GIMP Version: 2.8.2
Operating System: Windows
OS Version: Windows 7
GIMP Experience: Beginner Level

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After reading this thread:
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1231&start=10

I was prompted to write this. I too am almost in tears, and it sounds like because of the same reason.

I followed this tutorial:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgniQS_5N6Q

Did everything, but at the 8min mark he presses image, and at the bottom there is a new option that says: "Separate" I don't have this option when I open GIMP.

The only thing I can think of is because the video doesn't explain what you're supposed to do once you download Little CMS. What am I supposed to do once I download it and extract the files to my desktop?

Edit: Oh, also I noticed all the downloads for separate+ are 32bit. I'm on a 64 bit system. Is that the problem? If so, where are the 64bit downloads?

If it's Separate+ plug-in, the info is here.
http://cue.yellowmagic.info/softwares/s ... index.html

@ insipidtoast A few thoughts on this.

If you go to the cue.yellowmagic site it now says

and that is what I found in the past, all you need are the 3 executables icc-colorspace.exe separate.exe and separate_import.exe in your plug-ins folder (no good as a zip or on your desktop). Used to use this with Gimp 2.6.x in WinXP so I suppose if it is not working it could well be a 64 bit issue. The only thing do, is have a try.
Maybe install a 32 bit Gimp 2.6 as a parallel installation.

Alternatives
CMYKtool http://www.blackfiveimaging.co.uk/ have a look on the left hand side for the link. I have never used this in Windows, so it is try and see. If you get it working, it does do more than one image at a time.
ImageMagick Commandline, this will convert as well and good for batch operations.

For me it is linux these days, but if you ever get separate+ working it looks like this http://youtu.be/2rby7r771D4 a bit shorter than that other video at 5 mins, the last 2 mins is about CMYKtool.

Last question, why do you want to convert your images? The only reason is if you are taking them to a commercial printer and that is a whole new can-of-worms.

best of luck.

Thanks, rich. Very helpful. I should probably try downloading the 32bit gimp 2.6

or, if you can tell me exactly how to use Imagemagick...that might be nice. I've seen people explain it by simply saying something like -include .jpg blah>J -blah CMYK
And that's the sort of thing that leaves me completely confused.

I finished (well thought I did anyway) typesetting my book. It has 84 color JPG images, and all the commercial printers say I need to convert the images to CMYK. I have no idea how to do this, and people elsewhere on the net have been trying to dissuade me from doing the conversions myself because I don't have a calibrated monitor, graphic design experience, knowledge of what exactly a given printing press requires, etc.

I didn't think it would be so complicated. Just press a button and an entire folder of images is converted. Voila. I wish it was that easy. So now a printer is offering to do the conversions of the original JPGs for me, but they might want to charge a lot of money to do that. I don't want to pay for something that I can figure out on my own.

What should I do? Just leave it to the pros and cough up another $600? I feel really bad about doing that. This shouldn't be that difficult.

It is getting off topic now but I can give you a few basics. IM is commandline so you need to know how to open a terminal in win7.
Do yourself a favour and make a project folder and copy your images there

You do need to know how to open a terminal in win7 and navigate to that project folder.

The absolute basic IM command is
convert filename.jpg -colorspace cmyk a_new_filename.jpg

For a folder full of files use a wildcard
convert *.jpg -colorspace cmyk new_filename_%03d.jpg

If you want to keep the filenames use mogrify but be very-very careful as it overwrites the original
mogrify -colorspace cmyk *.jpg

You can show that a file is CMYK with this command
identify -verbose filename.jpg

don't use spaces in filenames - a nasty windows habit that will cause problems

all this on one screenshot.



All very well, but most printers prefer .psd files, so you can output to that instead of .jpg
The above is very simple and does not include any color profiles, it is possible to add these. Speak to your printer.
There will be a color shift, best advice, before paying the printer ask for a proof copy.

All the printers I've talked to haven't told me to change from JPG. So, it's OK to use it.

My priorities, in the following order of importance, for converting the images to CMYK color space are:
1)Quality - the converted image needs to be essentially the same high quality as the original image: no blurring, fogginess, major color changes, etc.
2)Ease - I shouldn't have to spend more than half a day converting 80 images.


CMYKTool
http://www.blackfiveimaging.co.uk/index ... 05CMYKTool
-Looks like what I want (assuming it works)

That short guide you just posted about Imagemagick pretty much illustrates the reason I'm turned off by it. I'm not very computer-oriented, so that is mostly jibberish to me. I need something that has a more user friendly interface....a WYSIWYG program, not WYSIWYM. I guess you're right, we should stay on topic.

I'll download GIMP 2.6 32bit, and try using that. However, should I keep trying to figure out the separate+ tutorial, or would I be better off cutting my losses, and going with CMYKTool (it's freeware right?)

If CMYKTool, which version do I download, o.1.5?

I noticed:


So, if I download GIMP 2.6, then I automatically will also have this GTK+ installation?

Any links to a good youtube video or other tutorial that shows how to do the whole bulk conversion (I have all the JPGs I need to be converted in one separate folder on my desktop)

Actually, let's continue the offtopic just a bit further. What's a "wildcard"? Could you elaborate on this one? Where do I type in the name of the folder? In your example it seems you're only converting one JPG as opposed to multiple different JPGs. Is it necessary to type "%03d" or is that just something random that you typed?

How's the quality when you convert to CMYK in this manner?

On my netbook now so answers will be terse.

You see this where M$ has dumbed down everthing, don't want users do anything except click.

1. A wildcard is the * it means all names, so *.jpg means all jpg's.

2. In this case you dont type in the name of the folder, you navigate to the folder with the jpg files. That is the cd.. then cd.. then cd project commands in the screenshot.

3. If using convert then you have to give a new filename so new%03d.jpg produces files with names new001.jpg new002.jpg, new003.jpg and so on.

4. AFAIK the jpg quality will be of the same order as the input.

edit: maybe try this if you are not in a hurry
http://www.rgb2cmyk.org/

I ruled out rgb2cmyk because the quality wasn't very good, and then it basically stopped working at all.

Imagemagick might be OK, but when I open the program all I see is what is probably the most stripped-down menu bar I've ever seen on any program, and there's no indication of where I would even enter any of those code commands.

So, let's get back to the original topic, which is converting to CMYK via GIMP.

Edit: Also when I download those Adobe ICC profiles and right click on them and select "Install Profile" it doesn't seem like anything happens.

"To install the Adobe ICC Profiles on Windows 2000/XP & Vista:
Select the profiles in the “RGB Profiles” folder. While the profiles are selected, click and hold the right mouse button and
choose the “Install Profile” menu item. Use this same procedure for the profiles in the “CMYK Profiles” folder. Profiles will
be copied to the correct filesystem location and the Windows Registry will be updated. If the “Uninstall Profile” menu item
appears you already have an Adobe ICC profile of the same name installed."

And the instructions for Windows 7???? How do I know if they installed properly? Where is the "correct filesystem location"? I don't see any "Uninstall Profile" menu item appearing.

Success!!!!!!

I downloaded GIMP 2.6.0 and followed the youtube tutorial in my original post, and now have the "separate" option from the drop down menu in GIMP.

The only problem is that the guy in the video has photoshop, and I do not have photoshop. When he clicks on "Separated image's color space:" he selects the ICC profile of photoshop 5 CMYK. Since I don't have photoshop, I don't have these options. So, which option should I select?

And also, what program should I use to view the two images (the original, and the converted)?

And how do I do the bulk conversion with multiple images at once?