All color image files must be submitted in their original RGB color. This will ensure that the brightest possible RGB colors will show online, as the RGB color space (light based) is capable of producing more saturated colors than the CMYK (ink based) color space. For this reason, there will be a color shift when images are converted to CMYK for print. For example:
To ensure the best possible conversion to CMYK for the printed journal, when you work with raster images, use an application that supports ICC profiles, such as Adobe Photoshop. Be sure to always embed the originating ICC profile when saving the file. This is usually the default behavior. For example, this screen shot is from the "Save As..." dialog box in Photoshop. The box to embed the ICC profile is checked by default; do not uncheck it. If you are using a different application, please see the appropriate documentation to ensure you are properly embedding the ICC profiles.
Accessibility
Authors are strongly encouraged to prepare their color figures so that the use of color effectively conveys the point of the figure, while ensuring that color-blind readers will be able to distinguish the various colors used and fully comprehend the figure. The following resources can assist authors in accomplishing this goal:
- “Somewhere over the rainbow: How to make effective use of colors in meteorological visualizations.” A BAMS article by Stauffer et al. (2015; doi:10.1175/BAMS-D-13-00155.1).
- “Tips for designing scientific figures for color blind readers.” An online post by Luk Cox of Somersault18:24.