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Working with Color: Quark and Photoshop
~~Charlene Russ, Chromacrys Media

A bit about unified color:

This just means that if you use a group of colors, that you should repeat it throughout your design for consistency. I recommend doing a search on Google on ‘Chromatic color’, or ‘complimentary color’ for more information on color themes.

Spot Versus Process Colors:

Some printers have no problem with full process colors, others use print CMYK print separation plates, in which case you’ll be using spot colors. A four-color job requires four-color process plates to produce the final full color document, which is often used by commercial printers. The most commonly used print color matching systems include Trumatch, Focoltone, and Pantone process colors. If you import artwork from other programs, it’s recommended that you use these color systems when working with those programs, specifically Adobe Photoshop. In Quark, whenever you create a new color in CMYK, it will automatically be a standard print process color.

You may easily convert a process color to a spot color in Quark; simply right click on a color in the color window and select ‘Make Spot’. Also, a little trick to darken process colors is to increase the K value.

In Quark we study the basics of creating custom blends for print, but for sophisticated blends and gradients you may wish to create these in Adobe Photoshop.

Color Models:

RGB: Refers to Red, Green and Blue and is used primarily for web graphics.

HSB: Hue, Saturation and Brightness. General color model used for value based palettes.

LAB: Color model that is designed to create any conceivable color. Great in theory, but not translated well by standard print mediums.

CMYK: Used for print, and consists of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black used in four color printing processes.

DIC: Color model used for inkjet color inks intended to be used as spot colors.

Swatch based colors include Pantone and Focaltone

Charlene Russ is an online instructor with Eclectic Academy and she is also an adjunct instructor with a Florida community college in the Digital Arts dept.  Charlene's personal site is Chromacrys Media: Graphic Design, which features a wide gamut of useful design related information.