# Major problem converting RGB to CMYK



## Sunnycat (Apr 24, 2020)

Hi, I am an idiot. 
I have written and illustrated a children's book, but since sending it to one of the Big 5 publishers, and waiting over a year and a half now for a reply ( I was told it was on the editors desk 5 months ago but have heard nothing since ) I have decided that I may have to self publish. 

I had already hand drawn 16 large A3 pictures full of detail, had them scanned, and coloured them in using Photoshop 6.0 (2011 when you could buy the full program on cd) in RGB mode. After I had finished colouring 16 of these huge images (some were over 200mb ) which took me a year; (some days were 16 hours work and hand cramps that frightened me), I did lots of research about self publishing and found out some disturbing facts.

I am an idiot,was one; not colouring in CMYK for print was two, having the images scanned at 600dpi was three; realising my images needed to be full bleed was number 4, as I had put lots of details around the edges in some pictures that may now be lost....

If I could show you one tiny inch of one of the images, where I tried changing the mode to CMYK you could see I lose all of the grass and shading I spent ages doing. My art is babyish, as I am not an artist but it is just to illustrate a point I'm making in the book. I struggled to learn how to draw, how to use perspective and had to learn how to use Photoshop to colour and then I have struggled to learn how to make a book using Scribus and now I am stuck with my images looking terrible when converted to CMYK. I have spent 3 years on this book and now I think it will never get to print.

I don't know how to keep the grass details when I convert - is there any way of bringing back some of the detail after I convert ? 
Thanks for any help or advice you can give me.
AM


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## Mullanphy (Apr 25, 2020)

If working in Photoshop, the images are raster images (.jpg, etc.), and converting from one color model to another is tricky. Using a vector based program can solve that particular problem. Adobe's vector software is Illustrator, but I use the Corel suite of graphics programs which includes CorelDraw. 

Scanning at 600 DPI is not a problem. The files can be saved at any resolution your publisher requires.

You'll have to repeat your process but you can do the coloring in CMYK rather than RGB, and then save the files in multiple raster _and _vector formats.

Sorry, I have no suggestions for solving the being an idiot problem. I'm still working on my own case of BaI. 😜


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## Alice Bell (Jul 9, 2017)

Your tips inspire me, tell me you are making black and white photo? It seems to me interesting this direction of professional photography.


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