Author Topic: Simple Seps Raster  (Read 9985 times)

Offline Rockers

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Simple Seps Raster
« on: August 07, 2013, 11:48:21 PM »
So we purchased a few month ago Simple Seps Raster for Photoshop. $99 seemed to be a good price back then. Since then we have not had any online help, no tutorials, no reply to our emails by the guys at Advancedtshirts.com. Now I have checked their website again today and it looks like they have taken that product down. Wonder why and I wonder why I don`t get any support of them. As it looks now $99 was rather a lot to pay for that considering the poor service you get.
Well I`m just glad Ben at RisingSunGraphics, also a member here, got our back and supplied us with seps in less then 24hrs.


Offline Dottonedan

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Re: Simple Seps Raster
« Reply #1 on: August 08, 2013, 12:20:00 AM »
To give Tom some leeway, I have to say, that he's a one man shop (maybe two at best).  He's involved in a lot of stuff and so yea, I can see how getting support can be hard at times. He has like three maybe four things going at once and many customers. I read that he does get back to you eventually. Just not "right away".  Thats par for the course when one person has to take on so many things at once. Maybe he's taking on too many all at once. Might need to hire someone just to handle tech support.


Outside of that, how has it been on actual prints if you got there yet?
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: Simple Seps Raster
« Reply #2 on: August 08, 2013, 12:33:16 AM »
We are a small operation as well Dan... but I get around to answering everyone that contacts us.

We get stretched AWFULLY thin at times with the 3.5 businesses going on, but we make sure not to leave customers/clients hanging.

Offline Rockers

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Re: Simple Seps Raster
« Reply #3 on: August 08, 2013, 12:57:43 AM »
To give Tom some leeway, I have to say, that he's a one man shop (maybe two at best).  He's involved in a lot of stuff and so yea, I can see how getting support can be hard at times. He has like three maybe four things going at once and many customers. I read that he does get back to you eventually. Just not "right away".  Thats par for the course when one person has to take on so many things at once. Maybe he's taking on too many all at once. Might need to hire someone just to handle tech support.


Outside of that, how has it been on actual prints if you got there yet?
Didn`t get there yet. Honestly I have emailed him 6 weeks ago. I did actually email him twice contacted him on his t-shirt forum account etc. but you know what no reply yet. We are a small business and reply to all emails within 24 hrs, most of the time less then that.

Offline Dottonedan

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Re: Simple Seps Raster
« Reply #4 on: August 08, 2013, 01:22:47 AM »
I understand. I answer within 30 min -2 hours usually, but I can see that when you have 2-3 things "out there and available" maybe before it's 100% fine tuned, you may get slammed with emails. Imagine how many customers he's got already with all for the other stuff he offers then ad the OpenShirts thing, (just starting to get some bugs out) then SimpleSeps (jsut starting to get some bugs worked out), Stock art, Tutorials, emails, phone calls. I think he's just got too much on his plate for one person. Thats all I'm saying. It's time for him to hire some people.
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: Simple Seps Raster
« Reply #5 on: August 08, 2013, 01:46:38 AM »
...It's time for him to hire some people.

If he's 6+ weeks out in returning an email from a customer then he should have plenty of money to hire help!  As I said, I get swamped.  But guess what, I have a team that can handle more and more everyday of things I don't NEED to be handling myself.  This frees me up to handle the things that I do personally need to handle, or help out in getting them better equipped to handle more tasks that I shouldn't be handling.

My printer told me the other day that he thinks me and my wife could take a day or two here and there and just go do what we want and not have to come in because they (him and the office manager) have enough under control that they don't "NEED" me there.

You know what, he's right!  I have a great team and we get better everyday!  When things slip through the cracks 99% of the time, it's completely my fault.  I happened this week, wife asked about a job and I said, that's 100% my fault, if I would have handed it to Terry it would have been done, I forgot to let him know it needed to be done.

I have a pile of things to get done that is just getting bigger and bigger it seems right now, mentally it's overwhelming.  I just start shouting things that I need to get done through my office window to our office manager/administrative assistant and she writes down my todo list and then keeps me on tasks.  She has also created several invoices for me that would have sat uncreated for weeks if I would have tried to "stay on top of it all" by myself.  With her I can just tell her the client and the basic details of the job and poof, she's creating emails and then either emailing them out or getting them to me to attach to emails that I'm writing up.

