Pantone Color Libraries will be removed from future Adobe updates

For those who own Xrite I1 spectros or who have licensed i1profiler, Pantone Color Manager can be downloaded and will still work. For the moment, that includes connecting to PantoneLive and getting updates of fan deck data.
Yep. And if you don't have a license key and move fast you can download the color manager as a demo and export the updated colorbooks to load back into illustrator/Photoshop.
 
Could this be a part of the thing with Pantone having multiple libraries for different type of media now. Where let's say Adobe doesn't want to pay for the plastic and textile libraries, but Pantone wants them included in the apps. So this will be a way to force the issue. It was much nicer when there was just Pantone Coated and Un-Coated.
 
I think a reminder is due here:
Anyone who can make do with the old versions' functionalities of his s/w, should create Virtual Machines of the older computers and thus, can keep on using these computers as VMs and keep using for as long as they like.
If you don't REALLY need the MODERN functionalities past CS 6 - you can go on using these OLDER s/w versions in your new current, powerfull modern computer, under the latest OS, with no additional payments - just buy one software (I use VMware but there are many others, for Mac and other OSs too).
Plenty of educational info on the web and instructional videos on Youtube.
Anyone can hold on to their old files, fonts, Pantone Libraries, etc., save plenty of money and endless work hours.
It is one thing to do that with a perpetual license, it hurts when you need to do that with a subscription. So staying with the same version for ever while always paying monthly fees without getting updates for the software.

Pantone Connect Basic does not give you L*a*b* numbers for individual colors- Pantone Connect Premium does. You want the
L*a*b* number because it is a device independent representation for the color.

The best way to get colors in L*a*b* into InDesign, Illustrator, and/or Photoshop is
an ASE file. Neither Pantone Connect Basic nor Pantone Connect Premium are capable
of generating an ASE file.

Since you are only asking to do one or two Pantone colours per job, Pantone Connect
Premium will allow you to look, on an individual basis, at each Pantone color and get
the L*a*b* number for it. You can then manually enter this in the Adobe applications
when you create a new swatch.
I never look at L*A*B* numbers, when I have a pantone I see it as a spot colour, no makeup needed for me as I have a swatch book, just need it to be there so when making plates it separates and is labeled correctly on the plate. I only use pantones for press, anything digital or wide format gets converted to CMYK before proofs happen.
 
I am going to try find out what is really going on although I cannot guarantee anything …

- Dov

Following up on this:

I've made several attempts via a few separate contacts to get some clarification as to what we can expect with whatever updates are made to InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, FrameMaker, and Acrobat beginning in March. All I am getting is “radio silence” from those who should be able to provide a response. Adobe PR is likewise keeping tight-lipped about this situation. What I have been able to ascertain is that this situation was not of Adobe's making and that they are in a panic to come up with some solution which they are not ready and willing to share with the public (nor do they seem to be willing to bounce ideas off of those of us who might be able to assist them)!

In terms of existing content, any Pantone colors referenced (with their names and alternate color space - typically L*A*B* - specification) in your existing PostScript, EPS, PDF, and even source InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop files should be safe and usable into the indefinite future. Those definitions will be maintained. It is only if you wish to add a particular color that isn't already defined in the file that the “new order” exists.

Furthermore, it is believed that only the Pantone .acb files will not be installed as part of the March-and-later releases. (There are other, non-Pantone colors that will continue to be supported that use the same .acb file mechanism!) Conceivably, after the March-and-later releases, you could copy your own .acb files into the locations that these applications have traditionally stored the .acb files. Thus, it might be prudent to save copies of all your existing .acb files in a directory totally outside the Adobe application directory hierarchy in case you need to reference them in some manner in the future (wink, wink, wink).

More if and when I hear anything …

- Dov
 
Following up on this:

I've made several attempts via a few separate contacts to get some clarification as to what we can expect with whatever updates are made to InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, FrameMaker, and Acrobat beginning in March. All I am getting is “radio silence” from those who should be able to provide a response. Adobe PR is likewise keeping tight-lipped about this situation. What I have been able to ascertain is that this situation was not of Adobe's making and that they are in a panic to come up with some solution which they are not ready and willing to share with the public (nor do they seem to be willing to bounce ideas off of those of us who might be able to assist them)!

In terms of existing content, any Pantone colors referenced (with their names and alternate color space - typically L*A*B* - specification) in your existing PostScript, EPS, PDF, and even source InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop files should be safe and usable into the indefinite future. Those definitions will be maintained. It is only if you wish to add a particular color that isn't already defined in the file that the “new order” exists.

Furthermore, it is believed that only the Pantone .acb files will not be installed as part of the March-and-later releases. (There are other, non-Pantone colors that will continue to be supported that use the same .acb file mechanism!) Conceivably, after the March-and-later releases, you could copy your own .acb files into the locations that these applications have traditionally stored the .acb files. Thus, it might be prudent to save copies of all your existing .acb files in a directory totally outside the Adobe application directory hierarchy in case you need to reference them in some manner in the future (wink, wink, wink).

More if and when I hear anything …

- Dov
I think it may be valuable to mention that as of this moment, Pantone Color Manager still works in retrieving data from Pantone Live. It can export ACB, ASE, CXF, and many
other file types. If you have an i1 spectro or an i1profiler dongle you are licensed to fully use Pantone Color Manager. Pantone Color Manager also has an integration
such that it can send appropriate files to populate the Photoshop, Illustrator, and Indesign swatch books. I suggest using the ASE file type with L*a*b* D50 selected.
 
