Is there a way to restore default color settings without resetting preferences?

[cliffkearns]

Running InDesign CS6 and I accidentally changed color settings (long story). Now every past document I open comes up with a profile mismatch warning.

I'd like to reset my color setting back to default (inline with all my past documents) but I cannot find anywhere on the web what those original settings should be.

Please help.

(PS- I currently get the warning for both RGB and CMYK)

[Peter Spier]

Set them from Bridge to synch all applications (just pick the settings you used to use). That will apply to all new work, but any files you've created in the period with the incorrect settings will need to be fixed manually.

[cliffkearns]

No need for bridge, not trying to sync between apps.

I just need to know what the InDesign defaults are so I can set back. You say "just pick the settings I used to use" but that is the exact issue. I don't know and cannot seem to find what the default settings were.

I also don't want to reset all my preferences. I have tons of custom settings (not all captured in a saved workspace) and it is a giant pain to get the program back to how I like it after trashing prefs.

[Peter Spier · Accepted solution]

Out of the box, in the US, it would be North America General Purpose 2, which is not, in my opinion, a good choice for anything.

[cliffkearns]

THANK YOU! Fixed!

Amazing that this is not listed (or very hard to find) anywhere on the net

[gamu_mac]

Where and how do you do it? I did it once and now I keep getting the pop up. I can't remember how I did it. It's not part of the preferences from what I can see.

[rob day]

See Peter's #2. From Bridge choose Edit>Color Settings>North America General Purpose 2>Apply. That will set all of your color managed CC apps to that preset, which has all color mismatch warnings unchecked.

[rob day]

You say "just pick the settings I used to use" but that is the exact issue. I don't know and cannot seem to find what the default settings were.

Changing Color Settings rarely has any affect on existing documents. The settings like the assigned color profiles, and how to handle profiles (the color management policies) are saved with the document when it is created.

So any default would be random—North American General Purpose would be OK if you are creating a new document is headed for a US Web Press printing on coated paper or (in the case of RGB objects) you are ok with the somewhat limited color gamut of sRGB

[cliffkearns]

Rob, I work in a large global agency setting and everyone (including production) uses the default settings. Not a great policy but also not something that a single art director is going to change.

Everyone is used to levels of deviation and is comfortable in this workflow.

Changing the color settings does have one significant affect on existing documents…..it causes pop-up error messages every time you open an existing file. The intention of this post was to remove the error message without blindly suppressing warnings (and to get back to normal workflow)

[rob day]

The intention of this post was to remove the error message without blindly suppressing warnings (and to get back to normal workflow)

That's because the preset unchecks all of the Ask... for profile and policy mismatches.

Clearly no one there is into the nuances of CM, but you are blindly suppressing the mismatch warnings.

If you set your Color Settings to US Newsprint, which includes the warning check boxes, make a new doc, save and close it, then change your Color Settings to North America General Purpose and reopen, there will be no warning. The user might think the document's CMYK is the default US SWOP Coated but it would still be US Newsprint SNAP with a misleading preview.

[cliffkearns]

That's an excellent point Rob (and is noted).

But since all (or at least most) of the machines in our network are set to default + all of the files I've created were set with default, there would actually be no warnings to suppress.

I will, however, take an extra look at any files coming from outside sources now that I know the warnings are blindly suppressed by default.

I've worked with CM in the past and know how great of a resource it can be. Unfortunately, if you are the only one in your workflow paying attention, it really ends up being more of a headache than it is worth (you become the color police and everyone else gets pissy).