Using Help
|
Contents
|
Index
Back
178
Adobe Illustrator Help
Producing Consistent Color
Using Help
|
Contents
|
Index
Back
178
About working spaces
Among other options, predefined color management settings specify the default color
profiles to be associated with the RGB and CMYK color models. Central to the color
management workflow, these default profiles are known as the RGB and CMYK
working
spaces
, respectively. The working spaces specified by predefined settings represent the
color profiles that will produce the best color fidelity for several common output condi-
tions. For example, the U.S. Prepress Defaults setting uses a CMYK working space that is
designed to preserve color consistency under standard Specifications for Web Offset
Publications (SWOP) press conditions.
A working space acts as the default color profile for newly created documents that use the
associated color model. For example, if Adobe RGB (1998) is the current RGB working
space, each new RGB document that you create will use colors within the Adobe RGB
(1998) gamut. Working spaces also define the destination gamut of documents converted
to the RGB or CMYK color model.
Using color management policies
When you specify a predefined color management setting, Illustrator sets up a color
management workflow that will be used as the standard for all documents and color data
that you open or import. For a newly created document, the color workflow operates
relatively seamlessly: the document uses the working space profile associated with its
color model for creating and editing colors, and the profile is usually embedded in the
saved document to provide color translation information for the destination output
device.
However, some existing documents may not use the working space that you have
specified, and some existing documents may not be color-managed. It is common to
encounter the following exceptions to your color-managed workflow:
•
You might open a document or import color data from a document that has not been
color-managed and lacks a profile altogether. This is often the case when you open a
document created in an application that either does not support color management or
has color management turned off.
•
You might open a document or import color data from a document that contains a
color profile different from the current working space. This may be the case when you
open a document that has been created using different color management settings, or
a document that has been scanned and assigned with a scanner profile.
In either case, Illustrator must decide how to handle the color data in the document. A
color management policy
looks for the color profile associated with an opened document
or imported color data, and compares the profile (or lack of profile) with the current
working space to make default color management decisions. If the profile matches the
working space, the colors are automatically brought into the color management workflow
that you have specified, using the working space profile. If the profile is missing or does
not match the working space, Illustrator displays a message that alerts you to the
mismatch situation and, in many cases, lets you specify how to handle the colors in
question.