A winning team is where it is at, and I can't say enough good things about mine (if it isn't obvious) ;)

Offline Full-SpectrumSeparator

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Re: Simple Seps Raster
« Reply #6 on: August 08, 2013, 05:09:30 AM »
Hello Rockers.     :(

First of all this is really all my fault you have to realize this, I can't let Tom get blamed for something I started and didn't finish really yet (doing tutorial videos, support etc).    The SimpleSeps Raster for Photoshop project is my own creation from the ground up and from the beginning I intended to release tutorials long before now... even for the CorelDraw version... Tom was able to do some quickstart tutorials for the newer upgrade, but I have another point release with newer features I wanted to get out... lots of bug testing, needs in-depth tutorials by me because I am the one doing all the wacky HSB separation methods... then I jumped over to do the photoshop version and I am still trying to put this whole Sep to Rip and some other manual halftone/index features in there... but I have let it go far too long without any tutorials online for it even in a basic way...   

But please blame me and not Tom for all this.  It's my fault for the let-down in support or training for the adobe and really the corel version too, I think Tom was even forwarding the e-mails based on SSR over to me for support etc. so he may have assumed I had handled everything that comes my way over this.   

I know that Tom cannot really get to the adobe-based videos like he does with Corel because with SSR for photoshop it is my own project completely and he is not familiar with how to make the halftones or output to rip or really all the latest features of Photoshop CS6 and CC etc.   The layer-seps is not intended to be given to a screenprint shop to output, but used for professional and accurate adjustments and compensations before viewing the seps individually for output or conversion... but I assumed a lot of people would know how to make halftones, output seps from photoshop in channels etc...   Then I get too perfectionist and want to add as many possible useful features into the application before release or even after, in order to expand what I could do when recording a tutorial.   But the tutorial or instructional videos have gotten set back too much although it was my responsibility all along, as well as the support especially for the adobe version, and I have not risen to the challenge like I should have, although you need to understand I am just a person, not a business... I can only apologize for this delay in training and the lack of support.  I don't have any excuse or reasons that would make sense or be appropriate to share with the forum.

   The blame lies with me, and the plugin has been removed from the AdvancedTshirts website because Tom does not want to have a product up that I am not going to support or make training videos for... or until I do make videos and instructions for it, etc, and I don't blame him because I have been saying the videos will be out for months now.   I really want to add some automated halftone and RIP features because I think it's a critical part of the process and needs to be understood how it affects the prints, plus you don't need a software "RIP" to do the screening just for any potential inkjet density on film outputs... but there are tricks to get rich black prints from your rip outputs...and then again is this the printers responsibility or should I write these rich-black options into the automated photoshop rip?    Of course the plugin as it stands works amazing when the best angles and RIP settings are used and even without adjustments just picking the colors you need from the sep option you run, and making the rip/film/screens. And the funny part is of course how the channel-seps can look horrible yet still be the perfect mathematic mixtures for the inks, because channels are inherently incapable of showing the separations accurately. Layer-seps are kind of meant for more professional users but again I have not shown anything in video on how to use this plugin so I understand the frustration.  And even though a few professionals are finding it to be an amazing help in their separations and methods or procedures of their own, and although you can just output the channels in most Rips and photoshop has built-in black/white conversion... I now understand more about the users and what they really need in this plugin (Tom has it in his own SimpleSeps 3 app for Corel), and also for me to at least attempt to educate and show what the plugin is used for, what it is doing to an image, and the color separation process etc.. but the halftone and print techniques are also part of it.  So I want to include a free upgrade for current users and with the videos show how to go straight to ripped separations that is much better for the beginner to color separations, and sometimes they end up the best seps which nobody even believes at this point because they haven't seen the proof I have seen already... that one-click separations directly to rip can come out flawless with any image and the printer just has to output and print good films and screens, use the standard but hsb-based inks... so this is not in the current version as far as the automation of the ripping techinques and seps to halftones or diffusions, and I find it to be one of the most helpful methods in separations to see very easily with 1 click, a finished set of separations ripped and ready to output, but in color as a halftone preview so you can actually work with those to copy/paste them and merge down.  But this is basic knowledge to a color separator all this working with channel gradients to output to halftone rip film devices etc.., not to a printer or artist always but its part of the pre-press foundations especially your dot-gain measurements and pattern tests etc.

