How can I convert an Affinity Designer file and convert it to CMYK?

[PaulWilliamson]

Hi!

Do I have to take each layer that is in RGB and find out what the corresponding CMYK colors are and convert them to them?

I would like to keep the logo the same but in CMYK and have another version of it for print purposes.

Thanks!

-paulw

[walt.farrell]

Make a copy of your document, and in that copy:

• File > Document Setup
• On the Color tab, change RGB to CMYK, and pick an appropriate profile. Click Convert if it's not selected.
• Then click OK

 

[PaulWilliamson]

Hi Walt!

I do not see the convert option.

Please see attached.

Thanks again!

-paul

[Fixx]

Mind you, this way it is easy to make black text and vectors go rich black (something like C89M78Y62K97). Usually this is not desired. I do not now how to convert RGB000 to K100, other that select objects and adjust values manually.

[walt.farrell]

8 hours ago, PaulWilliamson said:

I do not see the convert option

It's there, in your screenshot, but grayed out:

Looks like all you need is to press OK when changing color modes. The Assign/Convert is only for changing profiles within a mode.

[PaulWilliamson]

Thank you so much!  But it looks like the individual colors were not saved as CMYK so I manually converted them.

Simple logo so no biggie.

-paulw

[PaulWilliamson]

Hi,

No matter what I tried, the document colors are not saved with CMYK colors.

I tried the document setup suggestion, and I also clicked on the colors on the RHS tabs and on the fill color on the context menu.

I think I saw a slight change in the colors when changing them to CMYK but when I exit Designer and reopen it and the document, the CMYK colors I set are gone.

For instance, in the attached file, the green background underneath Exit333 should be Highway Green (CMYK 64,0,47,48) but it is now 81,25, 94,11 in the Fill CMYK Slider.  It was not that when I was working on the document. Also, RGB for Highway Green is 48,132,70 but it is now 51, 132,69.

I have not sent my logo off to a printer on a document but I think it would look fine.  Just curious how to convert an Affinity Designer file colors to  CMYK since it doesn't appear to work.

What if I started an AD file in CMYK, if that is possible?  I am sure I am doing something wrong!

Thanks!

-paulw

exit333logo - CMYKConvertedAttempt2.afdesign

[PaulWilliamson]

Sorry - RHS = Right-Hand-Side!

[PaulWilliamson]

I think I get it now! 🙂

I created a new CMYK color document and copied and pasted from my original afdesign file.

Then I changed every color to CMYK.  The default sliders were in CMYK.

I saved the document without converting then reloaded it just for test and everything was still in CMYK.

Great learning exercise!

Thank you so much, especially for "The other thing to bear in mind (which confuses a lot of people) is there's no such thing as an RGB colour or a cmyk colour - you need a profile for the values to mean anything. "Highway Green" will be different values in SWOP, ISO coated etc etc."

-paulw

[PaulWilliamson]

Hah!!  Well, I got it done and learned a lot from this post.  There are so many nice and knowledgeable people here.

I do have the AD book and tons of all Affinity courses at Udemy and other places and I am going to set aside as much time to go through them all.

However, there is nothing like learning from the people here on the forum!  Books and courses do not always cover all "real life" situations, IMO!

I have attached the final CMYK file.  Please let me know if I missed anything 🙂

Thanks so much!

-paulw

exit333logoCMYK.afdesign

[PaulWilliamson]

I can't ask stupid questions to books and videos!

Thank you all again!

-paulw

[lepr]

Warning: some of the following information contradicts statements seen earlier in this thread.

Converting an Affinity document from one colour mode (e.g. RGB, CMYK, Grey, Lab) to another does convert the colour mode of Pixel objects, but it does not convert the colour mode of vector fills and strokes or the colour mode of swatch definitions.

For example, say a document is RGB and contains a vector rectangle with fill specified as RGB(48,132,70). If the document is converted to CMYK, the specification of the rectangle's fill remains RGB.

Again, say a document is RGB and contains a vector rectangle with fill specified as RGB(48,132,70). If the rectangle is copied and then pasted into a CMYK document, the specification of the pasted rectangle's fill remains RGB.

To see the true specification of a colour, two things need to be done to the Colours panel before selecting an object for inspection:

• set controls mode to Sliders in the hamburger menu
• disable the colour mode lock (padlock button)

 

[lepr]

20 minutes ago, BofG said:

[...] my point was the result won't be an RGB "colour" in the display, or in any export [...]

The points I was contradicting with facts were mistakes you were making when you were explicitly writing about the effect on Affinity documents when performing operations inside an Affinity app.

[PaulWilliamson]

8 hours ago, anon2 said:

Warning: some of the following information contradicts statements seen earlier in this thread.

Converting an Affinity document from one colour mode (e.g. RGB, CMYK, Grey, Lab) to another does convert the colour mode of Pixel objects, but it does not convert the colour mode of vector fills and strokes or the colour mode of swatch definitions.

For example, say a document is RGB and contains a vector rectangle with fill specified as RGB(48,132,70). If the document is converted to CMYK, the specification of the rectangle's fill remains RGB.

Again, say a document is RGB and contains a vector rectangle with fill specified as RGB(48,132,70). If the rectangle is copied and then pasted into a CMYK document, the specification of the pasted rectangle's fill remains RGB.

To see the true specification of a colour, two things need to be done to the Colours panel before selecting an object for inspection:

• set controls mode to Sliders in the hamburger menu
• disable the colour mode lock (padlock button)

 

I get it now!  I did not know that.  Thanks!

[PaulWilliamson]

So if there is a chance that an AD or AP document will be used in a brochure or business card or whatever print document, instead of just on a web page, what should the process be for that?  What if it is a detailed Designer document?  Start with CMYK instead of RGB?

-paulw