05-01-2010, 07:50 PM
There is no 'click a button/choose a menu option' method for converting an image created using CMYK to Pantone colors; there aren't even exact equivalents for all Pantone and CMYK colors. If you want to use Pantone colors in Photoshop you'll need to bone up on "spot channels".
Pantone colors are not a color space per se, like CMYK, they are a set* of colors used for printing that have specific formulas for being mixed by printers (Human printers who use printing presses, not "printers" as in the device). The idea being that they will look exactly the same regardless of who prints them. Though, like most things, there are still variables that can separate the real world from the perfection of theory.
Unless you have a well calibrated system, you'll need a Pantone swatch book to accurately judge Pantone colors. Judging them on screen is a really bad idea; it pretty much defeats the purpose of using Pantone colors. In this case, the "C" and the "U" prefixes you see and hear being referenced indicate how the color in question will look when printed on coated, "C", versus uncoated, "U", papers. The difference can be very noticeable.
Pantone versus CMYK is a common choke point between printers and "designers". Knowing when and how to use which can save yourself or your client a ton of money; and that can multiply like crazy when you're talking about something like a logo that's going to be reproduced over and over and over again. Getting your chops on Pantone/spot colors (Pantone's the most widely used system in the U.S., but not the only one out there.) is one of those non-aesthetic things (and there are a ton of other subjects like it) that really does separate the professional designers from the rest of the pack.
*Setss actually. There are different sets of Pantone colors for different purposes, i.e. how Pantone colors will look when reproduced on coated paper, how they'll look on uncoated paper, or even Pantone colors used for metals or plastics. But usually you'll only be referring to one set of PMS (Pantone Matching System) colors at a time.
Pantone colors are not a color space per se, like CMYK, they are a set* of colors used for printing that have specific formulas for being mixed by printers (Human printers who use printing presses, not "printers" as in the device). The idea being that they will look exactly the same regardless of who prints them. Though, like most things, there are still variables that can separate the real world from the perfection of theory.
Unless you have a well calibrated system, you'll need a Pantone swatch book to accurately judge Pantone colors. Judging them on screen is a really bad idea; it pretty much defeats the purpose of using Pantone colors. In this case, the "C" and the "U" prefixes you see and hear being referenced indicate how the color in question will look when printed on coated, "C", versus uncoated, "U", papers. The difference can be very noticeable.
Pantone versus CMYK is a common choke point between printers and "designers". Knowing when and how to use which can save yourself or your client a ton of money; and that can multiply like crazy when you're talking about something like a logo that's going to be reproduced over and over and over again. Getting your chops on Pantone/spot colors (Pantone's the most widely used system in the U.S., but not the only one out there.) is one of those non-aesthetic things (and there are a ton of other subjects like it) that really does separate the professional designers from the rest of the pack.
*Setss actually. There are different sets of Pantone colors for different purposes, i.e. how Pantone colors will look when reproduced on coated paper, how they'll look on uncoated paper, or even Pantone colors used for metals or plastics. But usually you'll only be referring to one set of PMS (Pantone Matching System) colors at a time.