RGB to CMYK Conversion for publication

[Won Yung Choi, Ph.D.]

Hello,

I'm about to submit a paper to Elsevier with confocal images prepared in RGB
color space as Elsevier guideline suggests. I've searched the archives on
this issue, but found no recent information.  Has anyone had a recent
problem with poor image quality when RGB images are converted by CMYK by the
publisher?  It appears that Elsevier made a somewhat recent change to their
journal requirements to submit images in RGB (to optimize for their on-line
images).  I think this may mean that they do the conversion (please correct
me if you know this to be false). As many of you have experienced,
converting from RGB to CMYK within Photoshop/Illustrator can result in color
change.  When I try it, the images always lose brilliance and luster.

Just a background info on how the images are processed - the images contain
FITC and CY3 (and color merge).  Images are acquired using Zeiss LSM 510,
pseudocolored when acquired by the LSM 510 software, converted to 8 bits in
Image-J, then imported into Illustrator for organizing numerous figures onto
a single panel (in RGB mode as mentioned).

Please share any recent submission/publication experience with regard to
this issue.  Thank you.

Won Yung Choi
------------------------------------------------------------
Won Yung Choi, Ph.D.  
Research Scientist      
Department of Molecular Therapeutics
New York State Psychiatric Institute/    
Department of Psychiatry                          
Columbia University                                      
1051 Riverside Drive, NYSPI Unit 62        
New York, NY 10032 [phone]
------------------------------------------------------------

[Boswell, Carl A - (cboswell)]

I would recommend two approaches.  First, send the publisher two versions of
your images, one as RGB and the other as CMYK as best as you can get them.
Second, make good quality hardcopies of your CMYK images and send those to
them also.  It is the printer that needs to see real thing, not the
publisher per se.  The reason for the hardcopy is that your monitor may be
setup differently than the publisher/printer.  In fact it likely is
different.  Without the hardcopy, it is anyones guess whether or not your
"red" is their "maroon".   You will likely loose some briliance in the
translation to CMYK, but optimizing the printed version at your end will
give you the best chance of getting as close as possible to the colors you
want.

You should be give the courtesy of seeing what the printer is going to
publish, also, i.e. a galley proof.  This not only reveals problems with the
color fidelity, but I've seen some pretty remarkable slaughtering of
resolution from the original to the final print.

Carl

Carl A. Boswell, Ph.D.
Molecular and Cellular Biology
University of Arizona
520-954-7053
FAX [phone]
----- Original Message -----
From: "Won Yung Choi, Ph.D." <[hidden email]>
To: <[hidden email]>
Sent: Wednesday, March 04, 2009 10:34 AM
Subject: RGB to CMYK Conversion for publication


Hello,

I'm about to submit a paper to Elsevier with confocal images prepared in RGB
color space as Elsevier guideline suggests. I've searched the archives on
this issue, but found no recent information.  Has anyone had a recent
problem with poor image quality when RGB images are converted by CMYK by the
publisher?  It appears that Elsevier made a somewhat recent change to their
journal requirements to submit images in RGB (to optimize for their on-line
images).  I think this may mean that they do the conversion (please correct
me if you know this to be false). As many of you have experienced,
converting from RGB to CMYK within Photoshop/Illustrator can result in color
change.  When I try it, the images always lose brilliance and luster.

Just a background info on how the images are processed - the images contain
FITC and CY3 (and color merge).  Images are acquired using Zeiss LSM 510,
pseudocolored when acquired by the LSM 510 software, converted to 8 bits in
Image-J, then imported into Illustrator for organizing numerous figures onto
a single panel (in RGB mode as mentioned).

Please share any recent submission/publication experience with regard to
this issue.  Thank you.

Won Yung Choi
------------------------------------------------------------
Won Yung Choi, Ph.D.
Research Scientist
Department of Molecular Therapeutics
New York State Psychiatric Institute/
Department of Psychiatry
Columbia University
1051 Riverside Drive, NYSPI Unit 62
New York, NY 10032 [phone]
------------------------------------------------------------

[Mario-2]

Won,

I suggest that you ask the specific journal/publisher to allow you to
contact the actual person that is preparing the images for printing.
No matter what color space you use, there is no guarantee that the
operator has matched the printed output to what their monitor
displays let alone matching your own settings. For microscope/color
photos J. Science was good enough to actually put me in direct
communication with the printer artist-technician to get the printout
to match the originals I submitted. I have no idea how many journals
do this currently.

I would be interested in learning from Listers what some of the
current journals are doing to help improve "paper" printing or is
everyone counting on the web for publishing original submissions with
encoded copyright signatures, of course.

Mario

>Hello,
>
>I'm about to submit a paper to Elsevier with confocal images prepared in RGB
>color space as Elsevier guideline suggests. I've searched the archives on
>this issue, but found no recent information.  Has anyone had a recent
>problem with poor image quality when RGB images are converted by CMYK by the
>publisher?  It appears that Elsevier made a somewhat recent change to their
>journal requirements to submit images in RGB (to optimize for their on-line
>images).  I think this may mean that they do the conversion (please correct
>me if you know this to be false). As many of you have experienced,
>converting from RGB to CMYK within Photoshop/Illustrator can result in color
>change.  When I try it, the images always lose brilliance and luster.
>
>Just a background info on how the images are processed - the images contain
>FITC and CY3 (and color merge).  Images are acquired using Zeiss LSM 510,
>pseudocolored when acquired by the LSM 510 software, converted to 8 bits in
>Image-J, then imported into Illustrator for organizing numerous figures onto
>a single panel (in RGB mode as mentioned).
>
>Please share any recent submission/publication experience with regard to
>this issue.  Thank you.
>
>Won Yung Choi
>------------------------------------------------------------
>Won Yung Choi, Ph.D.
>Research Scientist    
>Department of Molecular Therapeutics
>New York State Psychiatric Institute/  
>Department of Psychiatry                        
>Columbia University                                    
>1051 Riverside Drive, NYSPI Unit 62      
>New York, NY 10032 [phone]
>------------------------------------------------------------

--
________________________________________________________________________________
Mario M. Moronne, Ph.D.

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