Corel Color Question

[neato]

I'm having so much trouble with corel colors. I design stuff that looks good on my end, but when I export as an EPS, the colors shift to a dull shade. I can't seem to figure out why. I went in and made sure everything was RGB, but nothings helping...

Any suggestions? How do you make sure what you design in Corel looks the same when imported into another vector program or opened on another computer?

I need to setup a fool proof system.

 

[rcook99]

Phillip, Take a look at this site, it might help! Have you ever calibrated your monitor? I had to do mine when I bought my Canon IPF 8000, I print directly from Corel X-3 with no problems regarding color.

 

[neato]

Well, I don't think it's a monitor issue. Because when I save as an eps and open it in illustrator, it looks terrible.

 

[rcook99]

So it looks good while in a .cdr file but when you export it to .eps all H#$L breaks loose! I thought this would help. I am in Fl and don't have my laptop to see how it reacts on my system, hopefully someone like Jackpine or Shovel will chime in. I am curious to see what is causing it.

 

[Rick]

Have you messed with your eps options... like in a lower eps? If designing in RGB in Corel, export the same way or if in CMYK, export in CMYK. I have had better luck trading in .pdf. Blends will blow apart the same way but it it usually maintains color. What version of illy do you have?

 

[signage]

Philip this site might help you out!

 

[Jackpine]

Rick has you in the right direction. For print work in vectors I use RGB and CMYK pallets. RGB is my choice for a good dark black. CYMK for most other colors and export to my RIP as an eps. Yellow in RGB will look dirty, in cmyk it is clean since it is 100% Y. Bitmaps are exported as RGB. In my rip I print with no color correction for vectors. For bitmap printing I use adobe 1998 RGB or Generic RGB. I can't help you with what Illustrator does with the file since I have never used it.

Have you messed with your eps options... like in a lower eps? If designing in RGB in Corel, export the same way or if in CMYK, export in CMYK. I have had better luck trading in .pdf. Blends will blow apart the same way but it it usually maintains color. What version of illy do you have?

 

[Jackpine]

My work flow does not use Illustrator. I only design in CorelX3 and Corel Paint. For gradients I make a gradient in a rectangle, convert it to a bitmap and power clip it into my vector. As an eps file the bitmap is exported as an RGB and the vectors as vectors. I my RIP they are printed as each. The vectors are "no color correction" since they are CMYK and the bitmaps are RGB (better print color)

 

[K Chez]

When exporting from Corel as an eps, make sure the "Apply ICC profile" is checked in the color management box. I use the U.S. Web coated SWOP v2 as the separations profile and the rgb's print just like they look.

 

[neato]

Good tips.

I'm going to experiment with my eps settings.

The majority of my work involves sending vector files to other sign shops for printing or cutting. So I need a way to keep the colors in the file looking like the jpeg proofs I send. I've always been overwhelmed by color management, I even took the onyx 2 day class a few years back for another job I had...still don't get it.

 

[neato]

I should add guys, that when I import the eps file back into Corel, it looks very dull.

So that tells me it's an export issue. I'm missing something when I save as an eps...

 

[neato]

One question: When you go to export as an eps from Corel, there's a drop down called "Sort Type". What should be selected there? Would that having anything to do with it?

 

[neato]

Ok,

Here's an example. Now I'm noticing that the colors aren't too terrible, but all the lines in the gradients are visible in Corel making it seem blurry. What's up with that? In illustrator, it looks fine....

The top is the original, bottom was exported as eps and imported into Corel...

 

[signmeup]

I don't know if this will help or if it even relates but.....If I print from corel 12 to my canon desktop inkjet printer it changes all the colours on my screen and the print too. Corel remains with weird colours, even after a reboot and I used "system restore" to make the colours go back to normal. (The printer is new and this is a new issue.) I just got Illustrator CS$ and my corel files look fine in it.

 

[ChiknNutz]

Here are the settings I use, found under "Tools", "Color Management". See if this helps. You might have to do a Google search for the "Adobe-RGB (1998).icm" file, but see if this helps.

 

[Joe Diaz]

Question for you GXSignCo (btw thanks for the useful info) does the Adobe RGB colors in that profile look the same as the Default Corel RGB Colors, because I love the Corel RGB setting, the colors are just so vibrant.

What I have been doing in the past, is if i know the design is going to be sent to others outside of our system. I design in CMYK because when I export the design as an EPS or AI then open it in Illustrator on my Mac, the colors match, even though I think the colors tend to be better in RGB Corel.

 

[neato]

Good tip Joe, I tend to design in RGB. Maybe I need to retrain myself...

 

[K Chez]

Phil,
When you create a gradient in Illustrator and save it as an eps and import to CorelDraw, it breaks up the object into individual objects of the same color. (ungroup in corel and click on each one and you'll see what I mean) Try saving in Illustrator as an .ai and import into corel and see if it's better.

Also the gradient in Barber shop looks like it may be from two different color models (Pantone & RGB) In corel, they need to be from the same model or they will look washy like that. It takes a good amount of trial and error to get the settings down when going from program to program.

Ok,

Here's an example. Now I'm noticing that the colors aren't too terrible, but all the lines in the gradients are visible in Corel making it seem blurry. What's up with that? In illustrator, it looks fine....

The top is the original, bottom was exported as eps and imported into Corel...

 

[ChiknNutz]

Question for you GXSignCo (btw thanks for the useful info) does the Adobe RGB colors in that profile look the same as the Default Corel RGB Colors, because I love the Corel RGB setting, the colors are just so vibrant....

I honestly don't know as I've not tried that. Which 'Corel RGB' setting are you specifically referring to?

 

[Joe Diaz]

I honestly don't know as I've not tried that. Which 'Corel RGB' setting are you specifically referring to?

Too be honest with you I like the RGB setting with color management off, unless we need to use specific pantone colors or... like I said, I anticipate the job going to another shop.

For what ever reason, even when we print, we get the most vibrant colors, and gradients are perfect. You know when you do a red to black gradient and you get a gray brown somewhere in the middle. That RGB with color mangment off setting fixes all of that, plus I found it's the best setting for web design. Too bad it sucks when exporting eps's and ai's.

I hope someone has a solution.

Oh also, for some reason when save a .pdf in any file setting you get the same results, where the RGB colors appear less vibrant, Except when you "PDF Styler:" is set to "PDF for the web". Then you get the right colors, Perhaps the answer lies there. To bad I'm not smart enough to figure it out.