In the meantime... getting caught up in these internet forums because I started this whole mess with my crazy HSB witch-craft in the first place, and being a bit of a technical/creative person... I found I am great at writing these procedures and coming up with great techniques for screenprint separations, but not so great at making youtube tutorial videos and doing support (free separations and personal training)... but I can work bugs out when I realize they are there, you try to prevent making them but when upgrading or fixing one part another may get affected that was unintended etc... there is a lot more that goes into writing the automation of the separation than I can get into in a message.   But anyway.. I am not defending myself, only Tom because all of this is over my own failure to provide the training and support of the Adobe version of SSR.   I'm not a business just a person, not even a color separator or graphic artist these days etc.    I put everything I know about color separation into these plugins.  But I need to also teach and show where, why, how, what etc. And I think all the rip sequencing is a really innovative approach I have that delivers far better results than anything else out there... but again the more I try to put features into the plugin the more I am delaying the current version training... so I have to just put the brakes on and do some tutorials.

I am humbled by the reach of my efforts but also disappointed in myself at my failure to follow through.  But please don't take this out on Tom aka AdvancedArtist this is my fault for the SSR Adobe delays.

I am sorry for the frustration and discouragement you've had over this.  I hope I can make it up to you with the improvements to the plugin but also the training on how to work with what you already purchased.   It does automatically create a lot of things you can just output to films if you set the dot angles good for the color blends with your rip method or rip software... but I think the training should include how to manually create rips, as well as the plugin should have the automated ones... so I suppose I have just let it go far too long without the original version getting it's proper training and support. 

I wish I could hire myself, let alone another to help with something like this... but especially the videos would only be done best by the one who made the program/sep method etc, so that's me as well.   

Please be patient while I attempt to get all the stuff I know out of my brain and into some videos with SSR... Tom is my friend first and foremost and I don't want to let him down, but especially don't want to hurt his reputation over something of my involvement, and although this surely already does let him down and affect him... but more so the users I know that I need to give you all something at least just a few good basic videos about the modes and options and how to bring your seps to rip from the layers or channels etc.  I can only be apologetic for the lack of instructions so far and try to get them done ASAP.    Again, I really am to blame for this and I'm sorry for the frustration you experienced over the missed e-mails and opportunities for using the plugin to do your seps... I hope to pull through with some killer videos but actions speak louder than words so until next time, please accept my sincerest apologies.  Thank you.

-Jeff
"Science and invention benefited most of all from the printing press."   https://www.youtube.com/user/FullSpectrumVideo  ||  https://sellfy.com/planetaryprints

Offline rmonks

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Re: Simple Seps Raster
« Reply #7 on: August 08, 2013, 07:08:54 AM »
I had an issue couple Weeks ago. Bought simple seps few months ago, then recently bought a new pc and needed him to send me the software again. I emailed no answer, so I called got his voicemail. Told him what I needed and he sent it right away. You might give him a call his# is on his contact info webpage

Offline Sbrem

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Re: Simple Seps Raster
« Reply #8 on: August 08, 2013, 08:09:02 AM »
Hello Rockers.     :(

First of all this is really all my fault you have to realize this, I can't let Tom get blamed for something I started and didn't finish really yet (doing tutorial videos, support etc).    The SimpleSeps Raster for Photoshop project is my own creation from the ground up and from the beginning I intended to release tutorials long before now... even for the CorelDraw version... Tom was able to do some quickstart tutorials for the newer upgrade, but I have another point release with newer features I wanted to get out... lots of bug testing, needs in-depth tutorials by me because I am the one doing all the wacky HSB separation methods... then I jumped over to do the photoshop version and I am still trying to put this whole Sep to Rip and some other manual halftone/index features in there... but I have let it go far too long without any tutorials online for it even in a basic way...   

But please blame me and not Tom for all this.  It's my fault for the let-down in support or training for the adobe and really the corel version too, I think Tom was even forwarding the e-mails based on SSR over to me for support etc. so he may have assumed I had handled everything that comes my way over this.   

