"out of gamut" warning

[r***@adobeforums.com]

In InDesign I can color text RGB 164-0-255 and print that color with fidelity. In Illustrator, when I try to create that color I get an "out of gamut" warning. How can I create that color in Illustrator? I need to 3D transform the character and copy and paste it into InDesign with color RGB 164-0-255.

[J***@adobeforums.com]

Richard,

If you work in RGB, you may ignore the Out of Gamut warning; if you work in CMYK your colour will be changed to the nearest CMYK equivalent.

File>Document Color Mode.

[r***@adobeforums.com]

I'm working with InDesign and Illustrator files in the same Version Cue work space. The color setting for the former is Adobe RGB and for the latter, Emulate Illustrator 6.0. The latter "gamut"s out RGB 164-0-255 and changes it to 167-13-129; i.e., from purple to red-violet.

No, the application won't let me ignore the "gamut" warning.

Jacob, thanks.

[J***@adobeforums.com]

Richard,

No, the application won't let me ignore the "gamut" warning.




Well, it states it, but if the Document Color Mode is RGB you may ignore it. If it is CMYK, the values will inevitably, sooner or later, be changed to be in gamut.

Using version 10, when I choose Color Settings to Emulate Illustrator 6.0, RGB 164,0,255 will become 167,20,125.

So I am quite sure your Color Color Mode in Illy is CMYK which will never let you keep the RGB values.

You should use identical File>Document Color Mode for both applications, in this case RGB.

The color setting for the former is Adobe RGB and for the latter, Emulate
Illustrator 6.0.




And, you should use identical Edit>Color Settings for both applications, in this case Adobe RGB (1998). You can obtain that in Illy by choosing *** Prepress Defaults in the top dropdown list, *** being your part of the world, or you can choose Custom and choose appropriate options. Emulate Illustrator 6.0 means no colour management.

[H***@adobeforums.com]

I'm working with InDesign and Illustrator files in the same Version Cue
work space. The color setting for the former is Adobe RGB and for the
latter, Emulate Illustrator 6.0.




Don't do that. Work with a consistent set of color settings across all Adobe applications. For further amplification on Jacob's last paragraph, see this Adobe Tech Doc <http://www.adobe.com/support/techdocs/329486.html>.

Plase identify your AI (and ID) version(s) in future posts as that may affect the response.

[r***@adobeforums.com]

Thanks Jacob. I'm exploring your ideas.

[r***@adobeforums.com]

Harron, thanks greatly. I'm reading the tech documents now.

[Teri Pettit]

Richard,

Have you verified that the 3D Transform is not changing the color by introducing shading? (See my reply in your other thread):

<http://www.adobeforums.com/cgi-bin/webx/.3bc0d56d/1>

The printing process will always by necessity bring the color into the printer's native gamut. So even though the application's UI may display numbers for a specific RGB color, that doesn't mean that's what's really being printed. RGB is not an absolute color specification (like Lab is), it's a percentage of power on a 3 diode light device.

Many modern inkjet printers, though, have six or eight inks, and have gamuts that are wider than the traditional CMYK gamut. The new Pixma Pro 9500 (released last February) has ten inks! Every year somebody seems to come out with a newer printer with a wider gamut than last year's. This is one area where software has not quite kept up with the printing technology. You can't work in RGB or Lab and ask to get out-of-gamut warnings only when it exceeds the gamut of your specific printer, where the printer is not a CMYK printer. I wish you could, since I use one of those eight-ink printers.

I have found, though, that the printers do not take as much advantage of their extra inks to increase the gamut as one might think. They do have wider gamuts than traditional CMYK, just not as wide as they would be if increasing the gamut were the top priority. They put more emphasis on getting denser smoother ink coverage and avoiding visible halftone patterns. (The Pixma's two extra inks beyond the 8 that are in my Canon i9900 are two additional colors of gray, to give exceptionally smooth monochrome prints, not something like hot purple, neon orange or cobalt blue that would significantly increase coverage of the RGB gamut.)

Still, I would not be at all surprised to see a printer with twelve inks and a nearly neon-like range in two or three more years. It would be nice if the print driver could broadcast information about its current range (in case it has dynamic settings as to which inks you want to use), and the design software could use that to inform the out-of-gamut warnings.

[H***@adobeforums.com]

The iPF9000 <http://www.usa.canon.com/templatedata/pressrelease/20060516_aiim_proGraf.html> and iPF5000 <http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelDetailAct&fcategoryid=170&modelid=13098> use 12 inks. They achieve a color gamut very close to Adobe RGB, which you can prove to yourself using custom profiles and soft proofing (with out-of-gamut warnings) in Photoshop.

[r***@adobeforums.com]

Yes, the darkening that attends the 3D process forces me into making aesthetic matches based on the colors on my monitor. There's no sense printing them out because eventually a "print-on-demand" book publisher machine will make the chromatic decisions.

I had no idea of the range of printer technologies, and your synopsis is exceptionally useful. With the printer technology in continuous transition and Adobe's "out of gamut" utility linked to the printers, they'll be forced (hopefully) to combine an interactive web page with up-to-date CS2 patches to address that customer need.

I'm managing a complex set of forum correspondences, and some of my replies are delayed as much as four days; so I'm concerned parties to those threads stop monitoring them and miss my delayed replies.

If you've found this, Teri, please send at least a one-word reply, so that I can get a sense of the parameters of this form of communication.

[r***@adobeforums.com]

That knowledge may be useful in the future, but as I just wrote Teri Petitt, the ultimate printer for my product is out of my control.

I'm managing a complex set of forum correspondences, and some of my replies are delayed as much as four days; so I'm concerned parties to those threads stop monitoring them and miss my delayed replies. If you've found this, Harron, please send at least a one-word reply, so that I can get a sense of the parameters of this form of communication.

[H***@adobeforums.com]

The "regulars" check in here frequently, Richard.

Whenever someone adds a reply to an existing discussion, the topic gets moved to the top of the list and a flag notifies visitors of any unread messages.

These discussions are also accessible via newsreaders, where typical notification mechanisms, I presume, would apply.

That knowledge may be useful in the future, but... the ultimate printer
for my product is out of my control.




I didn't think the information I added about Canon's newest printers would be particularly helpful to you. I was merely trying to expand on the picture Teri had painted about current inkjet printer technology and point out that there is a way, via existing software and color management technology, to predict and control certain aspects of the output before committing to print.