When it comes to creating color comics, did you know that the color mode you choose matters? There are two primary color modes that we’ll need to know (excluding monochrome and grayscale) and those are CMYK and RGB.
You’ve probably heard of these before, but which is the purpose of each one?
The CMYK color gamut is a subtractive color method, the color white is going to be the surface of the print medium. Each letter stands as follow: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key (black). It is primarily used for printed media of all kinds, direct UV printing, banners and advertising, comics, packaging, and even billboards! The range of color is 0 at white (or absence of color) and 100 at the darkest/maximum value of each color. For example, C0, M10, Y20, K30. Each number is out of 100.
RGB by contrast is an additive method, the lightest color is white as a combination of all three colors. The absence of color/light is black in this case as well. RGB letters stand for Red, Green and Blue and is primarily used for screen colors, so this would include video games, movies and animation, websites, etc. In this case, 0 would be black, due to lack of light and color and 255 would be the maximum brightness of each color.
As far as the color range, CMYK has a much more limited range of colors, despite being a 4 color process versus RGB as a 3 color process. The reason while CMYK is so limited is the lack of light that can add brightness to the colors of RGB. The graphic below does a great job showing the true limitations of the color gamuts. Bright greens, blues, reds, and light but bright pinks are all very difficult for the CMYK printer to obtain based on the colors it has to start from. The simplified way to remember this is all colors in CMYK exist within RGB.
To really see the limitations, I’ve got two images here to help the point. The blatant difference between RGB and CMYK are pretty clear when put side by side. And below that, we’ve got an image with a lot of beautiful greens, blues and purples, some of the colors that CMYK struggles the most with reproducing.
So, with all of these color trouble, how do we apply this to comics? The short answer is that if you aren’t printing, stick with RGB.
The longer answer is, you should always be prepared to print. Often, artwork made in the pages or panels will be used for other things: banners for conventions, merchandise, and other printed goods even if the comic itself is never printed.
If you even have the slightest idea that you might print, it will be a good idea to create the artwork from the beginning in CMYK. The majority of the primary software allows for CMYK profile use and support, including Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, Clip Studio Paint, and Paint Tool Sai. It is possible to convert RGB artwork into CMYK to prepare for printing, however that doesn't promise good results. The below example from AW Printworks illustrates this. On the left we have RGB and then in the middle we have the artwork if you take it from RGB into CMYK. It doesn't look awful. However, if you look at the right image, you'll see that those colors do look better, but it's been created in CMYK from the beginning.
This is why it is better to START from CMYK versus simply convert it later. Now, a lot of the colors from both CMYK versions are very similar. By starting from CMYK, you can be sure you'll get the EXACT colors that you want. What's great about starting in CMYK, is that when you covert it into RGB, it will not change at all because all CMYK colors exist in RGB, so nothing will change. For many who print, accuracy and good contrast is the most important part of good coloring.
When you send an RGB file to the printer, the printer now has to guess what colors will be best for your artwork. What it will do is use the closest color, but not the BEST color. Printers are not artists, so don't let the printer pick your colors for you!
If you truly never plan on having to print anything, you don't need to worry about CMYK. If you are in Grayscale or Monochrome, this is also not a concern as much. I'll cover Grayscale and Monochrome on another day. That's all I have for you today, thank you so much everyone for reading. As usual, I've got some resources here for you!
- Why do I need to Know the Difference Between CMYK and RGB? by Boing Graphics
- RGB vs CMYK: What's the Difference? by Vectornator
- Differnces between RGB and CMYK Color Schemes by GeeksforGeeks
- What I use for Print on Deman and Why... with Examples by Detour Shirts
- Printing in CMYK & Spot Colors by Simon Lindenthaler
- Intro to CMYK & Printing by Karen Kavett DIY ( My personal Favorite! )
Thank you all again everyone, and we'll see you next time with a new article!
~ ArtCrumbs and the GlobalComix Team