HTML colors to Pantone

[eSearing]

Is there a place on the web to find Pantone equivalents to HTML colors. I searched 100+ listings on google.

[Raphael]

You can do this in Photoshop eSearing. Enter the Hex value into the hashed box in your colour picker screen and click on the "custom" button PS will pick the closest Pantone colour it can. It works the other way round too.

[Mindbender]

*boggles at trying to match pantone to hex*

Brings up an interesting thought... is there some standard for luminescence and tonal value ascribed to hex color scheme? With pantone, a certain number is attributed to a specific mix of picgments... no so with hex... what's to say that the #0099FF blue that I see is the same blue you see.

Does anyone know if there is some sort of standard evaluational method for this? I guess I'd never really thought to look into it!

[PECourtejoie]

I thought that Hex was just a translation of the RGB values to Hexadecimal... but as to say wich profile, I assume sRGB... ?
then Photoshop translates it to LAB before giving a pantone reference...

[eSearing]

Originally posted by Raphael
You can do this in Photoshop eSearing. Enter the Hex value into the hashed box in your colour picker screen and click on the "custom" button PS will pick the closest Pantone colour it can. It works the other way round too.

That would work if I had Photoshop. I use PS Eelements for most of what I do. Did the drawing in Flash and exported to eps format but colors were a little off so we wanted to be sure the proofs were the right color by providing pantone.

[strych9ine]

No photoshop!?!?! *heart stops, falls over dead*

[Mindbender]

but colors were a little off so we wanted to be sure the proofs were the right color by providing pantone.

In that case it doesn't matter what colors you come up with in the computer... you would want to get a pantone book and provide the color numbers you expect for each plate along with the EPS.

What is this for? The only reason to use pantone is for offsent printing.... so I'm going with that assumption. If you are trying to pre-press with flash you're going to be disappointed with the results I think.

[Raphael]

The most esteemed Bender of Minds is indupitably correct on that point eSearing, for an accurate print reference you really need to get a Pantone swatch book and check manually I'm afraid.

You have mine and no doubt everyone else here's sympathy on you being Photoshopless. You have Elle though and She's not too shabby. One arm is better than none.;}

[Ammar Midani]

eSearing..with one click (http://photoshoptechniques.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2944)you can determain solid Pantone colors, html, Lab and Hexachrome values, sRGB and CMYK. It's really that great.

Ammar

[eSearing]

I created a logo for a website, but now the customers want to print it on brocures/mailers etc... I'm working with their graphic designer to ensure the right colors. She asked for the pantones.

When I output the eps file from flash, the colors came in darker when opened in Quark. The designer was able to pull the image into illustrator and fix the colors there. Still in the final print version the colors were darker than "on screen" but exceptable.

Anyone know of any crash-course in print design books so I can get up to speed on the subject?

[Ammar Midani]

From the swatches palette menu you chose Pantone color kind. Now when you point the pointer on the color it will give the Pantone number.

Also from the helps files:
“Additionally you can view colors as hexadecimal values in the Info palette. In addition, you can copy colors as hexadecimal values to the Clipboard and paste them into an HTML document

You can copy colors as hexadecimal values from files in Photoshop or ImageReady, using the context menu with the eyedropper tool, or using menu commands. In Photoshop, you copy a color as a hexadecimal value while in the main work area (not the Save for Web dialog box).”

I hope it helps somehow.


Ammar

[Mindbender]

The real problem is that no matter what you do, if it involves making a visual choise of color, you're relying on the equipment calibration to be correct. The reason the pantone books are good for this is you can look at ACTUAL printed stock with the pantone color on it and the associated number. So all you would have to do is flip it open, find the color shade you like, and write down the number. So even if there is somethin askew in your hardware setup, you will know EXACTLY what printing ink is being used. It's kind of scary to pay $200 for a 1" x 6" flip book... but if you are doing a lot of print work, it's worth it. Of course you could just borrow someone's for 5 minutes if you know anyone and it's just one project... just make sure it's recent... they're only valid for a year or so I believe. heh. printing is a pain in the ass. :)

Something else to consider... there are pantone inks that can't even BE displayed on screen. Pantone has booklets for things like metalic paint... you can't really SEE that on a screen... you pretty much need the book. Unless you just want to specify "chrome" or "gold" or whatever... this might not apply to you, just throwing it out there for completeness.