Changing an image from RGB or LAB color (for example, an image from a scanner or digital camera) requires a few important parameters in Adobe Photoshop.

The first of these is Color Settings.

color settings in Adobe Photoshop

In both Photoshop 5.x and 6.x, Color Settings are found in the Edit menu (Version 5.x uses two dialog boxes for these settings while version 6.x uses just one).

In the example shown (Photoshop 6.0) the Color Settings have been modified to use Adobe RGB (1998) as the Working Space for RGB while the CMYK Working Space has been changed to U.S. Web Coated (SWOP).

Adobe RGB (1998) is one of the standard color Working Space settings in Adobe Photoshop, and is well-suited to work destined for the printed page because its gamut of colors is large enough to accommodate the colors of a typical image, and adequate for conversion to the four-color CMYK space of the printing press.

If an ICC profile is available for your specific CMYK press, paper and ink combination, it is most practical to use that profile in the CMYK setting. Lacking a press-specific profile, the SWOP (Specifications Web Offset Publications) profile is good for printing in North America. Other regions have their own press profiles (Eurostandard, Japan Standard, etc.).

A variety of these CMYK and RGB Working Space settings can be stored and used by Photoshop.

converting to CMYK in Photoshop

To convert to CMYK in Adobe Photoshop, simply change the Image>Mode from its current mode (typically RGB) to CMYK. The resulting image should then be saved to disk with a different name.

The Color Working Space in Adobe Photoshop is the space allocated to contain the document itself (the triangle on the right). The monitor space (triangle on the left) acts as a 'lens' through which the image is viewed on a particular monitor. The benefit of this Working Space concept is that the image can contain colors that the monitor may not be able to display, but any weakness of the monitor will not cause harm to the colors in the document. The color Working Space of Photoshop is set to one of several included Working Space settings, or to a custom Working Space can be created by the user, or downloaded from an Internet site.