Here you fucks go...multi channel seperations

[RichieGoodtimes]

This is one of my Sim Process Methods. The easiest to explain. Some of you smart guys might be able to put this to use. I'll put this over at the API dealie too.

1. Scan or Open your Image in Photoshop (I'm using 7.0) You want the resolution at final print size to be at least 200 dpi. I usually work at 300. Correct the image as you normally would for process work, but oversaturate it slightly.

2. Analyze the image for specific colors. Try to determine what colors should be in a limited color palette. Don't forget Gray as a very important color that is not always an obvious part of a design.

3. Make a duplicate of the original file for a work file and save the original.

4. Open the original file.

5. Convert the image to Indexed Color -
Mode=Indexed Color.
Colors=23 (Photoshop will only allow you 24 channels. The first channel is the Index Channel, leaving you 23 Spot channels.)
Palette=Local (Selective)
Forced Colors=Black & White
Transparency CHECKED OFF
Dither=Diffusion 100%

6. Preview the design. It may appear very posterized until you zoom in to see the image more closely.

7. Each "color" must now be made into a separate Channel. Start with the dominant colors as if you are creating Index Separations. Zoom in to the design. Use Select/Color Range to select a color, with the Fuzziness set at 0. In the Channels Pallete under the arrow in the top right corner select New Spot Channel. Name this channel “1" and make it 255 green with an Opacity of 100. Select another color and name it "2" with the same 255 green at 100%. Repeat this until you have 23 channels and the Index Channel is "Greened Out".

8. In the Channels Pallette, highlight channel "1". Select All. Copy. Create a new Greyscale document. Since you copied the first channel, this new document should, by default, be the exact same size and resolution as your Indexed file. Paste your first channel into the new greyscale document.

9. At this point you should have 3 files open. The original for referrence, the Indexed file with 23 channels, and the new file.

10. The new document must now be changed to Multichannel.
Mode=Multichannel
This channel is now a Spot Color and can be named whatever color it is. (I usually start with Black) Give it an opacity of 0%

11. For explanations sake, lets name the original file ORIGINAL, the indexed file INDEX and the multichannel file MULTI.

THIS IS WHERE IT GETS SOMEWHAT COMPLICATED AND HARD TO EXPLAIN WITHOUT A VISUAL AID.

12. In MULTI, under the Select Menu choose Load Selection and choose the channel in INDEX named 2. Lets say 2 corresponds to 100% PMS 186 (Red)

13. In the Channels Pallete under the arrow in the top right corner select New Spot Channel. Make this channel PMS 186 with an Opacity of 0%. At this point there should be 2 channels, Black and PMS 186.

14. Now lets say channel 3 in INDEX corresponds to 100% PMS 116(Yellow). Repeat step 12 with channel 3, making it PMS 116 at 0% opacity.

15. Now lets say the channel 4 in INDEX corresponds to an Orange color. Load channel 4 but do not create a new channel in MULTI. Color theory tells us that Red and Yellow will make orange.

15a. I forgot. Reorder the channels in the Channel Pallete into a logical print order. So put PMS 116 (Yellow) first, PMS 186 (Red) second and Black last. (Lightest to darkest, like process)

16. You now have channel 4 for loaded and the channels properly ordered. To make orange from red and yellow, on the PMS 116 channel fill your selected area with 100% BLACK. (Not yellow. EACH Channel represents a FILM in a multichannel document. Click off the red and black channels to see that the Yellow Channel is really a separate greyscale image.) Do not deselect the selection.

17. Select the PMS 186 channel in the Channels Pallete. To make Orange fill the selected area with, lets say, 50% Black. Click on all channels in MULTI and you should see black, red, yellow, and orange. That's 4 colors, made with 3 channels.

18. Now let's say channel 5 is a gold (not quite orange but not quite yellow) repeat steps 16 and 17 but only fill the PMS 186 channel with 25% Black this time. Now you have 5 colors with 3 channels.

That's pretty much the theory behind it, in an oversimplifed manner. Like just about everything in screen printing this completely depends on the Image. It just doesn't work for everything.

[Stainboy Reinel]

Cool. Thanks Richie. Not being very comfortable in Photoshop, this helps me out a bit.

[Cody Pomeroy]

this really deserved more responses.

[robschwager]

DuuuuuDE....

yer like givin' away all the SECRETS......

[bdix]

no mention of Budweiser. what kind of method doesn't mention Budweiser?

[bwhitla]

bookmarked!

[kozik]

Elroi pm'd me to say your WRONG

[IVARTON]

Tired of repeating yourself huh?
Thanks dude..... its amazing the amount of different methods you can use.

[bongalong]

thanks for explaning this process, learnd something useful again on GP.

a while back you explained how to seperate a file for printing with only red and blue ink, which when printed looked like more colors. Thanks again, that really helped me.

i always have an ear open when you share your trade secrets.

cheers.

oli

[strawberryluna]

THANK YOU RICHIE!

i have a file all set that i'd like to try and work out this way. i typically sort of monkey-job it up with hand drawn transparencies and layers merged into a mess.

i may have questions for you at a later time. you rule for posting this.