Author Topic: 9 color spot separation Photoshop video tutorial  (Read 4937 times)

Offline myseps

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Re: 9 color spot separation Photoshop video tutorial
« Reply #15 on: February 26, 2015, 01:22:16 PM »
The point of the video was to share some knowledge about Photoshop's capabilities., like calculations, level adjustment, and basic knock outs, which may be common knowledge to most of you, but there many people they don't know about these features.   This knowledge can be a great starting point to someone who wants to be able to do their own seps.   
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Offline Dottonedan

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Re: 9 color spot separation Photoshop video tutorial
« Reply #16 on: February 26, 2015, 02:21:59 PM »
The point of the video was to share some knowledge about Photoshop's capabilities., like calculations, level adjustment, and basic knock outs, which may be common knowledge to most of you, but there many people they don't know about these features.   This knowledge can be a great starting point to someone who wants to be able to do their own seps.





Great point. I have started to do a few basic vids a few years back and found some people tend to question your free offering or knock on your particular process shown...so I was turned off by it. Heck it's a free tut!
The problem with Vids is that on forums or on youtube, random people can make random comments and turn a good thing into something not so good or not as intended. The thing here, is that Scott was just doing a basic tut for the more basic or beginner users just getting into doing seps trying to figure out how to do something.
If he had 30 more of these basic tuts doing something different each time, people might start to say, "these are the BEST vids ever". Quantity says a lot. I'm sure he may move into something more meatier for others as needed or finds the time.

I know our people here are not questioning your skills or procedure, just like the average bear, looking for more than that. Everyone always wants more for free if they can get it. It's human nature. As you pointed out tho, it's a start. It's one procedure to tackle a basic job. I also agree, I don't prefer the wand tool or color range, but I'd admit that color range has improved over the the last few upgrades and I've gone to that on a few simple selections as an option.

For me, your process for this task was very good for selecting the 2ndary and tertiary colors. I've bumped into another "group" of artist at a company that use calculations. It's another method. How much better, it is over other methods shouldn't be up for question as it works for you and in a timely manor, just like Mitch Different uses RGB and it works for him and he's doing very good seps.


For me, I use various conversions of CMYK, RGB, Calculations, LAB, HSB, Graycsale, sometimes copy and paste and some other methods or whatever works at the time. For me, I approach the art based on the art and it's needs from my perspective. So for that reason, I have less of a streamlined process and one that can't be recorded as a Tut, action or script very well.

I learn something all the time tho, like when I learned that some RIPS will take art files with no true color separations in RGB layers...and it's not technically separated via channels or a vector program. The colors can be saved in layers (as if) in separations...and sent to a RIP for spot color output. That blows my mind since a layer is made up of CMYK or RGB channels (3 or 4 colors) to create that spot color.  So the engine to do so via layers...must be pretty odd. LOL.


I'll add that we appreciate your contribution here on our little corner of the internet very much. Thanks!
Artist & high end separator, Owner of The Vinyl Hub, Owner of Dot-Tone-Designs, Past M&R Digital tech installer for I-Image machines. Over 35 yrs in the apparel industry. e-mail art@designsbydottone.com

Offline Gilligan

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Re: 9 color spot separation Photoshop video tutorial
« Reply #17 on: February 26, 2015, 02:57:39 PM »
It's because no matter what, it never works like it does on "TV" lol

This is why guys like you guys are the pros and we are just hacks at best.

This applies to EVERYTHING!

When I do bee removals, I've watched countless videos on guys doing these removals.  Nice, steady, no hiccups, they almost always find and cage the queen (very helpful when doing removals).  Then when I get out there we are typically about one sting shy of running around screaming looking to jump in a lake with a cloud of angry bees after us like a cartoon!

In reality, we do a very decent job and to the customer we look calm and great... But the entire time, internally, we are pissed off, fighting problems and trying to figure out how that mother trucker on YouTube was able to do it so easily!  Lol