How to properly set up a CMYK image with a spot color channel

Forum|Forum|6 years ago
April 23, 2019
2 replies
1251 views

Hello I'm working on some colourful portrait images that are printing bright CMYK and one spot (PMS 804 - orange). They are rather psychedelic in tone. How do I properly change them from RGB to CMYK + 1 spot and retain the vibrancy and layering effect. I know how to create a spot channel for the PMS 804 but I'm having issues retaining the images overall look. Please see image attached.

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Norman Sanders

Legend

This image requires 3 plates: Green (1) , Magenta (2), and Orange (3). The face modeling and hair color looks different from the magenta shirt color because it is a magenta and orange overprint. (Unless specified, printing ink is transparent.)

Since you supplied a composite image I used Lab Color' a channel to create the Magenta and the Green image and the b channel to create the Orange image. Since this will be printed in flat color rather than values of. process colors you can expect a more robust, dramatic result. This is a thee-color printing job. I suggest you specify the colors by their PMS numbers.

(I didn't realize you had this art preseparated already when I read your initial inquiry. Certainly use your own layers.)

c.pfaffenbichler

Community Expert

The green looks like a particularly ill fit for 4C process printing.

Abambo

Community Expert

I simply assume you are using Photoshop. Discussion successfully moved from Adobe Creative Cloud to Photoshop.

You should describe step by step how you intend to convert an RGB image to CMYK+Spot.

How do the colours »mix-up » with your spot colour?

ABAMBO | Hard- and Software Engineer | Photographer

R

rostettoAuthor

Participating Frequently

Right now the image is divided in layers, purple, green, orange (spot) and yellow above it. The layers blend to produce the image. We are going to use the orange as the spot channel but I’m not sure how to have it blend with the others to produce this outcome. I was just going to convert to CMYK as I normally do through the mode option.

c.pfaffenbichler

Community Expert

What is the printing process – offset, silkscreen, …?

The colors can behave differently and need to be separated accordingly (trapping, overprinting, …).

Check with your print provider.

And beware: Proofing processes will likely not provide reliable results for mixing spot colors (and process colors) and actual in-machine test-runs may be necessary.

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