Textile Print Design workflow to create different colour options and jagged / rough line issues

Forum|Forum|5 years ago
August 26, 2020
3 replies
303 views

Hi everyone,

I am working on a textile print design.

I design my print elements on AI, then, paste them into photoshop as a pixel - I am aware of vector to pixel conversion and I have no issue with that. I compose and build my prints on photoshop. I merge all elements and then I make my print repeat - vertical and horizontal. Then, the issue appears when it comes to colourways. When I create colourways and change the colours either by making a selection with the magic wound or indexed colour mode/ colour table - it gets jagged edges and it affects my print quality. And "Hue/ Saturation Layer Mask “ works better but doesn’t help me to change it a specific colour code such as RGB which is the goal.

I'd like to learn what is the best way to change colours of my print to a specific colour code without getting jagged edges and I also appreciate if you can suggest any better workflow in terms of creating colourways.
I am open to your suggestions and any thoughts would be appreciated.

P.S - my first post in here, I attached some visuals to communicate the issue better - lines before changing colours and after. Pls let me know if you need any more detail to answer 🙂

This topic has been closed for replies.

Myra Ferguson

Community Expert

Here's one way you could change your colors easily after you've made your pattern Try turning the various parts of your pattern into layer masks on separate layers to reveal the color you want for each rasterized shape. Layer masks use anti-aliasing, so your shapes will be smooth. Here's the process:

You can use whichever selection tool you prefer to select individual shapes that correspond to 1 color.
If you have multiple shapes of the same color, Shift + select them.
With the selection active, make a new layer (click the 2nd icon from the right at the bottom of the Layers panel) and add a layer mask (click the 3rd icon from the left at the bottom of the Layers panel).
Select the image thumbnail on the left (as opposed to the Layer mask thumbnail on the right) on the layer and fill it with whatever color you want.
Repeat this process for each rasterized shape (or group of rasterized shapes that use the same color).
When you want to change a shape's color, fill click on the image thumbnail for that layer and fill it with your new color.

Myra Ferguson

Community Expert

Instead of copying your graphic from Illustrator and pasting as pixels in Photoshop, try pasting it as a smart object. If you're defining a pattern in Photoshop, you can still make it with a smart object. However, once the pattern is applied it will be rasterized, so you'll still have the same issues. So you might need to make your pattern manually with the smart objects. If you prefer to work with a raster graphic, start with a larger resolution to make the jagged edges less apparent.

It does sound like you'd be better off using Illustrator to make your pattern. It'll be a vector graphic, and you can change your colors there more easily. When you copy from Illustrator and paste into Photoshop as pixels, the graphic is transformed from vectors to pixels. In order to create smooth curves and transitions in color, a raster image uses anti-aliasing. The anti-aliasing is what is making it difficult to change the color. If you've turned it into an indexed image, the problem is intensified because the number of colors is limited and anti-aliasing, the raster graphic trick for making a smooth edge, may not work depending on the colors in your color lookup table.

C

Candide.SAuthor

Participant

Hello,

Thank you for your asnwer 🙂
I tried using Smart Object. For creating the repeat, I have to merge them and that process rasterizes them as you mentioned. And, creating them manually, unfortunately is not an option for me as I am seeking to create seamless print repeat.
Thank you so much informing me about anti-alising and indexed image as I couldn't make sense of the intensified rough lines. I am aware that vectoral to pixel conversion of the process and I have actually no problem with that as I included in the attachment of smooth edges when I first paste the art work on photoshop. My problem is the jagged edges I get when I would like to change its colour and apply a specific colour code in my pattern repeat in order to create colourways. So, I am seeking a selection technique or any other tool possible which can let me change my colours while maintaining the existing quality.

JJMack

Community Expert

If you place in you AI design files your .ai or .svg file into a Photoshop document they will be vector smart object. While there are no vectors in Photoshop the Vector Smart Objects will be resized using vector graphics using the .ai or .svg file associated with the Vector Smart Object. While you can not change the Pixel in your vector smart object you can add adjustment layer and Smart filters to the Smart object layer to color the layers pixels.

JJMack

C

Candide.SAuthor

Participant

Thank you very much for your time and reply,

I tried smart object and unfortunately is not an option for me as it rasterised when I have to merge them to create print repeats.

JJMack

Community Expert

Printers print pixels that their lifetime job they are not vector plotters. It does not matter what software you use you print file will be raster image.

JJMack

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