Converting RGB to CMYK in Illustrator

I often find the need to convert RGB files to CMYK (and visa versa) in Adobe Illustrator. The trouble is I always forget how to do it! Therefore I've drawn up a simple 3 step process to help.

Converting RGB to CMYK in Illustrator

 

Being a web designer I live in the world of RGB and the thought of CMYK and the finality of print scares me (a lot!). However, I regularly need to convert a logo to CMYK in Adobe Illustrator from a graphic that is in RGB colour mode. In Illustrator, you simply do the following:

Go to File » Document Color Mode and check CMYK

Yeh I know it's simple but being a AI newbee, I have spent ages searching for a solution before remembering. This process also works in reverse (CMYK to RGB):

Go to File » Document Color Mode and check RGB.

Select everything in your document and go Filter » Color » Convert to RGB.

A good way to check what colours are being used in your document is to:

Open up the colour palette.

Bring up the menu by clicking the little arrow in the top right hand corner and select "Small List View". This brings up (surprise surprise) a list view of all colours with a little symbol representing the colour mode type (ie: RGB, CMYK...etc).

Now click on an element in your document and the list will jump to the colour being used. You can then determine whether it's CMYK or RGB...etc

Hope this helps

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Write a comment.

Responses. (30)

  1. Remind me

    Thanks, it is really helpful. I'm a GD, I really forgot got such function for converting into CMYK/RGB colors because I only using that converter you mentioned to convert the CMYK/RGB color into gray. Haha.. now then remind me, thanks again

     

    cheers

  2. J W

    Jack

    Thankyou!!!!!

    I was about to spend the next hour individually clicking complex rgb vector art and changing it to cmyk in the colour field. I knew their had to be a simple way - thank you!!!!!!!!!!!

  3. M B

    Megan

    Simply Put

    Thanks! I am so accustomed to using Photoshop to switch RGB to CMYK, that I forgot how to do it in Illustrator, and I recently got an .eps files that came to me in RGB mode. This helped immensely!

  4. J D

    Jody

    Thanks for the help!

    That was very helpful! Thanks for the post.

  5. A T

    Alberto

    Thanks!!!

    Thanks a lot, veeeeery veeryy useful!!

  6. R B

    Rachel

    New CS5

    In the new CS5, there is no Filter >> etc... I believe you want to go to Edit >> Edit Colors >> Convert to... (RGB/CMYK)

    Thanks for your post!

  7. F D

    Fate

    Bad Idea

    Simply converting from RGB to CMYK will often result in colors that are above 300% ink density, almost always with dark colors. Whether it's by changing the document color mode or changing the swatch color breakdown. You'll end up with some messed up colors.

    For example, try converting the document color mode from RGB to CMYK. Look at your swatches in the small list view as suggested above and click on the swatch to see the breakdown. Note the breakdown. Now go from CMYK back to RGB. Notice how your colors changed? They won't revert back to the correct RGB breakdown, some may be close but a lot are going to be way off. Sadly, I don't have the solution for this. In looking for the solution I stumbled on this page and figured I might want to give a heads up to anyone who relies on this method.

    The process "works" but doesn't maintain the integrity of your color.

  8. L K

    Line

    Thank you

    Hey thanks for this post - I was stuck! I use Illustrator wery little, and was unsure if my search for "change from rgb to cmyk in illustrator" would give any easy answers - and it did. You saved me for a long night.

  9. k f

    kirk

    I not clear that this tip works as you expect

    Switching the Document Color Mode in the under the File menu has no effect on the settings of the individual swatches in you mention. Switch the document color mode to cmyk and then go to an rgb swatch in your color palette, double-click on the swatch to bring up the swatch options. Here you can select this specific color's mode too but you have the option to change the Color Type from Spot to Process.

    After just changing the Document Color Mode to CMYK, the options on individual RGB swatches used in the graphic are still set as Spot colors which suggests that they will not be separated onto the four color printing plates for CMYK printing, unless you set them to Process.

