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screen printing => Separations => Topic started by: myseps on February 25, 2015, 03:31:40 PM
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Here is a color separation technique that I like using CMYK and a Photoshop feature called "Calculations". Learn how to find and separate the following 9 colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Purple, Red, Green, Gray, Black, and White
http://youtu.be/EVubg0o_6ig (http://youtu.be/EVubg0o_6ig)
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Awesome, thanks man.. 8)
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What if grey wasn't so simple to clean up.
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What if grey wasn't so simple to clean up.
Good question. Another way to clean up the grey is to create a mask from a selection using your layers. (This is where having good layers can be helpful)
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As a way to illustrate the technique, this video was great, but I feel like you should have included something that wasn't a straightforward spot color image, or should create a followup video showing the technique applied to something more complex to show any quirks that might show up (like Gilligan mentioned). For spot color art I end up using select color or magic wand with contiguous unchecked more often than not, and it works perfectly well on an image like in the video and takes basically no time at all. Obviously this is superior for complex art and shows a cool technique, but I would love to see how you would approach other kinds of art.
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Thanks for the suggestion! Im new to making these tutorial videos, but it's something i'd like to continue and contribute to the community.
I don't suggest using Color range or magic wand to select colors for your separation, as it often will be unable to select enough of the color, leaving a gap between colors (or too much color, causing the need to clean up more). This method works the best for me to get the most accurate separation possible. This method also applies to complex artwork as well.
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Yeah, it's awesome to get a better grasp of how to use these tools... but seeing them work on a more complicated subject would probably provide more of that "Ah Ha!" moment.
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Thanks for the suggestion! Im new to making these tutorial videos, but it's something i'd like to continue and contribute to the community.
I don't suggest using Color range or magic wand to select colors for your separation, as it often will be unable to select enough of the color, leaving a gap between colors (or too much color, causing the need to clean up more). This method works the best for me to get the most accurate separation possible. This method also applies to complex artwork as well.
I would say that depends on the tolerance you set in those tools, and the quality of the art. Typically I don't have to do much if any editing, though if I do it is usually to toss on a stroke to create a trap here and there. If you use default tolerance (32 I think) it will definitely cause issues with either method. Color range is a whole different beast though.
I just wanted to reiterate that the video is awesome and I think we all appreciate it! Only wanted to suggest showing a more real work application, even if it is brief and less annotated, at the end or in a follow up.
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O
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It may be the wrong place but I would like to publicly ask for your hand...or your photoshop knowledges hand in marriage.
LOLOL
Great vid man. I'm all over it.
Thanks
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Seps I know your a master sepper, but I'm seen many vids and some of greats in this industry use the color range even some the good sep programs use color range. I would like to see more vids from you ,I'm with everyone else that would like to see a complex image's colors pulled the way you did in this vid. Some images have those fat color's hanging out there which would make it very easy to sep spot colors, but the hard stuff is what I think we all would like to get an edge on. While picking colors for seps is our goal what about getting rid of the background or removing color in hard places I know I've been using the the background eraser.
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I read about calculations years ago in Bert Monroy's Channel Chops book and he did some talks on it's use at a couple of NAPP workshops. I had kinda forgot about it. Thanks.
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I saw this and started digging around on his youtube site and ran across this...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Oy_GZlxtHg (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Oy_GZlxtHg)
talk about a lot of work that goes into making a great sep... for now, I'll continue sending off to him when we need to do quality separation work... well worth what he charges, and the results have spoken for themselves many times now.
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talk about a lot of work that goes into making a great sep... for now, I'll continue sending off to him when we need to do quality separation work... well worth what he charges, and the results have spoken for themselves many times now.
Absolutely!
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I liked that video Scott. I do things similarly but differently at the same time.
My favorite part was your use of screening in calculations, that's one I don't use often and should. In fact, I don't think I understand even 10% of what calculations can do yet it, along with the basic use of channels, is probably the most critical function in PS for me.
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I saw this and started digging around on his youtube site and ran across this...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Oy_GZlxtHg (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Oy_GZlxtHg)
talk about a lot of work that goes into making a great sep... for now, I'll continue sending off to him when we need to do quality separation work... well worth what he charges, and the results have spoken for themselves many times now.
I've always felt that a lot of work goes into anything great, that's what makes it great. I also enjoyed the vid, as I learned this tool many years ago, it's just a big tool in the toolbox. I use it all the time, super handy. By the way, what about a nice orange? I like to use orange spots as well when needed. However, it's a rhetorical question, it's easy enough to extrapolate from what you've laid out. Nice work and great sharing.
Steve
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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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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!
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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