The differences between the products are largely in the hardware—Design and Photo include a spectrophotometer while Create comes with a colorimeter, and the included color libraries. All products come with the Munsell Glossy library as well as a Color Group library that classifies colors by names such as Very Light Blue. Design and Create include Pantone Goe, PMS and Fabric and Home sets.

The AppSet plug-ins keep application color settings in sync across applications like InDesign (), Quark (), and Photoshop (), though there are some issues with Photoshop CS4 that require a small amount manual intervention. The color palettes you create are automatically synchronized between the above applications as well as through a ColorMunki color picker plug-in, making them available to any application that uses the standard Apple color picker.

Lastly, there are advanced calibration settings for those who want to take ambient room lighting into account, or specify an alternate target illumination and monitor luminance.

Photo

Finally, ColorMunki Photo caps the suite of tools. It contains the same hardware as Design, allowing for printer and monitor profiling as well as grabbing colors from the real world. It also allows for projector profiling, which some folks may find handy.

The software is essentially the same as Design, but without the Pantone libraries, which most photographers won’t care about anyway. The color picking and manipulation software is separate from the calibration software, unlike Design and Create, but has the same essential palette creation and exploration features. There is also a DigitalPouch application that allows for ‘packaging’ images and their calibration information for sharing with others. The useful thing here is that the person on the receiving end of the transaction doesn’t need ColorMunki software to get the benefit. The package contains an application that allows for calibrated viewing on their end as well. As anyone who has had to try to verbally describe color issues to their printer knows, this color communication feature is a welcome addition to the photographer’s toolkit.

Macworld’s buying advice

Since printing and monitor display are fundamentally different beasts, it is very difficult if not impossible to always match colors between devices. There are colors your monitor can display that your printer can’t print and vice versa. Even worse, your eye-brain-environment team has its own agenda when it comes time to deciding whether or not colors match. That said, the calibration and profiling provided by the various products in the ColorMunki 1.1 suite resulted in consistent and realistic monitor colors across machines, while the Photo and Design products delivered print colors that matched well across a variety of image types (photos, graphs, and illustrations) with photos getting the best results.

The ColorMunki product line brings very good color management down to the entry-level professional, advanced amateur, or enthusiast at a reasonable price. Both the hardware and software are easy to use and the digitizing features of the Design and Photo software make it an indispensable tool for those who need to match colors to paints, fabrics, and other physical objects.

This profiling process creates a set of ICC (International Color Consortium) profiles that are used by both Mac OS X, via ColorSync, and by graphics and design applications, like those in Adobe Creative Suite, to communicate the color reproducing abilities of the hardware in your system. Now, you have a calibrated system, ostensibly providing consistency between what you see on the monitor and what the printer outputs.