RetouchPRO LIVE "CMYK" with Andrew Rodney

[Doug Nelson]

On our next all-new live RetouchPRO LIVE, color guru Andrew Rodney returns to answer your questions about working with CMYK. Andrew's slides and notes will be downloadable after the show.

From Andrew:
"CMYK has been called the Devils colorspace. After all, God created RGB and man created CMYK, which would you rather use? For many, the options are not clear cut. Do we and should we send CMYK to our clients? What are the potential pitfalls? In this seminar, I'll cover what are best practices for making the best possible CMYK conversions and discuss what to do when you simply can't follow these procedures. Some areas covered will be:

• What's a contract proof, what to aim for in conversions, why you wouldn't necessarily profile the press.
• Black generation, TAC and CMYK target values. Learn the lingo, communicate with the printing house.
• What really is SWOP, GRACOL and other standard print conditions. Can they be the solution?
• When and when not to send RGB to the printer and why photographers might do their own Seps.
• Using a desktop printer (Epson) to make loose color proofs for a CMYK process.
• Using the the "Custom Proof Setup" dialog to preview CMYK press output
• Absolute versus Relative versus Perceptual rendering intents, when to use what
• better "proofs" from inkjet printers/using the print options box
• "how do I convert and prepare CMYK files for clients when they have virtually no specific press information"

This event will be another color geek fest but this one might save your bacon if you have clients expecting you to deal with CMYK reproduction!"

Saturday, July 31, 4pm CDT (see link below for other time zones)

Click the following link for details and ticket sales:
http://www.retouchpro.com/index.php?page=rodney

[Doug Nelson]

I think some people might be intimidated by this topic, but if you have even remote ambitions of working commercially you really need to be conversant with all this. And we'll make it as painless as possible. And if it's still not painless enough, you can always ask questions.

[Doug Nelson]

Seriously, dudes, we need your help getting the word out about this show. I can't post about it anywhere since it's my show (learned the hard way not all sites are as open to owners posting links to their websites as this one) and 99% of my announcement emails get caught in spam filters.

So as you make your rounds of your favorite blogs and forums today and tomorrow, post this link:
http://www.retouchpro.com/index.php?page=rodney

If you want more of these serious, advanced shows you're going to have to help us get the word out that they exist.

[Doug Nelson]

The ticket sales link will close in about 90 minutes.

[Doug Nelson]

The ticket sales link will close in 1 hour.

[Doug Nelson]

The ticket sales link is now closed.

If you haven't received your confirmation email, check your spam folder. You'll want to make sure both retouchpro.com and citrixonline.com are whitelisted (listed as "trusted" or "friendly" or "always allowed") in your spam filter.

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Tollfree 24/7 tech support phone numbers can be found here (make sure you specify gotowebinar in the dropdown options).

Come back to this thread after the show and tell us your thoughts about it. Also, give us your requests for future shows with Andrew Rodney.

[Doug Nelson]

Here's the download link for Andrew's slides and notes. Its a 1.5MB file:

http://www.retouchpro.com/live/CMYKrodney.zip

[Janet Petty]

Fascinating technical show. I think I'm going to have to watch it again on reruns to actually gel the knowledge; but this was definitely an illuminating show. Thank you!!

Janet

[TriniK]

You know that I am a HUGE fan of the webinars, but it has become blatantly obvious to me that I am a moron, and unless there is a webinar called "Colour Management for Cretins," then I am way out of my league.

I remember many years ago when asking one of the designers in the very large Media Department of my workplace at the time, what bleed I should use when sending my file to the printer? (I was not working in the Media Department) her telling me that it was no big deal, just drag the image out a little on all sides. Well now I know that was crazy talk, but I would still love to see a show on Colour Managment but aimed at a lower trajectory. More of what we need to do to survive without having my eyes glaze over due to an abrupt cessation of synapsis. No one's fault but mine.
Excedrin - here I come.

[Der_W]

I would have loved to follow the webinar, but my best friend stood at my door right before it started, so I had no chance to (we were having a hard time, so I couldn't just send her away).
Will there be a rebroadcast soon :-)?

[Hollis]

I'm right there with TriniK, but I'll go one step further and say that I fall into the category of "Uber-Moron." I think Andrew taught a basic class on color management, so I'll see if I can find that on YouTube, try to grasp it, and then read his slides for this class again. Maybe it will all start to fall into place. Oh please, oh please!

[Nasturtium]

this was perfectly timed for me. I've made my (painful ) way though Margulis' 'Makeready' and Andrew Rodney's lucid explainations finally helped much of the esoterica fall into place. I've very recently started printing some of my fine art stuff off and have found a local printer who has a giant Epson for stuff bigger than A4.

Doug - your point of never having to go to CMYK for skin color retouching - just having the display in the info pallet was very useful.

A show on different output would be nice
-how do you manage the proliferation of files- for different websites and print?
-how to you process files differently (sharpening, saturation, resolution )depending on where they will be displayed? And like for; full resolution portfolio sites, what's the best way to compress files for bulletin boards with size limits? Creating mobile phone galleries so on and so forth...

Maybe the theme would be the best way to display your work online and in print.

[Tim_S]

Thank you Andrew and Doug for a great webinar. Also for your patients with my slightly off topic questions.

The moire problems with fabric with a distinct weave combine is a recurring problem. The printer is surprisingly unhelpful. I usually end up using a dust and blur filter. I've tried other of Margulis' suggestions, but none have done much good.

The other question about "rich black", was just as you suggest - what color to make large solid black areas, larger type faces etc. Glad to know that the color space conversion should deal with that automatically. The printer does provide an ICC profile, so hopefully they have set their Total Ink Coverage and Black Generations appropriately...

I have to deal with CMYK once a year for one client, so I never really learn this stuff. I got several good points to incorporate in to my workflow. Using ColorMatch as the color space for passing files around (in my case for someone to do page layout with my photographs) makes a great deal of sense. I work in ProPhoto, but am always fearful when something in that color space leaves my calibrated/profiled system.

[bolezub]

I had no chance to see this show live. Would love to see re-broadcast!

[Doug Nelson]

It will be rebroadcast 8/18

[Doug Nelson]

Here is the rebroadcast link:
http://www.retouchpro.com/index.php?page=rebroadcast

[bolezub]

Originally Posted by Doug Nelson

Here is the rebroadcast link:
http://www.retouchpro.com/index.php?page=rebroadcast

Thank you Doug.

[Doug Nelson]

This show is now available on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7G7fXqVzHk