Author Topic: Photoshop - DCS Channels to Composite PNG  (Read 4529 times)

Offline zanegun08

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 688
Photoshop - DCS Channels to Composite PNG
« on: September 01, 2020, 09:41:59 PM »
Anybody have a easy way to get a DSC Spot Color Channel .EPS into a Composite PNG for doing a mockup with?

I've tried googling and checking youtube, but I'm kind of stumped on how to get a multichannel file into a RGB or CMYK composite with transparent background.

Anyone know any tricks?


Offline Dottonedan

  • Administrator
  • Ludicrous Speed Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5907
  • Email me at art@designsbydottone.com
Re: Photoshop - DCS Channels to Composite PNG
« Reply #1 on: September 01, 2020, 10:00:37 PM »
I've had this written down once before way back when. I think for Megan Haines.


Open the DCS2 back into Photoshop.
Create 3 additional new channels, move them up above the spot colors
Change print mode back to RGB.
Change background layer color in RGB layers to your garment color.
Go back to the Channels window and go to the top drop down window and select MERGE SPOT COLORS.

This combines all spot channels into the RGB file.


* Fades to the shirt color become more challenging as you have to create a mask. Of course this image shows the MERGE SPOT CHANNELS as greyed out because the mode has not yet been changed.
« Last Edit: September 01, 2020, 10:02:50 PM by Dottonedan »
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 zanegun08

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 688
Re: Photoshop - DCS Channels to Composite PNG
« Reply #2 on: September 02, 2020, 01:01:34 PM »
Perfect, thanks Dan!  That's exactly what I needed and it works pretty well.

For others, to take out your "shirt color" from the image easily, you can just subtract all your print layers from a shirt channel, and then use that for a mask on your merged image and then save that as a PNG so you can use your actual separation file as a mockup with no background.

Attached some screenshots of the shirt channel where the layers are subtracted out, and then layers where that channel is used for a mask in a merged file.