Using Adobe InDesign Tutor: Helen Pummell Lesson 4

What you will learn this week

Colour modes for print and web
CMYK - colour for print Viewing the separate print/ink plates on screen RGB - colour for screen Colour management  Viewing the colour mode of an image Changing the colour mode of an image 2 2 3 4 4 6 6 9 9 10 11 13 13 14 15 15 16 17 18 18

Creating and applying solid colour

Creating colours in the Swatches panel Applying colours to objects Loading Colour Files from other InDesign Documents

Creating a gradient Gradient Swatch Tool

Working with Gradients

Using Paper colour Rich Black vs. Plain Black

Pantone Colour Gamut Viewing Pantone colours in the Separations Preview Creating Pantone swatches (spot colours)

Pantone Plus Series (PPS)

Using Adobe InDesign Lesson 4

Colour modes for print and web

CMYK - colour for print
Standard colour printing, known as 4 colour process or CMYK creates colour from offset dots of four coloured inks. CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW KEY (BLACK) These are known as subtractive colors because they produce a rich black when overlaid. Look at the spines of magazines and newspapers to see the evidence of these four plates in the printing process - often shown in small squares or circles of colour. You can sometimes see the separate layers of ink when a mistake occurs and the plates are not correctly aligned. A magnifying glass can be used to see the rosettes of colour creating the optical illusion of a full colour image.

Images courtesy of :http://www.uwgb.edu/heuerc/2d/colorsystm.html

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Viewing the separate print/ink plates on screen

Please open the file titled CMYK example in this weeks folder. Window > Output > Separations Preview InDesign has a simple feature which allows you to view the separate plates before printing.

In the View drop down menu select Separations to access the separate print plates. Use the eye icons in the Separations Preview palette to toggle the visibility of each plate on and off. Because in terms of ink on paper, each plate is binary, when only one plate is viewed the visual is black white indicating ink or no ink.

To view single plates in colour, uncheck the option: Separations Preview context menu > Show Single Plates In Black

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Printing colour to the edge of a page

Bleed is created if you intend any colour to run to the edge of the page when printing. This allows for small movements in the paper during the printing process by extending the colour beyond the edge of the page. Bleed can be set up for a document during the new document dialogue, or later: File > Document Setup > Bleed Bleed width will normally be included in the print specifications from a printer when you get a quote or discuss the job. For example 3mm bleed for an A4 page is usually ideal, but speak to the printer for specifications for unusual sizes.

RGB - colour for screen

A screen shows colours made from the three colours of light.

They are known as additive colours because they produce white light when combined. This is the reverse of the four colour print process where white is achieved with no ink, by allowing the paper to show through. Although you cannot predict another users screen settings, colour for screen and websites are less problematic than for print. You prepare them on screen and they will be viewed on screen. There is less to go wrong.
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Colour management
It is important to understand that because a screen displays colour through RGB it cannot perfectly replicate all CMYK colours. Also CMYK print cannot match the luminosity of colour achievable on screen. It is also worth mentioning that neither CMYK or RGB can replicate the full range of colours perceived by the human eye. Each device has its own abilities and pitfalls in producing colour. Getting a consistent colour between devices is called colour management. All images placed in an InDesign file should have a colour mode that matches the documents purpose for screen or print. CMYK images for print and RGB images for anything viewed on screen.

Image courtesy of: synergenstudios.com

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Because at best, the two colour modes can only offer an approximation of each other, it is vital to calibrate both your monitor and any printer that you use to proof documents. Read through the manuals and follow the adjustment process for your equipment. Adobe Creative Suite products manage colour between applications and between colour modes very well. If you are outsourcing print work, talk to the supplier about anything you are uncertain of concerning the colour in your document, ask for a properly profiled hard copy for a final proof before printing. A screen proof will not give accurate colour for a print job. I would only recommend altering the default colour management settings if you have specific instructions from a printer, or are confident in your knowledge of colour management.

Viewing the colour mode of an image

Window > Links Select any image and expand the image info arrow on the bottom left of the Links panel.

Changing the colour mode of an image

The colour mode of all images placed in InDesign needs to match the intent for web or print. A high resolution PDF can convert colour space, but if you want full control over how your image looks you can convert it in Adobe Photoshop or other photo editing software.

Opening images in Adobe Photoshop

In a new document you can change the colour mode of all images before placing them Open Adobe Photoshop All Programs > A to B > Adobe Master Collection CS6 > Adobe Photoshop File > Open
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Opening images in Adobe Photoshop through InDesign

In an existing document, previously placed images can be changed as above or from the link within InDesign 1. Go to the Links panel in InDesign 2. Select an image by clicking on its name in the list 3. Select the Edit Original button from the bottom right of the panel.

