A very brief overview of color theory and how it is used in CampaignDrive.
Introduction to Color Models
A color mode is a method of describing a color. Color models are independent of physical devices.
RGB Color Model
RGB is a mode that combines light to create color. RGB is a color mode that combines the colors Red, Green, and Blue together to create variations of color. Colors are made through a process called additive mixing because you are mixing varying amounts of red green and blue light. In RGB, the base color starts off with pure black (the absence of light) and red green and blue values are combined together. If all colors are present at full intensity, it give the color white.
RGB values are used by cameras and scanners when they capture or scan an image and by monitors when they display an image.
CMYK Color Model
CMYK is a color mode that combines 4 colors of ink: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key (Black) together to make color pigments for printed items. Ink absorbs colored light, meaning that as the inks combine, more light is absorbed. Therefore the base color is white and as more colors are added it gets darker until it turns black.
Introduction to Color Spaces/
A color space is a specific implementation of a color model. sRGB and AdobRGB are color spaces that both use RGB as a color model. Similarly, "US Web coated SWOP" and "Japan Color 2001 uncoated" are two examples of CMYK color profiles. Different color spaces will display the same color model values differently.
Color Profiles
A color profile is the mathematical description of the specific color space. Since the profile is what systems and programs use when working with the color space the terms color space and color profile are usually interchangeable.
Source Profile
The source profile is the color space of the device used to create the original image - the scanner or camera, for example.
Working Profile
The working profile is the color space in which the image is edited - for example, in Adobe applications.
Destination Profile
The destination profile is the color profile of the device which will produce the final output - a monitor, phone or printer.
How CampaignDrive Handles Color Models and Profiles
PDF Documents created from the print template environment in CampaignDrive output all images as CMYK. If the original image in the template was an RGB image, that image is converted to CMYK. If the original image was CMYK, no conversion happens.
JPG images created from the print or digital template environment in CampaignDrive are exported as RGB images. The image conversion flattens all layers in the template into an RGB image.
The PDF document generation process in CampaignDrive does not assign a destination profile upon generation. If a document requires a specific profile, this should be provided to the printer when the document is submitted for printing.
Selecting a Color Mode for Graphics used in CampaignDrive
Print Templates
When creating graphics exclusively for print templates, create graphics in CMYK. This will best preserve the original color information.
Digital Templates/HTML Templates
When creating graphics exclusively for screen-based templates, create graphics in RGB.
"Multipurpose Graphics"
If your team needs to create a set of graphics that will serve both print and digital purposes, create your assets with the CMYK color space and not RGB. CMYK more faithfully converts to RGB than RGB does to CMYK.
Spot Color Considerations
Spot color (also known as Pantone color) is a mode specifically used in printing when absolute faithful color reproduction is required. Spot colors specify a custom pre-mixed ink to be used when printing the piece. Each color used in the printed piece will need its own specific ink. Spot colors are not supported in the Studio Compose environment at this time. This means that any graphic with a spot color will need to be converted to CMYK. While it is possible that a spot color could be maintained upon export, we do not recommend leaving spot colors in graphics because it could caused unexpected results when printing and could be the root cause of unintended issues downstream of CampaignDrive.