I know that Tom cannot really get to the adobe-based videos like he does with Corel because with SSR for photoshop it is my own project completely and he is not familiar with how to make the halftones or output to rip or really all the latest features of Photoshop CS6 and CC etc.   The layer-seps is not intended to be given to a screenprint shop to output, but used for professional and accurate adjustments and compensations before viewing the seps individually for output or conversion... but I assumed a lot of people would know how to make halftones, output seps from photoshop in channels etc...   Then I get too perfectionist and want to add as many possible useful features into the application before release or even after, in order to expand what I could do when recording a tutorial.   But the tutorial or instructional videos have gotten set back too much although it was my responsibility all along, as well as the support especially for the adobe version, and I have not risen to the challenge like I should have, although you need to understand I am just a person, not a business... I can only apologize for this delay in training and the lack of support.  I don't have any excuse or reasons that would make sense or be appropriate to share with the forum.

   The blame lies with me, and the plugin has been removed from the AdvancedTshirts website because Tom does not want to have a product up that I am not going to support or make training videos for... or until I do make videos and instructions for it, etc, and I don't blame him because I have been saying the videos will be out for months now.   I really want to add some automated halftone and RIP features because I think it's a critical part of the process and needs to be understood how it affects the prints, plus you don't need a software "RIP" to do the screening just for any potential inkjet density on film outputs... but there are tricks to get rich black prints from your rip outputs...and then again is this the printers responsibility or should I write these rich-black options into the automated photoshop rip?    Of course the plugin as it stands works amazing when the best angles and RIP settings are used and even without adjustments just picking the colors you need from the sep option you run, and making the rip/film/screens. And the funny part is of course how the channel-seps can look horrible yet still be the perfect mathematic mixtures for the inks, because channels are inherently incapable of showing the separations accurately. Layer-seps are kind of meant for more professional users but again I have not shown anything in video on how to use this plugin so I understand the frustration.  And even though a few professionals are finding it to be an amazing help in their separations and methods or procedures of their own, and although you can just output the channels in most Rips and photoshop has built-in black/white conversion... I now understand more about the users and what they really need in this plugin (Tom has it in his own SimpleSeps 3 app for Corel), and also for me to at least attempt to educate and show what the plugin is used for, what it is doing to an image, and the color separation process etc.. but the halftone and print techniques are also part of it.  So I want to include a free upgrade for current users and with the videos show how to go straight to ripped separations that is much better for the beginner to color separations, and sometimes they end up the best seps which nobody even believes at this point because they haven't seen the proof I have seen already... that one-click separations directly to rip can come out flawless with any image and the printer just has to output and print good films and screens, use the standard but hsb-based inks... so this is not in the current version as far as the automation of the ripping techinques and seps to halftones or diffusions, and I find it to be one of the most helpful methods in separations to see very easily with 1 click, a finished set of separations ripped and ready to output, but in color as a halftone preview so you can actually work with those to copy/paste them and merge down.  But this is basic knowledge to a color separator all this working with channel gradients to output to halftone rip film devices etc.., not to a printer or artist always but its part of the pre-press foundations especially your dot-gain measurements and pattern tests etc.

In the meantime... getting caught up in these internet forums because I started this whole mess with my crazy HSB witch-craft in the first place, and being a bit of a technical/creative person... I found I am great at writing these procedures and coming up with great techniques for screenprint separations, but not so great at making youtube tutorial videos and doing support (free separations and personal training)... but I can work bugs out when I realize they are there, you try to prevent making them but when upgrading or fixing one part another may get affected that was unintended etc... there is a lot more that goes into writing the automation of the separation than I can get into in a message.   But anyway.. I am not defending myself, only Tom because all of this is over my own failure to provide the training and support of the Adobe version of SSR.   I'm not a business just a person, not even a color separator or graphic artist these days etc.    I put everything I know about color separation into these plugins.  But I need to also teach and show where, why, how, what etc. And I think all the rip sequencing is a really innovative approach I have that delivers far better results than anything else out there... but again the more I try to put features into the plugin the more I am delaying the current version training... so I have to just put the brakes on and do some tutorials.

I am humbled by the reach of my efforts but also disappointed in myself at my failure to follow through.  But please don't take this out on Tom aka AdvancedArtist this is my fault for the SSR Adobe delays.