Edit original

NB:  Not all computers will be set up to open files in Photoshop by default. A detailed explanation of how to rectify this can be found here: http://indesignsecrets.com/make-edit-original-use-the-right-program.php

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Exercise Open the file Orange flowers RGB.jpg in Photoshop File > Open > orange flowers RGB.jpg

To view the mode

When the image is open in Photoshop View > Proof Set up Choose the set up applicable to the image and/or machine: Working CMYK Macintosh RGB Windows RGB Monitor RGB

This does not permanently change the colour mode of the file. It simply allows you to view any differences between modes.

To change the mode

When the image is open in Photoshop Image > mode > CMYK color / RGB color Once saved, this permanently changes the colour mode of the file.

Save the image as: Orange flowers CMYK.jpg Open the image: Garden RGB.jpg and change the colour mode to CMYK.

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Exercise part 1 You will create an A6 flyer for a night club. The file has already been started to allow you to focus on colour and typesetting. The Intention of this flyer is for print 1. Place the two images in InDesign. Flyer front.tiff Flyer back.tiff 2.  The document has 3mm of bleed set up. Decide where and if the image should bleed. 3.  Using the Links panel, lookup the colour mode of both images and change in Photoshop if necessary. You may use the BMovie flyer.pdf as a guide if you wish. Exercise part 2 Using the text on the pasteboard right, typeset the front and back of the flyer. Select an appropriate font and concentrate on creating clear text that will be both readable and eye catching. You will colour the text in the next part of the exercise.

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Creating and applying solid colour

Depending on the intent of your document (Print or Web/Digital Publishing), InDesign will offer different sets of pre-made swatches Window > Colour > Swatches Yet you can create colours of your own in a number of ways

Creating colours in the Swatches panel

1. Make certain that no objects are selected in the document. 2.  Click on the Swatches Palette to view it. This is where InDesign stores all the colours that are pre-loaded or saved to a document. 3. Choose New Colour Swatch from the list arrow. 4.  Chose how to name your new swatch using the name with colour value box, ticked or unticked 5. Select CMYK values of the new colour. 6. Click OK.

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Exercise part 3 Create the following colours in the BMovie flyer.indd file: Orange: c 0 m50 y75 k0 Purple: c44 m100 y0 k0 If you save a colour and then need to edit it simply double click the name of the colour in the Swatches Palette to re-open the dialogue box.

Applying colours to objects

There are three simple steps to applying colour in InDesign: (A) (B) (C) Select the text or object Select either Stroke or Fill from the bottom of the Toolbox Select the colour you wish to apply from the Swatches Palette

Select one of the vector text objects: 1.  Use the Selection Tool to select the vector text (A) 2. In the Toolbox choose the Fill or Stroke colour (B) 3. From the Swatches Palette select a colour (C)

Loading Colour Files from other InDesign Documents

All swatch files save only with the document they are created in. To load in the swatches from other InDesign files: Swatches Panel > Context Menu > Load Swatches Navigate to the file you want the grab the swatches from and click OPEN. The swatches from the specified file will add to the list of swatches in your current document. File > Save These new swatches are now part of the current document.
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Eyedropper tool
Colour can be an easy way to get a strong visual tie between your objects on a page. Copy colour from one object to another by using the Eyedropper Tool to copy stroke & fill attributes or to grab a colour from a photograph or other bitmap image.

Copying Stroke & Fill attributes

Choose one vector object which already has colour assigned to it. To copy the Stroke and Fill attributes we will use the Eyedropper Tool. 1. Select the vector object with the Selection Tool 2. Select the Eyedropper Tool from the Tool Box 3.  Click on the object whose colour you want to copy - notice that the eyedropper icon is now filled. 4.  Click on the object you want to use the copied attributes for.

Grabbing colour from a bitmap image or vector

1. Select the Eyedropper Tool 2. Click + Alt (Mac) / Click + Option (PC) 

 on the colour you want to grab from the bitmap image or vector. 3. See the colour control load with the new colour 4.  Save your new colour to the swatches palette. Or Apply it to a vector object of your choice. Exercise part 4 Using the ABC method to colour some of the text and objects. Use the eyedropper tool to select colour from the background tiffs. Save the selected colour and use it to colour some of the text and objects. You may use the BMovie flyer.pdf as a guide if you wish.
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Working with Gradients

Graduated colour blends between two or more colours are called Gradients. You can create either Linear or Radial gradients in InDesign.

