How to Convert Pantone Code
The Pantone Matching System is the gold standard of color for printing and is widely used by graphic designers and manufacturers of paint, fabric and plastics. Each year the company issues the Pantone Matching System Color Guides, which hold samples of all Pantone colors with the specific Pantone code of each printed on the back. The Pantone GOE Guide for Graphics provides RGB and LAB values for each color, but it is relatively simple to convert Pantone color code using Photoshop if you do not have a guide. Here's how.
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Instructions
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Convert Pantone color code
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Enter the Pantone color code in the Pantone Color Finder located here: http://www.pantone.co.uk/pages/pantone/colorfinder.aspx.
The Web page will bring up a small swatch of that color. -
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If you are working on a PC, press the "Print Screen" button. If you work on a Mac, use your "Grab" application to capture at least the portion of the screen that has the color swatch.
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Open Photoshop. If you use a PC, hit "Ctrl" and "V" to paste the page with the color swatch. If you are working on a Mac, simply open the edited image.
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Open the DigitalColor Meter if you are working on a Mac and run the arrow over the color swatch. The DigitalColor Meter will convert the Pantone color into multiple codes, including five RGB codes, four Y'PbPr codes, three CIE codes and Tristimulus. If you're using a PC, use the Photoshop color picker. Click on the Pantone color with the dropper tool, and the RGB code will appear as the foreground color selection.
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Tips & Warnings
Calibrate your monitor before completing any color-matching work to make sure the hue you select is accurate.
Pantone colors, and all colors for that matter, can vary on computer screens depending on your graphics card and monitor. Only the physical copy of the Pantone Color Guide can guarantee the true hue.
