So what’s the difference between CMYK and RGB? CMYK vs. RGB at CreativePro has the quick answer.

For what it’s worth, I haven’t converted a file to CMYK in a long time. Since virtually everything I design ends up leaving my computer as a PDF/X-1a, I have InDesign convert to CMYK in the PDF-making process. You should note that this only works if you have a fully color managed workflow.

There are a lot of theories out there as to how you can get the most accurate CMYK values (some area quite complex, such as first converting to LAB color before converting to process colors, etc.). But if you’re a pro you already realize that no Pantone color is going to match 100% in process printing anyway and the Pantone Color Bridge guide is the best and most accurate conversion method.

The Pantone Color Bridge Guide is expensive, so these are the fastest ways that I’ve come across that give the best results.

In Photoshop, it’s as simple as clicking on the foreground color in the Tools palette and looking at the CMYK values in the dialog box. Obviously, you can also get the RGB, LAB, HSB and Hex color values at the same time (See the screenshot at the upper right).

In Illustrator, you can easily check the CMYK values of the Pantone color by selecting the Pantone color in question and viewing the Color palette. Click on the little CMYK conversion icon and your CMYK values will be displayed right in the Color palette. Converting your colors FROM CMYK to Pantone can be quite easy in Photoshop as well.

Many times you design a logo or piece of artwork using process color, then find out that the client wants to use it in a two color job. If you designed the piece without Pantone colors in mind, you probably have no idea what Pantone color will match.

To find out what Pantone color will match your existing CMYK color, go back to Photoshop’s Tool palette and click on the foreground color to bring up the Color dialog box (as seen in the first screenshot above). Now click the “Color Libraries” button just below OK and Cancel. When the next dialog box comes up, select which Pantone Library you wish to convert to (I chose Pantone Solid Uncoated in the screenshot at the right). Photoshop will automatically jump to the closest Pantone color in the list. The match may not be 100% perfect, but it’s usually darn close!

Steve Ballmer’s days are numbered

Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, has apparently done more to reduce the value of Microsoft than any other product, service or company. That bit of news comes to us from an in-depth opinion article by Ben Brooks.

Your next logo design: RGB vs. CMYK

MycroBurst attempts to answer the question of what color standard you should use when designing your next logo. It isn’t a particularly in-depth article, but I felt like it was a great lead-in for a list of 9 rules for logo design I wrote a long time ago!

25 Weird interview questions from large companies

I can’t say I’ve ever been asked any of these in a job interview, but I have been asked some odd questions that were clearly intended to set me off pace for the purpose of gauging my reaction.

Text Wrap and Fit Content Options in Adobe InDesign

New users of Adobe InDesign may find this article quite helpful. It covers the ins and outs of InDesign’s Text Wrap and Fit Content Options most excellently!

How to Create Eroded Metal Text with Photoshop

Creating eroded, grungy, nasty, weathered metal text in Photoshop is probably something you do 50 times a day, right? Ok, probably not. But if you did need to, this tutorial will make it easy for you!

Apple to introduce us to Lion: Maybe you’ve heard?

Ok, so that was a smartass question. If you’ve been on Twitter, Facebook or the web in general, you’ve probably heard that Apple has a lot to announce Monday at their annual WWDC conference. Expected in the announcement are details about Apple’s MobileMe replacement, iCloud. Also expected are announcements concerning the next release of iOS 5 which will reportedly include Twitter integration and much more. As for me, I’m prepping my hard drive for a rather large (and price discounted) download of Lion from the Mac App Store!

A guide to preparing your files for commercial printing

A guide to examine ways to prepare files for print, covering applications in the Adobe Creative Suite. The examples used are for InDesign, but can apply to Photoshop and Illustrator.

This is a basic guide aimed to help people just starting out in the print design business or are looking to learn more about preparing files better to send to press.

In my experience, designers with a background (or at least a deep understanding of what it takes to output files commercially) are better at their job because the results of their design more closely match their expectations.

Working with color in Adobe InDesign

Callum Chapman has posted a great article on working with color in Adobe InDesign over at spyrestudios. This article is great for designers just getting started or still in school, and covers topics such as:

• Printing Requirements
• Color Models: RGB vs CMYK
• Adding Colors to the Swatches Panel
• Applying Colors to Objects
• Creating Strokes
• Creating and Applying Gradients to Objects
• Creating a Spot Color

Definitely worth a read. And be sure to check out the rest of the site, because it has some great stuff covering a variety of topics!