Accurate Colour Rendition for a graphic?

Hi All,

I am in the process of making some reproduction tool logos using Adobe Illustrator which I have just rented on a monthly basis.

I used this quite a lot many years ago and am now re-learning the program with some moderate success.

Having got samples of the originals from online photos and some actual tools with complete or damaged decals I am at a bit of a loss as to how to get the actual colour RGB or CMYK values for use in my items.

Can anyone suggest how I might go about this please?

Cheers, Martin

Try searching 'Colour Picker' ..hope that's the sort of thing..?

You may find RAL colour matches are an extra subscription, so you may have to get the closest match by varying the separate colour chanels.

You can't rely on online pictures: the colour varies greatly depending on the settings of the computer that posted the image and the settings on the computer you are viewing it on. Even the type of lightiing in the room where you are viewing the screen can make a difference.

Back in the stone-age when I worked in publishing, we used Pantone colour swatches to get RGB or CMYK values for a desired colour. These were a stack of coloured cards labelled with the values that you could hold next to the colour you wanted and compare.

No idea what is available today but would be something along the same lines I'd guess. Plus online equivalents.

If you are going to get decals made, talk to the decal makers and get their advice on how best to work with their system.

There is an issue using Pantone colours with Adobe

Adobe Just Held a Bunch of Pantone Colors Hostage | WIRED UK

Have a look at this thread, Martin: **LINK**

https://www.model-engineer.co.uk/forums/postings.asp?th=113186

MichaelG.

Thanks for the input here.

I am making the decals myself and they are turning out quite well, just some issues with the colour.

the issues are exactly because of the original image source as described above, variations in image lighting etc.

I had forgotten that Pantone swatch cards were available, I will look into that.

I wonder if there is some kind of “scanner’ available? I know that paint stores can mix a custom colour from a sample.

cheers, Martin

Very wise words from Hopper, when I was at work we used Pantone and RAL and other swatch cards, but getting an exact match is a nightmare, the colour can vary depending on the substrata. Also be careful of copyright, some companies can get a bit touchy if you start selling reproductions!

Martin King 2:

I am sending you a PM

Michael,

Can not seem to find that exact app but found a similar one using Colormeter as search, it seems to do what I want if used with EasyRGB.

Adam, I do not think that there is a problem replacing a worn or absent makers logo on a genuine tool from that maker if the decal is clearly stated to be a reproduction? I could of course be wrong?

Cheers, Martin

Done properly colour calibration isn't for the faint hearted! It requires hardware and software.

However, Windows 10 added improved calibration capability that may be worth exploring, and there are a number of software apps that have a go. My impression is the latter are aimed at bringing monitors closer to their specified colour profile, not that they guarantee spot on accuracy.

Colour calibration is available for printers too. When I retired quite complicated and expensive, but the state of the art may have improved since then. I've never needed to colour calibrate anything at home, sending stuff off to be printed professionally on the rare occasions correct colours were important. (I was mildly serious about photography for a while.)

Dave

Now have both apps and will start by trying out on my various samples of RECORD ROUNDEL BLUE.

I have several actual tools with good decals and a variety of images to check against each other.

this colour is known for widely differing shades and opinions on what is “correct”.

Cheers, Martin

Absolutely no problem if you want to make your own decals and apply them to your own tools. No need to make any statement about it being a reproduction etc. And then if you want to sell that tool with the decal on it as a secondhand tool, also no problem.

But if you want to sell the decals themselves as a commercial venture, it becomes a different matter. If the original maker is still around and still cares about their logos etc, they may either object to your selling imitations, or demand you pay them a licensing fee or royalties etc. Or they may not care at all. And for commercial sales, stating or labelling the decals as reproductions makes no difference to anything.

Some less scrupulous people get around this by listing the decals for sale as "New Old Stock" of unknown provenance. That is, claimed to be secondhand but unused and probably original but who knows. LIke I said, less than scrupulous.

If you are printing them yourself, one trick I have used is to print (on the same printer, using the same substrate) a series of grids where each square in the grid differs from the next by a few steps on the RGB scale. Along one dimension alter R, on a second dimension alter G, then repeat with several grids each of which alters B.

If you use fairly coarse steps (say 5 or 10 points on the 0-255 scale for each one) you can then pick the square that is closest. Then repeat with smaller steps.

We used to use the Pantone swatches to determine the colour we wanted, then look up on a chart the CMYK equivalent of that Pantone colour, as our presses operated on a CMYK system.

In later years it was all done on screen and you took pot luck with exactly how the colour turned. out. But printing on newsprint is a bit like throwing handfuls of coloured mud at a sheet of sponge rubber anyway so not that critical anyway.

Here are a couple in the pipeline:

Martin

Nice work. They look good.