Problem changing colours to art brushes - Illustrator CS6

[rickh-timelord]

Greetings!

For a large branding project I have produced a set of illustrated backgrounds that have been created using bespoke art brushes which I then saved in a Graphics Style swatch. Because we’ve had to change the colours from the original set I thought it cleaner that I expand the artwork and change the colours that way. We need 4 colour variations for each set. The problem has been that this has made the files huge. So big it’s becoming a real issue working with them.

So plan A was to create patterns out of the initial illustrated tile. This helped with file handling but time spent saving is becoming ridiculous.

Plan B was to change the original files with all the effects intact. I’ve managed to colorise in the art brush option box under Hue shift. I’ve highlighted the colours I want in my swatches folder and all seemed to be working splendidly. However I decided to test a press quality pdf from this file and the colours are now different in every CMYK channel. Even spot colours are coming out as process files. I’ve tested this through Indesign too and the same result. I’ve checked that my Creative Suite and Acrobat colour management is all synchronised and it is. So all I can think is that it’s the colorising that is giving me a false colour.

Any help would be most appreciated. We are upgrading to CC in a few weeks so I don’t know if that might help. The problem is I need to resolve this asap really and I’m going grey very fast 😉

Many thanks

[Monika Gause]

Please show examples of what you're talking about.

[rickh-timelord]

Hi I appreciate you looking at this.

Screen captures in sequence. Everything seems fine in Illustrator until I open up a saved press quality pdf. It's even changed from spot to process.

[Kurt Gold]

Can you provide a sample .ai file? It would be sufficient if it contained just one single object, preferably one live brush object and an expanded one.

Also, what PDF Export settings are you using in detail. Are you using one of the default PDF Export presets?

[Kurt Gold]

Rereading your request a bit more carefully, I just realized that you are using the Hue Shift colorization method. That method will not maintain spot colours, as far as I know. You can check that right in Illustrator with the Separation Preview palette.

Based on your screenshots you can probably use the Tints colorization method that should respect the spot colours in any case.

As mentioned, a sample file may still be helpful.

[rickh-timelord]

I'm struggling to upload my .ai files. Forgive me if this is obvious. Is there another way to get them to you?

In answer your questions:

The PDF export was set to Press quality.

I do realise that the original was designed for web use so the brushes are RGB. The issues we're having are for print so may be converting to CMYK is a problem. I was hoping that colorising might be the same as changing a colour in the usual way. The .ai file is CMYK.

I have tried using the Tint setting in colorize but it doesn't make any changes. Only Hue Shift works. I do wonder if this is because the original brushes were created in RGB.

As for the Separation Preview in Illustrator, I don't appear to have that. I think it's because we have CS6 and this may be a feature in CC? We're upgrading in a couple of months so I'll find out 😉

Thanks for your help...

[Monika Gause]

We usually can't solve these kinds of problems by turning on our crystal balls.

So in case you're really interested in a correct answer you might want to post an actual ai file.

Guessing around just wastes our time. And yours as well.

[Mike_Gondek]

Can you post a screenshot in both preview mode and outline mode.

[rickh-timelord]

You can see preview mode above and here is outline mode. Hope this helps....

Thanks 🙂

[Larry G. Schneider]

To further what Monika said, the forum will not take .ai files directly. Please upload the file to a file sharing site like Dropbox and post a link here.

[rickh-timelord]

Hi Larry

Thanks for that info, I couldn't see an obvious way to upload an .ai file as I had tried. Hopefully the link throws some light on this.

Dropbox - Colorising brushes .ai files

Thanks for everyone's time on this, I do appreciate it 🙂

[Ton Frederiks]

Make sure your document is in CMYK mode.

You may then try to select your artwork and choose: Edit > Edit Colors > Recolor Artwork

You can than replace the colors by spot colors from a library that you select at Preset

[rickh-timelord]

A good idea but it didn't seem to work. I recoloured the artwork to the spot colour in the document and it still didn't come out...

[Ton Frederiks]

I just took your file, created a new color group with some Pantone colors in the Swatches panel.

In the Recolor Artwork dialog I have chosen a 1 color job

Double clicked the target and selected Color Swatches in the color picker.

Selected a Pantone from the swatch group clicked OK.

[rickh-timelord]

Hi Ton

Thanks for your last response, sorry for my delayed reply. This has very nearly worked.

I created a new color group and recolored as a 1 color job, then clicked on that group color, saved. I then recolorised the brush within in the graphic style dialogue box in 'tint' and it did indeed change the colour to the chosen spot colour. It actually worked on all the recolorizing settings.

I then saved a press quality pdf and checked the colour separations. This unfortunately is where it's not quite working. 'Hue shift' and 'tint and shade' just created process colours again but the 'tint' setting actually converted the brushes to spot YEAH! However it's only giving me a tint of the spot colour. I've tried all sort of variations with the colour settings etc in Illustrator after that to try to fix this. It's getting closer...

I appreciate your time on this. I'll give it another go tomorrow...

[Ton Frederiks]

There is no need to change the brush.

Just recolor the end result

[defaultl2dcn3pi5o8u]

We actually just experienced this today with some art using a custom brush(not used from Libraries), and was stuck in CMYK when we needed specific spot colors. We had to outline/expand all strokes using that custom brush. Thank goodness for observant platers!

[Ton Frederiks]

Can you share an example .ai file?

[defaultl2dcn3pi5o8u]

Unfortunately, I do not, but while we were digging in to the file, we found changing the colorization method from "Hue Shift" to "Tints" allowed us to get the expected spot color.

[Ton Frederiks]

Good to hear you found the solution.

[Jacob Bugge]

defaultl,

Did you spot this answer to rickh by Kurt on 24th February 2017?

https://community.adobe.com/t5/illustrator-discussions/problem-changing-colours-to-art-brushes-illus...

[defaultl2dcn3pi5o8u]

I didn't but I appreciate you sharing that. We starting trying brush options and fell upon the same solution - just wasn't immediately apparent.

[Jacob Bugge]

defaultl,

It can be difficult to spot everything, said by one that sometimes fails to do it even when it ought to be obvious, such as part of the original post.