I’m running into something super frustrating in Illustrator and I can’t tell if it’s a setting issue or just how color management works.
Whenever I bring images into Illustrator, they look noticeably duller/desaturated compared to the original file. The weird part is they only match the original brightness when I switch View → Proof Setup → RGB.
But I’m already working in an RGB document, and my background is a flat color (not a gradient), so I don’t understand why turning on proofing changes the appearance so much.
As soon as I turn Proof Colors on (to simulate anything else), everything gets muted and no longer matches the original image. It also makes color matching basically impossible.
I need my visuals to stay bright and consistent with the original assets — especially for digital use.
Is this:
- a color profile mismatch issue?
- something with Illustrator’s default proof setup?
- or just how Illustrator handles embedded image profiles?
Any advice on how to keep colors accurate without everything dulling when proof is on would be super appreciated.
