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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.

RGB ain't CMYK - and image by bryhal@rogers.com

Being a web guy I live in the world of RGB and the thought of CMYK and the finality of print scares me (alot!). However, I reguarly need to convert a logo to CMYK in Adobe Illustrator from a graphic that is in RGB colour mode. To do this 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 pallette.
Bring up the menu by clicking the little arrow in the top right hand corner and select "Small List View". This brings up (suprise suprise) 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?

Dave

Posted years ago by David Smith

Tagged as: Adobe, Illustrator, Design, Tip, Colour

David is a web designer and a front end developer for DeepBlueSky Digital. He's reponsible for designing nice things and then making sure they don't break in Internet Explorer. Currently he's mostly interested in javascript and HTML5. You can follow Dave on Twitter as @get_dave or @deepbluetweets.

16 Comments on this post

said “Remind me” years ago

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
Jack said “Thankyou!!!!!” years ago

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!!!!!!!!!!!
Megan said “Simply Put” years ago

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!
Jody said “Thanks for the help!” years ago

That was very helpful! Thanks for the post.
Alberto said “Thanks!!!” years ago

Thanks a lot, veeeeery veeryy useful!!
Rachel said “New CS5” years ago

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!
Fate said “Bad Idea” years ago

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.
Line said “Thank you” last year

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.
kirk said “I not clear that this tip works as you expect” last year

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.
kirk said “Correction to this post” last year

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.
David said “@Fate” last year

@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.
KINYA said “THANK YOU :-)” last year

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

HAVE A GOOD SUNNY DAY

WWW.KINYA.PL
Dhruv said “Very Useful” last year

Thanks You :)
Jeff said “better solution for RGB to CMYK conversion” last year

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

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 ?^^
shea said “RGB to CYMK and back again” last year

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