I am sorry for the frustration and discouragement you've had over this.  I hope I can make it up to you with the improvements to the plugin but also the training on how to work with what you already purchased.   It does automatically create a lot of things you can just output to films if you set the dot angles good for the color blends with your rip method or rip software... but I think the training should include how to manually create rips, as well as the plugin should have the automated ones... so I suppose I have just let it go far too long without the original version getting it's proper training and support. 

I wish I could hire myself, let alone another to help with something like this... but especially the videos would only be done best by the one who made the program/sep method etc, so that's me as well.   

Please be patient while I attempt to get all the stuff I know out of my brain and into some videos with SSR... Tom is my friend first and foremost and I don't want to let him down, but especially don't want to hurt his reputation over something of my involvement, and although this surely already does let him down and affect him... but more so the users I know that I need to give you all something at least just a few good basic videos about the modes and options and how to bring your seps to rip from the layers or channels etc.  I can only be apologetic for the lack of instructions so far and try to get them done ASAP.    Again, I really am to blame for this and I'm sorry for the frustration you experienced over the missed e-mails and opportunities for using the plugin to do your seps... I hope to pull through with some killer videos but actions speak louder than words so until next time, please accept my sincerest apologies.  Thank you.

-Jeff

All I can say is "ditto". I haven't taken a deep breath in months. I also take full blame for my own actions; my staff gets a little pissed at me sometimes, and I'd be lost without them.

Steve
I made a mistake once; I thought I was wrong about something; I wasn't

Offline blue moon

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Re: Simple Seps Raster
« Reply #9 on: August 08, 2013, 09:11:00 AM »
Jeff,

thanx for stepping up and clearing Tom's name!

pierre
Yes, we've won our share of awards, and yes, I've tested stuff and read the scientific papers, but ultimately take everything I say with more than just a grain of salt! So if you are looking for trouble, just do as I say or even better, do something I said years ago!

AdvancedArtist

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Re: Simple Seps Raster
« Reply #10 on: August 08, 2013, 12:31:18 PM »
Well first of all thanks Jeff for clearing this up...

Second Emails!

We definitely have been having issues there, seems they can go into junk mail or just get buried in the list. Due to the OpenTshirts project we get far more than we ever have and most of those are seeking support or have questions relating to open source software. In fact the growth of Opentshirts is the most demanding issues in the business right now. Most or many people do not understand what open source is or how it works. Because it is free open source we get allot of people that do not understand anything about web sites or eCommerce.

As a side note..  To me OT is the most critical project at this time. I have this feeling that the nationals are really looking to become the online WalMarts of screen printing. Most small shops have no idea what to do online, what is going on online or how to protect their territory. The time, money and resources to compete at that level are something most small shops and start ups do not posses. Yet, do google search for custom tshirts syracuse, what do you see? A national targeting a local market. With a better web site than almost all of the locals and design studio integrated. For the nationals its a prefect plan they win the online marketing game and hire you as a contract printer with very low prices and very stringent manufacturing process requirements.

Third Phone Calls!

I am religious about my phone calls and voice mails that is the best way to get a hold of me but you have to leave a message as sometimes I am on the phone with support or sales issues. This is where I spend most of my time these days actually. If it was an SSR PS phone call the voice mail was forwarded to support for SSR PS.

Actually I really enjoy talking with customers and supporting them and they are often very surprised when they get me and not some guy from India on the phone.

But I can see clearly that the days of me talking with customers must come to an end so I have hired a support/service person it will take a few weeks to get them trained and going. This is a step I have really tried to avoid because I really do enjoy talking with customers about their work, business, ideas and plans.




Offline Rockers

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Re: Simple Seps Raster
« Reply #11 on: August 11, 2013, 11:14:16 PM »
I had an issue couple Weeks ago. Bought simple seps few months ago, then recently bought a new pc and needed him to send me the software again. I emailed no answer, so I called got his voicemail. Told him what I needed and he sent it right away. You might give him a call his# is on his contact info webpage
I think calling from Japan might result in a rather high phone bill for us and in the age of email there should be really no need for that.

Offline abchung

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Re: Simple Seps Raster
« Reply #12 on: August 11, 2013, 11:34:11 PM »
I had an issue couple Weeks ago. Bought simple seps few months ago, then recently bought a new pc and needed him to send me the software again. I emailed no answer, so I called got his voicemail. Told him what I needed and he sent it right away. You might give him a call his# is on his contact info webpage

I think calling from Japan might result in a rather high phone bill for us and in the age of email there should be really no need for that.

