What is an Adobe Color Settings File?

The Adobe Creative Suite Applications have a special place to set the working color space.  The working color space is used as the preferred color profile for new content being created in a CS Application. The settings file establishes the protocol when an element with a different color profile from the working space is introduced into a document.  The settings file handles the alerts when placing or opening these elements and allows you to make choices for what will happen to the element with regards to color. We have configured 4 versions, all based on GRACol-Coated for CMYK, with alternate RGB setups based on your RGB preferences. If you work with or print a large number of Microsoft Office files, you should use the sRGB based setting. From listing below, download and use: GRACoL_Coated1_sRGB.csf

To install an Adobe Color Setting files, you can either use individual applications, InDesign, Photoshop, etc. or preferably use Bridge.

Open Bridge, go to the Edit menu and select Creative Suite Color Settings.

You will see a window that has built-in presets for color preferences. (1) Now click on the “Show Saved Color Settings Files” in the lower left-hand corner of the window. This will open the location in which you will need to copy the files listed here.

GRACoL_Coated1_AdobeRGB.csf
GRACoL_Coated1_sRGB.csf
SWOP_Coated3_AdobeRGB.csf
SWOP_Coated5_AdobeRGB.csf

 
After you copy the .csf files the settings files folder, you will have to (2) close the settings window by hitting cancel then go to the window once again, your new presets will now be listed. (3)

Windows Users

If you work in an environment with large variety of RGB files from, unknown or Windows systems or Windows Office Programs, such as Powerpoint and Word, you will want to select the “GRACol_Coated1_sRGB” setting. This will make it so all newly created RGB content in your Adobe programs will be in the working space and have an embedded profile for the sRGB colorspace. This preference is also specifying the GRACol Coated CMYK colorspace for CMYK content. The Color Management Policies are to honor embedded profiles (no convert) and create in one of the two spaces, sRGB or GRACol_Coated CMYK. If you need a specific output colorspace, the best place to have that occur is in the Export to PDF, Convert colors option. You select the output space there. By default, sRGB, is the RGB colorspace of Windows PCs.

A note about color and Microsoft Office files:

Unfortunately, Office Applications are unaware of color manangement. The same image placed in a Word document, then an Excel spreadsheet and finally a PowerPoint presentation will all render slightly different results, on screen and in print, even using the same PC and the same printer connected to it.

If you need help with picking out colors, which print predictably  for use in your Microsoft Word or PowerPoint documents, go to Choosing Color for Office Files from Prints.

Designers and Agencies and Mac Users
If you are a graphic designer, or a mac user and never or hardly ever touch Microsoft Office files, the The GRACol_Coated1_AdobeRGB is the one for you. Again, without getting into particulars or differences of sRGB and AdobeRGB, either color space will typically provide you with enough and good color. If you are familar with the older presets from Adobe, this one is essentially now the North American PrePress 2. The only difference is the CMYK profile is now the GRACol cmyk instread of the U.S. SWOP Coated V2. That is still used by many, but it is several decaded old and the cmyk is based on making film negative for plate, as oppsed to modern direct to plate methods.

 Find preconfigured Adobe Distiller PDF Preset here

 Find Adobe Color Settings Files here

If you would like assistance with your design applications or would like to discuss our color training services, contact our Color Specialist

More information about color setups, working with digital content, general design, and marketing tips can be found on our Blog