Converting CMYK (Magenta) to a line color while keeping percentages?

[jefwgraphics]

Hello all,
I'm posting on the chance I'm missing something obvious (because at first thought this seems like it should be easy), but I'm thinking there is no solution to this.
I've also posted to Reddit and Discord, and have not gotten a good answer (yet).

Here we go! 🙂

New document.
Create a square (doesn't matter how big).
Color it with a fill of 25% Magenta (NOT the Pantone Magenta, but using the slider(s) in the color window.
Duplicate it, and change that color to 50%, duplicate again 75% and finally 100% Magenta.
So you have 4 squares, ALL Magenta, but with differnt percentages.
Is there a way to select all 4 squares at once, and convert the CMYK (Magenta only) to a spot color (just as an example Pantone 485 (red). So you end up with a square at 25% Pantone 485, 50% of 485, 75, and 100% of 485.

I've gone through several of the "Edit > Edit Colors..." and can't find one that seems to work.

More details:
This all stems from a file I recieved, that looks like someone made a bunch of pink flowers by using Image Trace. Upon selecting the flower images, I saw MOST of the flowers were built with Magenta, with some slight colors of Yellow, Cyan, and K, most under 5%). I was able to recolor the artwork, and easily eliminate all the other colors of Y, C, K, so all the flowers now are some shade (or tint) of Magenta.
But there are (possibly 60+) variations of percentages of Magenta.
So I'm trying to recolor them, but not having to hunt for every possible percentage and having to do them by hand one at a time. (ex: This petal is 22.45% Magenta, change it to Red 485 (which makes it 100%) then go back and change it to 22.45% of 485 - repeat 60+ times).

Appreciate any thoughts.

Note: The Magenta I'm using is NOT a "Global color" nor is it "Pantone Magenta" - If it were Global or a spot color, I know how to use the "Merge colors" and it would be easy. Merge colors does not work with CMYK.

(Illus version 2021 - 25.4.1)

[Jacob Bugge]

jefwgraphics,

You need to turn the magenta into a Global colour; then you can work with tints, and change the colour to another global one as you describe.

You can read on here:

https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/how-to/create-color-swatches.html

[jefwgraphics]

Yep, that's exactly what I'm asking about, thanks.
But the question is still, is there any way to do that, other than having to select every single shape of different percentages and changing them that way.

[Monika Gause]

I think I have seen this discussed in this forum and solved with a script. I can't find it though.

[Bobby Henderson]

Technically speaking, in a CMYK-based document for process printing, a Pantone spot color (such as PMS 485 Red) would be a separate color plate in addition to the four CMYK color plates. You can't (or shouldn't) replace any of the CMYK color plates with a spot color.

[jefwgraphics]

So if your boss said you, "I want to see all those pink flowers in red..." how would you go about it?

[Bobby Henderson]

For starters, I probably wouldn't use a Pantone spot color. Not unless the colors of the pink flowers were flat uniform color. If we're talking about a photo image the flowers would need to be manipulated in Photoshop (isolated with either paths or alpha channels and then re-colored). If the flowers are vector-based items they can have their fills changed in a variety of methods. But I would stick with CMYK-based fills, especially if any gradations were involved.

[Jacob Bugge]

jefwgraphics,

I am certain that it can be done with a script, whether existing or one yet to be created.

The script that could cover any further change, would find and select all instances of a single ink colour of your choice, Magenta only in this case, define a Global swatch as 100M or similar with your choice of name, and then apply that Global colour to each with a tint that is the same in % as the original value in M (25M > 25%). Then you could just change the Global swatch to get the new set.

The following is the way I should use based on % of M, also to cover any further change, as long as no script is available:

1) Create a 100K square and turn it into a Global swatch called Petal;

2A) Select one of the petal colours (you can start in the dark end), then (create and) run an Action that finds the other identical ones, (Select>Same>Fill Color), and remember the M value;

2B) With the Eyedropper Tool, Click the Petal swatch rectangle and insert the M value as % tint;

3) Repeat 2A)-2B) for all the other petal colours until they are all greyish, no more Magenta;

4) DoubleClick the Petal swatch and give it the desired new colour;

5) For any new colour range required, just apply 4).

I believe you know roughly how many values/tints you have and thereby how (un)manageable the task would be.

Here is a screenshot showing the way, Magenta to Red+Yellow, the greyish part of the way preserved by rasterizing:

Click/RightClick to see in full, Click again to get closer

[jefwgraphics]

Thanks. Ultimately that still requires the manual selecting of all the different tints, and that's what I was hoping to avoid. After not getting any decent solutions I just bit the bullet and went ahead and did it all manually (using Select same appearance). Tedious, but it's done now. 🙂
Appreciate the resposne though!

[Jacob Bugge]

You are welcome, jefwgraphics.

At least with a Global colour and tints it is over, whichever number of times you are asked to change it again.

[Brad @ Roaring Mouse · Accepted solution]

Here's a trick of sorts. Since you are more concerned about relative conversions, you can get closer percentage matches by doing this:

Change your Colour Setting temporarily to Emulate Illustrator 6. This removes any modern colour management.

Now Recolor. Select all your artwork then go to Edit Colour > Recolor with Preset > Single Colour. Select your spot library. Select your spot colour. Click OK. In most cases the percentages will be right on... maybe out by 1%.

Set your Color Settings back to your normal workflow.

[jefwgraphics]

By George, I think you got it!! 🙂
Thanks so much Brad @ Roaring Mouse For this tip. I have yet to try it on my original "flower" image, but on my test of using the 25%, 50%, 75%, 100% Magenta, it worked like a charm.