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I have an image that needs to be printed. The more the colors I use, the more expensive the printing. The images are quite intricate.
If I colorize the image in Hue/Saturation, does this make the print just 1 color? Do printers count this as just one color?
I hope it does. If it doesn't, what's the best way to get the least amount of colors for an image?
The Hue/Saturation+Colorize command does not “separate” an image, so it will still be RGB and will come down to a CMYK or other “separation” method to create distinct/separate channels that would equate to a printing separation/plate.
Grayscale is one channel/separation/plate.
As mentioned above, you can create a duo/tri/quad image from a grayscale image, using special transfer curves to decide where the colour appears.
There are of course other methods.
Can you provide a sample image, this whole di
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If you want to limit the print colour, duotone is the way to go.
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Duotone is one option, but with certain images it may make more sense to separate them manually with Spot Channels (if certain elements should be b/w only and others have color for example).
If I colorize the image in Hue/Saturation, does this make the print just 1 color?
No.
Please post the image in question so people may actually be able to provide pertinent advice.
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The Hue/Saturation+Colorize command does not “separate” an image, so it will still be RGB and will come down to a CMYK or other “separation” method to create distinct/separate channels that would equate to a printing separation/plate.
Grayscale is one channel/separation/plate.
As mentioned above, you can create a duo/tri/quad image from a grayscale image, using special transfer curves to decide where the colour appears.
There are of course other methods.
Can you provide a sample image, this whole discussion is highly dependent on the source image.
How is this being printed? Screen printing?
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Offset printing.
This is the image. So what i did was colorize the birds assuming it would then be counted as 1 color. And thought that this image just has 2 colors: the birds and the waves.
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Are you having this printed as spot colour, or standard four colour process CMYK?
A 2 spot colour run will have half the plates, but the inks will be more expensive and there will be wash up time on the press, possibly ink mixing fees etc.
You can have this as a 2 colour job, if you are willing to sacrifice the black beak and eye! There will be solid yellow waves and solid/tints of pink. You can of course overprint/mix the yellow and pink to form a “visual 3rd colour” from only 2 colours, but this will not be black, the beak and eye would be a redish hue.
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A 2 spot colour run will have half the plates, but the inks will be more expensive and there will be wash up time on the press, possibly ink mixing fees etc.
By now I suspect this may be a textile or wrapping paper design, but as before:
The less information an original poster provides the less pertinent the advice they get here is likely to be.
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Agreed… Post #4 mentions offset printing, which is what my comments were based on (my original stab in the dark guess was screen print).
This graphic would be better created/separated in Illustrator as vectors, rather than as pixels/rasters in Photoshop.
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Okay thank you
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Post #4 mentions offset printing
You’re right and I had missed that and needlessly asked again – sorry for that.
This graphic would be better created/separated in Illustrator as vectors
True, vector data should provide superior output, but if recreating the layout in Illustrator (if the source material is not actually vector anyway) is worth the trouble is up to the OP.
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Correct. It is for wrapping paper
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You can have this as a 2 colour job, if you are willing to sacrifice the black beak and eye! There will be solid yellow waves and solid/tints of pink. You can of course overprint/mix the yellow and pink to form a “visual 3rd colour” from only 2 colours, but this will not be black, the beak and eye would be a redish hue.
Okay. Yes, I'm willing to sacrifice the black beak and eye.
How exactly?
Steps please. You are conversing with a beginner.
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Could you please post a screenshot with the Layers Panel visible to illustrate if the Layers may provide shortcuts for separating manually?
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Okay. Yes, I'm willing to sacrifice the black beak and eye.
How exactly?
Steps please. You are conversing with a beginner.
I would consider sharing an action to do the work for you!
The steps are a little complicated… They use a lot of apply image channel operations (CHOPS) to get the work done! It is easier to post the steps from the action.
You can download the separated PSD here:
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You can download the action ATN file here:
For what it is worth, the steps of the action saved to text file follow:
Set: 2 Spot Flamingo
Action: Separate
Make color sampler
Position: 170.5 pixels, 211.5 pixels
Make color sampler
Position: 226.5 pixels, 277.5 pixels
Make color sampler
Position: 382.5 pixels, 126.5 pixels
Convert to Profile current document
To Profile: “Coated FOGRA39 (ISO 12647-2:2004)”
Intent: relative colorimetric
With Black Point Compensation
With Dither
Without Rasterize Smart Objects
4
Curves
Preset Kind: Custom
Adjustment: curves adjustment list
curves adjustment
Channel: cyan channel
Curve: point list
point: 0, 255
point: 255, 255
curves adjustment
Channel: black channel
Curve: point list
point: 0, 255
point: 255, 255
Select magenta channel
Show cyan channel, yellow channel, black channel
Apply Image
With: calculation
Source: current channel
Calculation: overlay
With Preserve Transparency
Curves
Preset Kind: Custom
Adjustment: curves adjustment list
curves adjustment
Channel: current channel
Curve: point list
point: 31, 0
point: 127, 116
point: 179, 172
point: 255, 255
Select yellow channel
Show cyan channel, yellow channel, black channel
Apply Image
With: calculation
Source: current channel
Calculation: linear light
With Preserve Transparency
Curves
Preset Kind: Custom
Adjustment: curves adjustment list
curves adjustment
Channel: current channel
Curve: point list
point: 25, 0
point: 255, 255
Select magenta channel
Show cyan channel, yellow channel, black channel
Apply Image
With: calculation
Source: current channel
Calculation: overlay
With Preserve Transparency
Curves
Preset Kind: Custom
Adjustment: curves adjustment list
curves adjustment
Channel: current channel
Curve: point list
point: 0, 0
point: 90, 90
point: 205, 179
point: 252, 255
Select yellow channel
Show cyan channel, magenta channel, black channel
Apply Image
With: calculation
Source: magenta channel
Calculation: color burn
With Preserve Transparency
Convert Mode
To: multichannel color mode
Select channel “Cyan”
Delete current channel
Move channel “Black”
To: channel 1
Select channel “Black”
Convert Mode
To: grayscale mode
Assign Profile current document
Profile: “Dot Gain 15%”
Select channel “Magenta”
Set current channel
To: spot color channel
Name: “PANTONE 212 C”
Color: book color
Book: “PANTONE+® Solid Coated”
Name: “PANTONE 212 C”
Book ID: 3060
Key: (data)...
Select channel “Yellow”
Set current channel
To: spot color channel
Name: “PANTONE 1215 C”
Color: book color
Book: “PANTONE+® Solid Coated”
Name: “PANTONE 1215 C”
Book ID: 3060
Key: (data)...
Select black channel
Show channel “PANTONE 212 C”
Show channel “PANTONE 1215 C”
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you are awesome. thank you.
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The steps are a little complicated…
You could also do it in InDesign with the flamingo saved as a monotone and drawing the waves with the ochre spot color over in ID:
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Here is the original Adobe RGB image on the left – while on the right is a grayscale mode image with 2 spot channels (Pantone 212 C pink and Pantone 1215 C yellow).
Notice that the bits that were black are now a 200% overprint of both spots, making a dirty red colour:
Note: The spot colour preview is only representative and may not be close to actual printing conditions.