Have you tried using skype.

http://www.skype.com/en/rates/

Just remember to deactivate your autopay.

Offline blue moon

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Re: Simple Seps Raster
« Reply #13 on: August 12, 2013, 12:57:20 AM »
I had an issue couple Weeks ago. Bought simple seps few months ago, then recently bought a new pc and needed him to send me the software again. I emailed no answer, so I called got his voicemail. Told him what I needed and he sent it right away. You might give him a call his# is on his contact info webpage

I think calling from Japan might result in a rather high phone bill for us and in the age of email there should be really no need for that.

Have you tried using skype.

http://www.skype.com/en/rates/

Just remember to deactivate your autopay.

http://yro.slashdot.org/story/13/07/11/2041244/ms-handed-nsa-access-to-encrypted-chat-email
 >>
"Microsoft helped the NSA to circumvent its encryption to address
concerns that the agency would be unable to intercept web chats on the
new Outlook.com portal. The agency already had pre-encryption stage
access to email on Outlook.com, including Hotmail. The company worked
with the FBI this year to allow the NSA easier access via Prism to its
cloud storage service SkyDrive, which now has more than 250 million
users worldwide. Microsoft also worked with the FBI's Data Intercept
Unit to "understand" potential issues with a feature in Outlook.com that
allows users to create email aliases. Skype, which was bought by
Microsoft in October 2011, worked with intelligence agencies last year
to allow Prism to collect video of conversations as well as audio.
Material collected through Prism is routinely shared with the FBI and
CIA, with one NSA document describing the program as a "team sport"."
<<

not that I have anything to hide, but being monitored is not my cup of tea. . .

pierre
Yes, we've won our share of awards, and yes, I've tested stuff and read the scientific papers, but ultimately take everything I say with more than just a grain of salt! So if you are looking for trouble, just do as I say or even better, do something I said years ago!

Offline Rockers

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Re: Simple Seps Raster
« Reply #14 on: August 28, 2013, 07:48:15 PM »
Hello Rockers.     :(

First of all this is really all my fault you have to realize this, I can't let Tom get blamed for something I started and didn't finish really yet (doing tutorial videos, support etc).    The SimpleSeps Raster for Photoshop project is my own creation from the ground up and from the beginning I intended to release tutorials long before now... even for the CorelDraw version... Tom was able to do some quickstart tutorials for the newer upgrade, but I have another point release with newer features I wanted to get out... lots of bug testing, needs in-depth tutorials by me because I am the one doing all the wacky HSB separation methods... then I jumped over to do the photoshop version and I am still trying to put this whole Sep to Rip and some other manual halftone/index features in there... but I have let it go far too long without any tutorials online for it even in a basic way...   

But please blame me and not Tom for all this.  It's my fault for the let-down in support or training for the adobe and really the corel version too, I think Tom was even forwarding the e-mails based on SSR over to me for support etc. so he may have assumed I had handled everything that comes my way over this.   

I know that Tom cannot really get to the adobe-based videos like he does with Corel because with SSR for photoshop it is my own project completely and he is not familiar with how to make the halftones or output to rip or really all the latest features of Photoshop CS6 and CC etc.   The layer-seps is not intended to be given to a screenprint shop to output, but used for professional and accurate adjustments and compensations before viewing the seps individually for output or conversion... but I assumed a lot of people would know how to make halftones, output seps from photoshop in channels etc...   Then I get too perfectionist and want to add as many possible useful features into the application before release or even after, in order to expand what I could do when recording a tutorial.   But the tutorial or instructional videos have gotten set back too much although it was my responsibility all along, as well as the support especially for the adobe version, and I have not risen to the challenge like I should have, although you need to understand I am just a person, not a business... I can only apologize for this delay in training and the lack of support.  I don't have any excuse or reasons that would make sense or be appropriate to share with the forum.

