ImageMagick: “convert: color profile operates on another colorspace `icc’”

[dement1a]

Originally published at Sara Trice. You can comment here or there.

Another installment of Sara Beats Her Head Against Tech:

When trying to convert images from RGB to CMYK with ImageMagick, the regular command to convert:

convert original.jpg -colorspace CMYK new.jpg

worked - but the converted image’s colors looked absolutely terrible. So I

Comments

[tomreedtoon]

Excuse me, Sara, but are you trying to develop an application for that kind of conversion? Photoshop or Corel Photo-Paint will do that conversion, and they're already written. I can't even imagine using some kind of command-line program for this, unless you're trying to develop an app on your own.

Since CMYK format is only used in preparation of images for high-end printing presses, and since I know you mostly as a web designer, I'm kind of confused. Of course, maybe this is something you're forbidden to explain, under a non-disclosure agreement, in which case I apologize and you don't have to answer.

[dement1a]

ImageMagick is a linux image manipulation suite that is used from the command line, for purposes in which you have to deal with images on the fly from within an application. The command "convert" is part of that suite. http://www.imagemagick.org/

And as far as why I am converting to CMYK, I work for a printing company, and the shop needs the images in the correct color format.

[tomreedtoon]

Oh. You're creating software for publishing. Great! In the past I've had to send things to service bureaus and other places, and I know how murderous it can be getting customer files to work with their systems. If you beat this one, there's a whole world of challenges for you in the field.