X5 converting things to CMYK

[CES020]

I installed X5 a week or two ago and every time I open an existing file I have from X3 (probably 10,000 or more files I have), it opens them as CMYK. I've used Corel for years now and never changed any settings or set it up a certain way, but all my stuff is in RGB because of the equipment it's outputting to.

X5 is not converting everything opened to CMYK, which is bad for us because I have to change it all back to RGB before I can send it on.

Any suggestions on what I need to change to make it open files in RGB? I've looked into the color management options, and made a few changes, but none of them seemed to do the trick?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Steve

 

[oldgoatroper]

Steve, we're not having that happen here.

Just to be sure of what is happening, try opening the attached zip file (delete the .pdf from the end of the file name) -- Two words in it: one word is RGB black and the other is Grayscale black

When you open this file, what values does it give for each black?

 

[CES020]

They both showed as RGB, 0,0,0.

If I open an existing X3 file in X3, and have some black text, it shows a RGB,0,0,0. If I open that same file in X5, it shows CMYK for the value, 0,0,0,100.

I close it, go back to X3, open it, it opens RGB, 0,0,0.

 

[oldgoatroper]

They both showed as RGB, 0,0,0.

If I open an existing X3 file in X3, and have some black text, it shows a RGB,0,0,0. If I open that same file in X5, it shows CMYK for the value, 0,0,0,100.

I close it, but not save it? go back to X3, open it, it opens RGB, 0,0,0.

That's strange, indeed...

'cuz one of the words is not in RGB, it's Grayscale. It should have shown as: grayscale, 0

 

[CES020]

That's strange, indeed...

'cuz one of the words is not in RGB, it's Grayscale. It should have shown as: grayscale, 0

Yes, it did show that as the name, but when I clicked on the fill, it showed R=0,G=0,B=0.

 

[oldgoatroper]

So, I've opened the file at home in CorelDraw X5 and here's what I get when opening the Uniform colour diaglog box for the top and bottom words.

I take it you're getting some other colour when you do this?

 

[Joe Diaz]

In X3 use "find and replace" Then replace all color models in the X3 file to RGB. Save. Open in X5 and you should be good to go.

 

[Roto]

I installed X5 a week or two ago and every time I open an existing file I have from X3 (probably 10,000 or more files I have), it opens them as CMYK. I've used Corel for years now and never changed any settings or set it up a certain way, but all my stuff is in RGB because of the equipment it's outputting to.

X5 is not converting everything opened to CMYK, which is bad for us because I have to change it all back to RGB before I can send it on.

Any suggestions on what I need to change to make it open files in RGB? I've looked into the color management options, and made a few changes, but none of them seemed to do the trick?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Steve

Have a look at your Colour management policies - See attached.
Roto

 

[CES020]

So, I've opened the file at home in CorelDraw X5 and here's what I get when opening the Uniform colour diaglog box for the top and bottom words.

I take it you're getting some other colour when you do this?

No, that's what mine looks like, but where you're says "Hex", mine says "RGB" and it shows the values as 0,0,0 for that. But the text all says the same as yours, and the L=0.

In X3 use "find and replace" Then replace all color models in the X3 file to RGB. Save. Open in X5 and you should be good to go.

Joe, I'd rather not do that. We've got an easy 10,000 files created in Corel and I can't imagine having to open every one before I want to use it in X5 to do that. Am I misunderstanding what you're saying, or are you saying I need to open every file I want to use in X5, in X3 first, and do that?

I had a guy send me an X5 file he uses for the same purpose. I opened it and noticed right away the blacks weren't black. I looked, sure enough, when opened, from an X5 file, it brought his RGB black in as CMYK black. I just remembered that as I was typing, so I guess it's not an X3 issue, it's a "anything other than my machine" issue.

Surely there's got to be something set wrong that's changing the color profile at open? But I can't locate it.

Does that make sense?

 

[oldgoatroper]

That's gotta be it, Roto...

 

[CES020]

Sorry, I was typing my previous response when you posted Roto. That's where I was looking, but wasn't sure what they should be.

I'll check it in the morning and report back.

Thanks for the help from everyone so far.

 

[CES020]

I turned on the warning messages and this is what I got. I think our equipment people have always told us in the past that we should turn this off, so that's why it has no profile.

Any ideas how to fix this?

You can see the bottom image is an old file that was solid black. It's brought in as CMYK.

 

[oldgoatroper]

So, if I'm understanding this correctly, you've created thousands of CDR files using X3, and did not save any of them with a colour profile embedded?

If that's the case, then it looks like X5 has taken note of that when you open one of these files, and is offering to assign the default profiles. Doesn't sound like this is much of a problem -- unless I'm missing something, here...

 

[Jillbeans]

My X5 is also assigning wonky colors (making white like a peach color) since I imported an old Corel 12 file.

I haven't the foggiest how to handle it. They look fine on screen but when I assign a gradient fill the whit part is peach in the viewer, and if I export the file to a pdf all the colors are dull with peach for white.
If I assign in the fill toolbox using its white, the whites are white.
Love....Jill

 

[CES020]

So, if I'm understanding this correctly, you've created thousands of CDR files using X3, and did not save any of them with a colour profile embedded?

If that's the case, then it looks like X5 has taken note of that when you open one of these files, and is offering to assign the default profiles. Doesn't sound like this is much of a problem -- unless I'm missing something, here...

Yes, that's correct. The problem is that if I open the file, the colors are wrong. This is passing the file onto a laser engraver. The laser handles RGB black fine, but with CMYK, it halftones the "black" and makes a poor engraving. I need the black to be black (RGB).

I have the settings set the same way listed by Roto, but it doesn't change anything. I guess what I'd like to do is to turn off the profiles so it doesn't change anything when I open a file, I think.

I'm only guessing, since I don't exactly know enough about that side of Corel to make it change.

 

[oldgoatroper]

Can you take a screenshot of the same dialog box that Roto put up to show us what your current settings are?

 

[CES020]

Sure thing, here you go. I spent the last 1/2 hour trying to find out how to turn color profiles off, but I haven't found it yet.

 

[oldgoatroper]

Right off the bat, I would try setting "Preserve pure black" to on...

I'll check on my X5 at home later to see what other ideas might occur to me.

 

[CES020]

I'm stumped. At this point, I think I'm going to have to abandon X5 and go back to using X3.

In X3, you can open up "Color Management" and you can "turn off color management". In X5, I cannot find any such setting. It's forcing every file I open to be converted. Even though I have all my settings for the documents as "RGB", when I open any legacy file, it brings all the colors in as CMYK.

It's causing me a good deal of grief, headaches, and extra work.

Anyone else got any suggestions on how one might be able to turn the color management off?

 

[oldgoatroper]

Have you tried setting the Colour Engine to "None" under the Colour Conversion Settings?

And maybe also set your Primary Colour Mode to RGB...