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Adobe InDesign 2.0/Photoshop 7.0/Illustrator 10.0

Color management made easy

Traditionally, color management has involved long,
arduous processesand a fair amount of fingercrossing. With the lastest releases of Adobe design
applications, however, getting consistent color is a
simple process. All these applications use the same
interface and color settings files for color management,
so you can be sure that the colors you see in Adobe
Photoshop 6.0 and 7.0 will appear the same in Adobe
Illustrator 10, Adobe InDesign 2.0, and even Adobe
Acrobat 5.0.

For information about creating or obtaining profiles,

see chapter 4 of the Photoshop 6.0 user guide, chapter 7
of the Illustrator 10 user guide, or chapter 13 of the
InDesign 2.0 user guide.

2. Customize a color settings file.

1. Create or obtain color profiles for your devices.

Assemble accurate ICC profiles for each of the devices
you use: scanners, monitors, digital cameras, printers,
and so on. You may be able to use the profiles provided
by device manufacturersbut individual devices often
vary from the default profiles, so custom profiles give
you the most accurate results.

Choose Edit > Color Settings in InDesign, Photoshop,

or Illustrator. From the Settings pop-up menu, choose
the predefined color settings file that most closely
resembles your workflow. Then specify the profiles for
your devices in the Color Settings dialog box. Click Save
and name the custom color settings file. To ensure that
InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Acrobat can
access the settings file, save it to its default location:
Program Files/Common Files/Adobe/Color/Settings
folder (Windows) or System Folder: Application
Support: Adobe: Color: Settings folder (Mac OS).
You might notice minor differences in the Color
Settings dialog box in these applications. In InDesign,
you need to select Enable Color Management before
you can specify settings. In Photoshop or Illustrator,
select Advanced Mode to see more fields in the dialog
box.

Tutorial

ADOBE INDESIGN 2.0/PHOTOSHOP 7.0/ILLUSTRATOR 10.0 2

Color management made easy

Predefined color settings files are each designed to

provide consistent color in a particular publishing
workflow under typical conditions. In some cases, the
predefined settings files provide sufficient color
management. However, you can achieve the most
consistent color using ICC profiles created for your
specific devices.

3. Apply the custom color settings file in each

application.
When you open the file in another Adobe application,
apply the same color settings: In InDesign, Photoshop,
and Illustrator, choose Edit > Color Settings; in
Acrobat, choose Edit > Preferences> General, and then
click Color Management in Acrobat. Choose the file you
named from the Settings pop-up menu.
You may want to modify the settings for fields not
included in the saved color settings file. For example,
Photoshop is the only application that designates a
working space specifically for spot colors, so if the color
settings file was saved from InDesign, the default Spot
working space is selected in Photoshop.
If you regularly print to different devices, or work with
different input devices (such as scanners or digital
cameras), you can create additional color settings files
that are customized for those workflows. Save each file
with a name that clearly states its purpose, so that you
can identify it easily.
By default, Photoshop and Illustrator embed the
profiles designated in the Color Settings dialog box
when you save a file in native format or as a PDF, JPEG,
or TIFF file. If color management is enabled in
InDesign, InDesign embeds profiles when you save a
document or export it to PDF.

Adobe, the Adobe logo, and Acrobat, Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems
Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. Windows is either a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corporation in
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2002 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.