  10. k f

    kirk

    Correction to this post

    If you are using CS3 you convert all colors to CMYK by changing the document color mode under the File menu as this post describes, but you must additionally select all the objects and layers you want to convert, select Edit Color under the Edit Menu and select convert to CMYK.

  11. D S

    David

    @Fate

    @Fate Thanks for your comments. Is there any chance you could post a better solution. I'm not a print designer and so I'd hate to be misleading people.

    Thanks in advance.

  12. K K

    KINYA

    THANK YOU :-)

    GREAT .. THANK YOU TO SAVED ME MUCH VALUABLE TIME... YOU ARE AMAZING :-)

    HAVE A GOOD SUNNY DAY

    WWW.KINYA.PL

  13. D P

    Dhruv

    Very Useful

    Thanks You :)

  14. J J

    Jeff

    better solution for RGB to CMYK conversion

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XumnfvlAA8 no more messy conversions. It does require that you have indesign though.

  15. r j

    rafael

    rafael

    hi, thanks , but about the

    Filter » Color » Convert to RGB

    I cant find it in illustrator or in PS photoshop filter gallery ^^,

    I am actually making a sort of logo illustration for a client and I am not sure to make it in cmyk, but he said he is just gonna use it in his web header, but I think ahead, cause maybe he might decide to use it in print, and I dont want to have problems with the color modes and stuff.

    can I make the logo in cmyk and publish it as a png or jpeg without any color change?if so how can I make it please ?^^

  16. s c

    shea

    RGB to CYMK and back again

    Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I'm a fellow newbie, too, and your little tip just saved me! :)

  17. M G

    Mag

    Its the little things

    Thanks so much i have been trying to do it alone but this really reduced time wasting :)! Cheers from Me!

  18. B v

    Barbara

    cmyk to rgb

    Thank you xx

  19. Z Z

    Zayneb

    I now like illustrator a little more

    Thanks for the tip, so useful. Saved me precious time.

  20. P G

    PRATIK

    RGB TO CMYK

    Great Sir Thank you its very help full to me

  21. a k

    artist

    kathir

    thanks.~

  22. R D

    Robert

    converting colors

    Great post, man... you're helping even the aftereffectsmaniacs in brazil, heheheh!!

  23. l 1

    leorikz

    thx

    very usefull

  24. c S

    cheryl

    printing in rgb fail

    Hi there!

    I have a question revolving around this topic.

    I ran into a print colour issue today when I went to pick up a mug I had printed. The colour didn't turn out how it looked on screen.

    I created the image in illustrator in CMYK mode and then saved the file as a jpeg/RGB for the purpose of printing this image onto a mug. The faint sand/shell colour came out on the mug as a buttery custard colour.

    How would I set up the CMYK illustrator colour to come out the way it looks on screen once printed from the RGB Jpeg file?

    Your expert advise would be much appreciated, Thanks!

  25. V R

    Vince

    Fate is correct

    There is no reliable automation for converting RGB to CMYK, as many RGB colors simply don't exist in the CMYK world.

    In the ideal world, presuming that you need color, you want to anchor your design's colors in a restrictive print-standard color system like Pantone or whatever, as these 'restrictive' systems color values are easily 'upsampled' into the broader CMYK and RGB color spaces.

    What has me searching today is...

    If I open or paste Pantone 369C into a Photoshop RGB file I get #6eb43f.

    If I color pick the Pantone in the CMYK AI file I get #6cb33f.

    These visual difference between these values is virtually nothing, probably beyond the capability of human perception, but which is correct?

    I'm going to go with the color identified in Illustrator. Not because I know it to be academically correct, its just my best guess.

  26. K P

    Keti

    Convert vector artwork from RGB to CMYC in Ai

    Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!for ''Go to File » Document Color Mode and check CMYK''Love U!

  27. l l

    lolaso

    gracias

    I don't use AI as often and this saved me tons of time and my ass.

  28. P b

    PedRo

    Thanks for your help!

  29. E H

    Elizabeth

    Vector Format

    Thank you for this explanation it is amazing.

  30. j e

    john

    grate

    Thanks, very helpful.

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