We probe the column densities and masses traced by the ionized [CII] and neutral [CI] atomic carbon with spectrally resolved maps, and compare them to the diffuse and dense molecular gas traced by [CI] and low-J CO lines toward the star-forming region M17 SW. We mapped a 4.1pcx4.7pc region in the [CI] 609{mu}m line using the APEX telescope, as well as the CO isotopologues with the IRAM 30m telescope. Data are analyzed based on velocity channel maps that are 1km/s wide. We correlate their spatial distribution with that of the [CII] map obtained with SOFIA/GREAT. Optically thin approximations were used to estimate the column densities of [CI] and [CII] in each velocity channel.