I posted this in the other thread about the same topic as well...wanted to make sure people following this thread got the update:

Finally, we get an answer in this article. Key notes:
  • Pantone VP explains: "...the future of Pantone colors in Adobe products lies in add-on software, Pantone Connect, which will let the color systems company sell complete and up-to-date color data directly to its own users. . .Pantone was unable to actively update the library to correct any changes to the color data or to update it with new colors,” Cheng told CreativePro. “We had to find a way to address user problems regarding these outdated libraries.”"
  • "On top of the usual Adobe Creative Cloud subscription plans, Pantone Connect will cost $7.99 per month or $35.99 for a full year for the first year and $59.99 annually thereafter."
  • "Nothing will prevent a user of the affected software from creating a brand-new color swatch as a spot color, selecting a color using RGB sliders to match the printed Pantone chip."
  • "Users of Photoshop on the Mac M1 processor will find that the Extension won’t load at all, as Adobe has changed the file format for add-on software. Users wishing to access Pantone Connect and other Extensions will need to run the Intel version of Photoshop under Rosetta 2 or downgrade to version 22.2.0 via the Creative Cloud app."
  • "Existing documents—both native application documents and PDFs generated for publication or distribution—will be unaffected by any changes, with essential color information (though it might be from data that Pantone says is long outdated) remaining embedded in the documents that are created with current tools."
 
The work-arounds are starting to appear;

As I explained in my response to that LinkedIn posting, I wouldn't count on that loophole / bug not being “fixed” by the time any Adobe March releases come out. We simply don't know what other changes will be made in both the Pantone plug-in and the base Adobe applications. Adobe continues to maintain radio silence over this whole mishagoss!
 
I just noticed that Adobe had updated the text on the support page (https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/adobe-color.html) on 14 February. In my opinion, this sounds a bit more promising than the earlier phrasing:
Future changes to the Pantone Color Libraries
Pantone is updating their support for Color Libraries that are pre-loaded in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Adobe Color. Together, Adobe and Pantone are working to provide users with timely information for a smooth transition towards a revised Pantone color workflow in the coming months. Please stay tuned for updates.
 
It is one thing to do that with a perpetual license, it hurts when you need to do that with a subscription. So staying with the same version for ever while always paying monthly fees without getting updates for the software.


I never look at L*A*B* numbers, when I have a pantone I see it as a spot colour, no makeup needed for me as I have a swatch book, just need it to be there so when making plates it separates and is labeled correctly on the plate. I only use pantones for press, anything digital or wide format gets converted to CMYK before proofs happen.
It is difficult to discuss this kind of thing without clarifying the work flow involved.

In the case of wide format, which I assume refers to inkjet, and also assuming you are using RIP software
to control the wide format printer, you really should use LAB tables for Pantone colors. I should add the
further assumption that you have created a print environment with a proper calibration/linearization
and ICC profile. In that context, LAB numbers for Pantone colors help in getting the best possible
color rendition. Assuming the digital(toner?) printer you are using is stable enough from a color
management perspective, the same thing would also apply.
 
Isn't this going to make Pantone dry up and fade into nonexistence in the printing world???
 
I've just noticed that Adobe has updated the web page at https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/adobe-color.html which has been updated to the following “new” text:

Changes to the Pantone Color Libraries

Pantone Matches are no longer supported in Adobe Color. Pantone color libraries currently preloaded in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, will be phased out starting August 31, 2022 (with the exception of PANTONE+ CMYK Coated, PANTONE+ CMYK Uncoated, PANTONE+ Metallic Coated). Pantone is supporting their most up-to-date color libraries exclusively through the Pantone Connect plug-in available here. Adobe and Pantone have been working together to support your color needs and additional information and tutorials will be available shortly.

What exactly does this mean?

Pantone matches not being supported in Adobe Color is somewhat irrelevant from the point of view that the Adobe Color service (as opposed to the applications' own support for color) never really supported ICC Color Management. RGB and CMYK values are provided, but exactly which RGB and which CMYK. That's critically important unless you don't really care about rendering for anything other than for cheap computer and telephone screens and certainly not for print! At best, you can get LAB values out of Adobe Color and use more conventional tools to ascertain whether the color(s) are really appropriate for you and what they really translate to in the real world.

Except for Acrobat, the March 2022 deadline for impact on Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign has apparently slipped to August 2022. Complaints from the “real world” users of Adobe products must have had some impact.

The real got'cha seems to be the wording “with the exception of PANTONE+ CMYK Coated, PANTONE+ CMYK Uncoated, PANTONE+ Metallic Coated.” In the case of both the PANTONE+ CMYK definitions sets, you don't get support for LAB colors at all, just some generic (SWOP perhaps?) CMYK definitions.

Yet more of this “additional information and tutorials will be available shortly” craziness. One thing that supposedly is true is that existing content with embedded Pantone color definitions won't be lost. The problem is what happens if you want to replace one Pantone color currently being used with another one that isn't already in your document's existing swatches. Forgetting about the onerous licensing costs to access the full Pantone libraries, existing user satisfaction (read the reviews) with the Pantone Connect plug-ins (see Pantone Connect) is anything other than stellar. (The plug-in isn't free if you want/need the full definitions!)

Stay tuned for more craziness!

- Dov
 
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I never look at L*A*B* numbers, when I have a pantone I see it as a spot colour, no makeup needed for me as I have a swatch book, just need it to be there so when making plates it separates and is labeled correctly on the plate. I only use pantones for press, anything digital or wide format gets converted to CMYK before proofs happen.
If I'm going digital and through a Fiery I always preserve the Pantone colors. Even when you calibrate multiple times a day, there can be machine issues that throw your curves off, like weak drums and developer. I want to have the ability to tweak brand colors to match.
 

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