Photoshop Document Color Modes In Photoshop, a document can be converted to, displayed in, and edited in any of the following color modes: Bitmap, Grayscale, Duotone, Indexed Color, RGB Color, CMYK Color, Lab Color, or Multichannel. This conversion is done primarily to take advantage of specific editing or output options. The availability of some Photoshop commands and options will vary depending on the current color mode of your document. To convert a document to a different mode, make a selection from the Image > Mode sub-menu. If a mode is dimmed on the menu and you want to make it available, you need to convert the file to a different mode as an intermediary step first. For example, to convert a file to Duotone mode, you need to put it into Grayscale mode first. The most common mode that Photoshop users work in is RGB Color. Some mode conversions can cause noticeable color shifts. For example, if you convert a file from RGB Color mode (the mode used by computer displays) to CMYK Color mode (which contains fewer colors than RGB but is necessary for commercial printing), printable colors in the image will be substituted for any RGB colors that are outside the printable gamut (range). The fewer times you convert a file, the better, as the color data is altered with each conversion. Some conversions fatten layers, such as a conversion to Indexed Color, Multichannel, or Bitmap mode. Other conversions (such as from RGB to CMYK) give you the option to preserve layers via a Don’t Flatten button in an alert dialog that pops up. Digital cameras and medium- to low-end scanners produce images in the default color mode of RGB. We recommend keeping your files in that mode for faster editing, and to preserve access to all the Photoshop filters. In fact, most desktop color inkjet printers, especially those that use six or more ink colors, are designed to accept RGB files. The following is a brief summary of the document color modes that are available in Photoshop: In Bitmap mode, pixels are either 100% black or 100% white, and no layers, filters, or adjustment commands are available. To convert a file to this mode, you must convert it to Grayscale mode first. In Grayscale mode, pixels are black, white, or up to 254 shades of gray (a total of 256). If you convert a file from a color mode to Gray scale mode and then save and close it, its luminosity (light and dark) values are preserved, but its color information is deleted permanently. To produce a duotone, a grayscale image is printed using two or more extra plates, which add tonal richness and depth. Producing a duotone requires special preparatory steps in Photoshop, and in the case of commercial printing, expertise on the part of the print shop. A file in Indexed Color mode contains just one channel and a maximum number of 256 colors or shades in an 8-bit color table. When you optimize a file in the GIF format via the Save for Web dialog in Photoshop, the file is converted to this color mode automatically. RGB Color is the most versatile and widely used of all the Photoshop modes. It’s the mode in which digital cameras save your photos; the only mode in which all the Photoshop tool options and flters are accessible; and the mode of choice for export to the Web, mobile devices, video, multimedia programs, and most inkjet printers.
Posted on: Fri, 15 Aug 2014 06:06:55 +0000
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