[AuroraSkye]

Hi there -- I am new to this forum so I hope I am in the correct section.

If there are any publishers and photoshop users out there perhaps you can help me. I created an image for a cover of a book and the publisher wants it as 300 dpi .tiff in CMYK. I used photoshop to create the image -- but when I open it in other programs the colours change.

I am concerned that if the publisher does not have photoshop, the cover image may end up with the extra pink or extra blue skin tones that show up when I open it and print it using other programs.

My question is -- if the publisher tries to print it and the colour is off -- is there a way I can go into the .tiff CMYK "channels" to change the colour shift? (and if so -- how?)

[slipe]

Ask the publisher what profile he wants. Then go Image>Mode>Assign profile. Use the drop down menu to select the one the publisher wants. The colors will be fine if you are both using the same profile.

I would make the call with Photoshop open in front of me, so that when he gives you the profile you can confirm you have it available.

[AuroraSkye]

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, Slipe! I sure appreciate you taking the time to answer my question and I am happy to say that I understood your answer! (pretty good for me - LOLOL) Your answer gave me hope that maybe this problem will be easier to resolve than I previously thought. (I sure hope so) Thank you, again!

[slipe]

Let us know how it works out.

[AuroraSkye]

Thank you -- I will. (It should be going to the Publisher some time next week, I think. It is not my book) <g>

[deepdiver01]

Just to put my 2 cents worth in.

I have not been able to find a browser around that will support CMYK in 16 bit format.

Just view the images in PS.
I am sure that your publisher will have photoshop or at least paint shop pro, which will support TIFF in CMYK.

Don't forget to get a sample first. You have to remember that when you view the images on a monitor, they will be converted to RGB by the vga to be able to be viewed by that monitor. The same does not apply when they are printed out as long as the printer supports CMYK.

Deep.

[Surreal2]

Commercial colour printing is an extremely complex field.

Firstly, different graphics progs will often display the same photo differently.

Secondly, the same photo is likely to look different when viewed on different monitors.

Thirdly, all images viewed on a monitor will always look different to a CMYK printed version (sometimes the differences are acceptable and sometimes not) because the two use very different principles to create the colours you see.

I'd've thought it extremely unlikely that your publisher will not have Photoshop.

As deepdiver says, whatever the image looks like on your monitor, you need a printed proof to know what it will look like on the printed page. For important items (ie front covers!) the printer could supply a Cromalin proof (usually fairly accurate but relatively expensive) or a digital proof (less accurate but less expensive) or a wet proof (most accurate since it's printed out just as the final book will be).

Printed colours also vary - sometimes dramatically - depending on the type of paper used.

[AuroraSkye]

WOW -- thank you all again for all of your help. You have mentioned many things that I have been unaware of because I rarely print things out. The author of the book is delivering everything to the publisher this coming Wednesday so I guess I will know soon how things are turning out printing-wise. I just know that I don't want the two people on the cover to have that awful blue tint that I saw when one of the programs opened my tiff. And the one with the PINK tint is even worse because it also loses a lot of details in the image. I will keep you all posted and I sure have/and do appreciate your help!

[Surreal2]

Originally Posted by AuroraSkye

WOW -- thank you all again for all of your help. You have mentioned many things that I have been unaware of because I rarely print things out. The author of the book is delivering everything to the publisher this coming Wednesday so I guess I will know soon how things are turning out printing-wise. I just know that I don't want the two people on the cover to have that awful blue tint that I saw when one of the programs opened my tiff. And the one with the PINK tint is even worse because it also loses a lot of details in the image. I will keep you all posted and I sure have/and do appreciate your help!

Hmm...the quality of the final printed version will also depend on the skills of the printer. A number of adjustments can be made by the printer to affect the final colour output. Achieving a 'natural' skin tone for any people in the image is obviously essential...no decent printer will just go ahead and print something where people have blue faces (unless you're deliberately after that effect).