   The blame lies with me, and the plugin has been removed from the AdvancedTshirts website because Tom does not want to have a product up that I am not going to support or make training videos for... or until I do make videos and instructions for it, etc, and I don't blame him because I have been saying the videos will be out for months now.   I really want to add some automated halftone and RIP features because I think it's a critical part of the process and needs to be understood how it affects the prints, plus you don't need a software "RIP" to do the screening just for any potential inkjet density on film outputs... but there are tricks to get rich black prints from your rip outputs...and then again is this the printers responsibility or should I write these rich-black options into the automated photoshop rip?    Of course the plugin as it stands works amazing when the best angles and RIP settings are used and even without adjustments just picking the colors you need from the sep option you run, and making the rip/film/screens. And the funny part is of course how the channel-seps can look horrible yet still be the perfect mathematic mixtures for the inks, because channels are inherently incapable of showing the separations accurately. Layer-seps are kind of meant for more professional users but again I have not shown anything in video on how to use this plugin so I understand the frustration.  And even though a few professionals are finding it to be an amazing help in their separations and methods or procedures of their own, and although you can just output the channels in most Rips and photoshop has built-in black/white conversion... I now understand more about the users and what they really need in this plugin (Tom has it in his own SimpleSeps 3 app for Corel), and also for me to at least attempt to educate and show what the plugin is used for, what it is doing to an image, and the color separation process etc.. but the halftone and print techniques are also part of it.  So I want to include a free upgrade for current users and with the videos show how to go straight to ripped separations that is much better for the beginner to color separations, and sometimes they end up the best seps which nobody even believes at this point because they haven't seen the proof I have seen already... that one-click separations directly to rip can come out flawless with any image and the printer just has to output and print good films and screens, use the standard but hsb-based inks... so this is not in the current version as far as the automation of the ripping techinques and seps to halftones or diffusions, and I find it to be one of the most helpful methods in separations to see very easily with 1 click, a finished set of separations ripped and ready to output, but in color as a halftone preview so you can actually work with those to copy/paste them and merge down.  But this is basic knowledge to a color separator all this working with channel gradients to output to halftone rip film devices etc.., not to a printer or artist always but its part of the pre-press foundations especially your dot-gain measurements and pattern tests etc.

In the meantime... getting caught up in these internet forums because I started this whole mess with my crazy HSB witch-craft in the first place, and being a bit of a technical/creative person... I found I am great at writing these procedures and coming up with great techniques for screenprint separations, but not so great at making youtube tutorial videos and doing support (free separations and personal training)... but I can work bugs out when I realize they are there, you try to prevent making them but when upgrading or fixing one part another may get affected that was unintended etc... there is a lot more that goes into writing the automation of the separation than I can get into in a message.   But anyway.. I am not defending myself, only Tom because all of this is over my own failure to provide the training and support of the Adobe version of SSR.   I'm not a business just a person, not even a color separator or graphic artist these days etc.    I put everything I know about color separation into these plugins.  But I need to also teach and show where, why, how, what etc. And I think all the rip sequencing is a really innovative approach I have that delivers far better results than anything else out there... but again the more I try to put features into the plugin the more I am delaying the current version training... so I have to just put the brakes on and do some tutorials.

I am humbled by the reach of my efforts but also disappointed in myself at my failure to follow through.  But please don't take this out on Tom aka AdvancedArtist this is my fault for the SSR Adobe delays.

I am sorry for the frustration and discouragement you've had over this.  I hope I can make it up to you with the improvements to the plugin but also the training on how to work with what you already purchased.   It does automatically create a lot of things you can just output to films if you set the dot angles good for the color blends with your rip method or rip software... but I think the training should include how to manually create rips, as well as the plugin should have the automated ones... so I suppose I have just let it go far too long without the original version getting it's proper training and support. 

I wish I could hire myself, let alone another to help with something like this... but especially the videos would only be done best by the one who made the program/sep method etc, so that's me as well.   

Please be patient while I attempt to get all the stuff I know out of my brain and into some videos with SSR... Tom is my friend first and foremost and I don't want to let him down, but especially don't want to hurt his reputation over something of my involvement, and although this surely already does let him down and affect him... but more so the users I know that I need to give you all something at least just a few good basic videos about the modes and options and how to bring your seps to rip from the layers or channels etc.  I can only be apologetic for the lack of instructions so far and try to get them done ASAP.    Again, I really am to blame for this and I'm sorry for the frustration you experienced over the missed e-mails and opportunities for using the plugin to do your seps... I hope to pull through with some killer videos but actions speak louder than words so until next time, please accept my sincerest apologies.  Thank you.

-Jeff
Any news on the tutorials? Would assume this was now enough time to get some done.