Re-do previous split fountain art as process

[Frog]

Like the heading says.
Thirty years ago, I ran a lot of split fountain jobs. This particular one is a holdover that I'd like to update to process. (this particular design will probably always go on white shirts)
So, in CorelDRAW X6 I play around in Fountain Fill, see the option for a custom number of colors, but brain fart away any past knowledge of how to do it! It's something to do with Intermediate Fill(s) but can't figure out how to even make that option live.

[inkman996]

Are you asking how to do this with out there being white between the fades? If so I always do it manually by eye my self. I know some automated programs like Advanced artists can do it automatically.

[Frog]

I need the yellow to fade gradually into the orange, which fades into the red, which fades into blue and then to green. Like the one I printed with actual inks blending together.
In CorelDRAW's Fountain Fill, it seems to offer the option of more than two colors, and even has a place to enter intermediate colors, but for the life of me, can't remember or figure it out. Ater starting with yellow, I'd like to be able to move the slider just a bit  to the right (rather than all the way to the end), and add orange, then a little more and add red, etc.

[inkman996]

I need the yellow to fade gradually into the orange, which fades into the red, which fades into blue and then to green. Like the one I printed with actual inks blending together.
In CorelDRAW's Fountain Fill, it seems to offer the option of more than two colors, and even has a place to enter intermediate colors, but for the life of me, can't remember or figure it out. Ater starting with yellow, I'd like to be able to move the slider just a bit  to the right (rather than all the way to the end), and add orange, then a little more and add red, etc.

When you first start a fade with the Corel function it only gives you two nodes, one at each end. You can drag a color onto the fade line anywhere you want and more than once. The problem is sepping. That is where I do it manually. So I get proper over lap of each color to the next.

[Frog]

I need the yellow to fade gradually into the orange, which fades into the red, which fades into blue and then to green. Like the one I printed with actual inks blending together.
In CorelDRAW's Fountain Fill, it seems to offer the option of more than two colors, and even has a place to enter intermediate colors, but for the life of me, can't remember or figure it out. Ater starting with yellow, I'd like to be able to move the slider just a bit  to the right (rather than all the way to the end), and add orange, then a little more and add red, etc.

When you first start a fade with the Corel function it only gives you two nodes, one at each end. You can drag a color onto the fade line anywhere you want and more than once. The problem is sepping. That is where I do it manually. So I get proper over lap of each color to the next.

Not worrying about the sepsing yet, I'm still just trying to figure out how to drag a color or insert a color anywhere other than the beginning and end points. What do I drag?

[Homer]

I think you double click on the color node or right click, I'll check. It inserts a new "color box" to mess with. What version of corel?

Double click on the line, it drops in a new node..

[Frog]

I think you double click on the color node or right click, I'll check. It inserts a new "color box" to mess with. What version of corel?

Double click on the line, it drops in a new node..

BINGO! Now I'm getting somewhere. Hey, both of you...

[Dottonedan]

So, this is an outsiders observation. I don’t use Corel, but we all know illy and Corel are vary similar.
When one creates a feature, the other duplicates that and gives it another name and key command.

for I’lly,  how we (or most of us) approach these blends is like Inkman said. Manually.
Thomas knight argues that you do blends best with interlocking. I highly disagree (although I don’t care to tell him, since it only starts feud). The fundamental of color separation prove this.
Interlock king is another way, similar to how indexing is another way and can be done just fine. Not the best way, but it’s another.

If you take an element selection and want to create good smooth transitions, you do one from say red, over to o % of that red.  Then copy that, paste behind, and tell that to overprint. (Corel has this feature also).

the difference here, from creating the gradient  straight over to another soot color is that (the middle transition there has computer white or knock out white. This is what Thomas uses as the basis or reasons why interlocking works better. Yes, in this case, he’s right. Interlocking works “better than that straight typical blend”.   But they key is, that’s a more old school, archaic method used 25-30 years ago. It’s not how you should create good blends in illustrator, Corel, or vector.

You copy the first blend, paste behind, tell it to overprint, (so that neither blend is knocked out of each other) and then you can even select multiply to visually see that blend. In the one blend, you blend it over to 0% of that same color.  This is so you are not introducing other issues at that end.

the bottom yellow, you then have the same characteristics except you switch the locations of the blends and put the color under the red where you want. This is manual vector separation control and not just letting the program and feature dictate the outcome.  Since both are told to overprint, nothing will knock out of either. So you extend that yellow out a little more allowing for a more filled area under the lighter areas of red, creating good oranges. You don’t just flip the gradient colors. That would be the old school program method.

The only reason I am not a fan of interlocking is that you are relying on perfect registration and the dots are next to each other rather than over and under.  It’s this over and under that creates better 2ndary and tertiary colors. Interlocking is like index.  Index places the squares side by side. Then to capture better visual color blends, and more color, you need more actual colors than you can if you had blended those colors.  With interlocking, miss reg is actually more of a benefit for the blending aspect.  Therefore, I avoid that method. It’s not bad. It’s just not as good.

The way I explained above (overprint and multiply) with duplicating the blend and changing the color to another underneath, and maneuvering those blends is the optimum method for great blends.

[Frog]

You guys seem to be discussing sepping this as spot colors rather than process, is that correct?
Initially, I was more interested in merely re-creating this in a way that looked a lot like my split fountain print.
What I came up with, for instance, prints pretty nicely as a digital print or transfer. So, as a screen print on white shirts, isn't this also a good candidate for 4 color process? (kinda' what my output devices are doing automatically)

[Dottonedan]

Sorry.  It’s a habit to try and think of how this can print in Spot colors.

would probably print more controllable at spot colors. Same 4 color number.
Green, into a deep blueish purple, into red, into yellow.

[Frog]

Sorry.  It’s a habit to try and think of how this can print in Spot colors.

would probably print more controllable at spot colors. Same 4 color number.
Green, into a deep blueish purple, into red, into yellow.

I actually also added an orange to aid that transition. My new business model precludes me from even doing the actual printing this time around, so should probably talk to my colleague about how he'd prefer to handle it. Moot point right now for the present as the specific shirts they want are not available. Here's what I came up with so far.

[Dottonedan]

Is that top one your print?  Good blends if so.  You might carry the orange over the yellow further to the left but the others are right on.

[Frog]

Yes, the top one is one of the original actual screened prints.  Thing is, of course with this split fountain technique, no two prints are exactly the same. That example was just one of the good ones to use as display. My exercise here did not need to match it, just have the same flavor.
The whole design originally  grew from an example he showed my as a digitally printed sign on his truck, which followed no logical progression as to color changes.
If I wanted to split hairs, I'd point out that mine doesn't even follow the true order of the spectrum. That would be more like this one