CMYK export

[west1849]

  So I have building several images that will eventually be used as book covers. This whole time I thought I was working in CMYK. But after exporting to PDF, I checked the files and discovered it saved it as RGB??? How do I save the image as CMYK because as far as I can tell I have done everything right?

[NotMyFault]

There are at least 2 places to choose the color format.

For 1. Editing and 2. Exporting (most relevant in your case):

Assuming you are using Publisher:

1. File>Document Setup>Color

2. File>Export>PDF>More>Color Space

If you have checked both settings and found CMYK, look at 3. Otherwise, select CMYK.

3. It is possible to have PDF where images have different color format to the containing document. Let the other experts explain how to cope with this case.

[William Overington]

54 minutes ago, west1849 said:

  So I have building several images that will eventually be used as book covers. This whole time I thought I was working in CMYK. But after exporting to PDF, I checked the files and discovered it saved it as RGB??? How do I save the image as CMYK because as far as I can tell I have done everything right?

I am not claiming to be an expert on colour settings, but I would like to mention something that may or may not be relevant.

I have been producing one-off greetings cards using the facility of a business that advertises the facility as photo greetings cards, as in upload your photo.

In fact, I have never used a photo as such, I have used artwork that I have exported from Affinity Designer. In fact, the Papier staff were very helpful in advising me how to do this. I have received the cards and framed them.

https://www.papier.com/photos/photo-cards/

https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/138654-artwork-for-greetings-cards/

I have got good, colourful results.

It was only after I had decided to produce a similar card to one that I had produced before that I noticed that the colour was in RGB.

Checking back, the colour on the earlier card was also RGB, but I had got a good result.

When I tried to convert to CMYK, a blue went dull. Oh! I didn't like that. So I uploaded the artwork in rgb on the basis that it had worked before, so here goes! I got a good result. So I send them RGB.

Now that may not work everywhere, I suspect that as the business advertises photo cards that a lot of people just upload a photo as taken on a mobile telephone, so out of necessity the software they use has to sort it out, just as it autofits to the template by scaling and cropping either horizontally or vertically as needed.

So it may be different for your book cover, but maybe it would be a good idea to check with the printer because they might have software optimized to convert as best for their equipment.

As I say, I am not an expert on colour formats, but I post this so those who are experts can comment.

William

 

[lacerto]

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[west1849]

Thank you, this has been very helpful