Total newbie to the board here of course. Having played with CMYK and RGB, I know it is nie impossible to get the same kind of vivid colors when using RGB. So I have to ask... how do Comic Colorists do it? I've been fighting with it, and as I'm about to do my first pro cover piece (my art degree was something else entirely of course) and I just can't figure it out. Heck are they even using CMYK? Or is it something else?

Well i think you have it backwards ;) its actually you cant get the same vivid colors with cmyk as rgb. rgb is a wider gamut and saturation and intensity can be lost in cmyk as the c, y, m , k (cyan, magent, yellow, and black) inks cant reproduce as many colors as the backlit RGB. I have done only a few pro pages myself but I can tell you from what experience i have is that i do every thing inRGB with the CMYK preview on then convert before print....it takes a bit of experience and an eye for the gamut warning icon but it can be done.

Thanks :)

Steeldolphin pretty much got everything.

The only thing I will add is that it is possible to run colours (called spot colours) other than CMYK where extra saturation or wider colour gammut is wanted. You will find this in lots of printed things especially packaging, not sure if they use it much in comics though.

:)

Thanks Freaky, I am pretty sure they dont run spot colors in comics, EraserX might know more on this though.

Spot colors *have* been used in cmics, but it's more trouble than it's worth unless you need them for a specific purpose like a reoccuring special effect or something. It's too expensive most times and you can't blend with other colors.

If you're working on something rendered, RGB is the way to go. Just turn on the CMYK preview so you can see what happens when things go out of the CMYK gamut. Keep in mind that it's not entirely about what color is used. It's how that color relates to the other colors on the page.

If you're coloring a book that's primarily flat colored, work in CMYK so you can determine the pure ink colors without bringing in extra K or whatever.