How do I get my CMYK and RGB to match up?

Question

I've tried calibrating my monitor's colors and choosing one color profile after another but still too much of a difference. So when I preview my CMYK files they look weird. The whites are brown. Should I reset my white point? How can I fix this?
I'm working on an intel mac with a flat panel lcd monitor.

Answer 1

You can not. CMYK is Cyan, Magenta, Yellow + blacK. RGB is Red, Green, Blue.

You need to convert from one format to another, or use a program that can interpret the files correctly, and not just assume an RGB colour space.

Answer 2

cmyk and rgb can never fully match; the rgb color model is far less restrictive; cmyk only produces the colors that are reproducible via the 4-color printing process using cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks.RGB can reproduce any visible color.

However, in the cmyk color model white is represented as c: 0 m: 0 y: 0 k: 0 -- meaning no ink cover to produce white. If your cmyk white looks brown, something is wrong. Resetting your white point may be whats needed, or an adjust to the monitor's color temp.

Answer 3

As most of the others have said, these two color conventions are independant systems. RGB is used in video display. CMYK is used in print production. A good designer will properly prapare files for printers with support images already converted to CMYK. As most images begin as RGB images, this conversion is an added step. Filters help define the accuracy of the conversion, and can be tweaked by the designer who knows how to manipulate the filter definitions. If a printer receives print files that contain RGB images, the output device is usually set to automatically convert them to CMYK format. But the designer, and now the project, becomes victim to whatever the printer's automatic presets are in the filter. The designer maintains more control if he or she does the conversion and whatever color correction is needed up front before turning over the files. The importance of these distinctions rests in color accuracy. If you really don't care about color, then these conversions are less important. But if you want good flesh tones and want lithographic quality in your printing, then these color concepts become important. Everyone's comments above I believe are true as well.