Linear gradient

Radial gradient

Creating a gradient
1. Make certain that no objects are selected 2. Choose New Gradient Swatch from the Swatches Panel Menu 3.  All gradients are made up of at least two Colour Stops in the Gradient Ramp. The diamond above the gradient ramp indicates the point at which a gradient changes from one colour to another.

Colour stop

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4.  Click on the Colour Stop and select the desired colour using The Stop Colour drop down menu: a) CMYK / RGB > value sliders or b) Swatches > choose desired colour swatch 5. Save the new gradient Swatch.

Gradient Swatch Tool

The direction that a gradient runs in can be modified once it is used to fill an object by using the Gradient Swatch Tool. 1. Select a vector object on the flyer. 2. Select the Gradient Tool from the Tool Box. 3. Drag the mouse over the object as shown below.

Tip: C  reate a more subtle gradient by starting to drag away from the edge of the shape. Create a stronger gradient, stay close to the edges of the shape as you click and drag. Exercise part 5 Create a new gradient from colours you feel compliment the design. Fill the web address on the back of the flyer with the new gradient fill. Use the ABC method to help you remember once the gradients have been created.

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Using Paper colour

The paper swatch is a non printing colour designed to represent the paper stock of a print job. White is usually created by allowing the paper to remain bare unless a special ink is requested. It is important to remember that if your publication does not print on white paper stock (The Financial Times for instance) you will need to change the paper colour in the swatches palette to reflect this on screen.

Rich Black vs. Plain Black

On a computer monitor, there is only one way to represent black - when there is no light coming from the monitor pixel. R0, G0, B0: no Red, Green, or Blue phosphors are glowing. In print there are many different ways to represent black. The simplest is plain black, or 100% black ink (0C, 0M, 0Y, 100K). However, you can also create a rich black by printing other inks with black. There are many different possible ink combinations - the most common contains percentages of all 4 inks: 63C, 52M, 51Y 100K. This particular variant owes its popularity to Adobe Photoshop - when an RGB file is converted to CMYK, areas that are absolute RGB black (R0, G0, B0) will wind up with this combination, unless certain default settings have been changed. Other possible flavors of rich black are Cool Black (60C, 0M, 0Y, 100K) and Warm Black (0C, 60M, 30C, 100K). The problem with all these blacks is that they all look the same on the computer screen - all of them are represented as R0, G0, B0 - but they will not look the same on paper. At beginners level this is not something to worry about. However if you find your print outs have unexplained differences in black, check all CMYK values and make them consistent.

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Pantone Plus Series (PPS)

Previously know as The Pantone Matching System (PMS) Pantone colours are often required for accurate colour reproduction of logos and branding elements to ensure rich, predictable consistent colour. Pantone ... is the definitive international reference for selecting, specifying, matching and controlling ink colors. http://www.pantone.co.uk

Pantone Formula Guide

1,677 specially coloured inks from a mixture of 14 base colours giving a much wider range colour possibilities than can be mixed with the standard 4 colours of ink (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow & Key/Black). The colours can be specified coated or uncoated paper stock.

Pantone CMYK Guide

2,868 colours with specific CMYK breakdown values.

Pantone Color Bridge Guide

Compares Pantone colours to their closest possible CMYK and RGB matches for consistent colours across all devices.

Other Pantone Colour Reference Guides

These include colour guides for metalics, pastels and neons.

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Pantone Colour Gamut

This Gamut graphic shows the range of colours achievable through The Pantone Plus System compared to CMYK and RGB. No system yet achieves the full range of colours perceivable by the human eye. Pantone colour guides are so accurate, they provide specialist colour charts for hospitals to help determine whether donated organs are healthy enough to transplant.

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Viewing Pantone colours in the Separations Preview

Open Annual Review 20067.indd Window > Output > Separations Preview To see the pantone printing plate used in this file.

In addition to the four process plates (CMYK) there is a Pantone 282C plate, totaling five inks creating the final print job.

Creating Pantone swatches (spot colours)

Open The Swatches panel for the Annual Review 20067.indd

You will see a list of all the swatches created for this document. Notice that there are several colours with Pantone in their name. However we know from The Separations Preview that only one Pantone printing plate exists. The second square in from the right indicates that Pantone 282c is a spot colour.

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1. Make sure no items are selected 2. Open Swatches Panel 3. New Colour Swatch (panel menu) 4. Choose Spot Color from the Color Type menu. 5.  Select from the Pantone swatch library by scrolling or type the number of the Pantone colour in the Pantone field above the swatches. 6. Click OK The colour is added to your swatches as a spot colour. Each spot colour you create, makes a new print plate in addition to the four process (CMYK) print plates. Use The Separations Preview to see how many print plates you have in your document.

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