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Hi everyone. Just in the process of setting up our business. Right now just trying to study as many techniques as possible. We're not interested in 4 colour process or index, but want to use spot colour designs as will as simulated process.
I'll start by sharing a bunch of tutorials i've found online, so that i'm not just leeching...
I've studied all these articles, but really need more information as it seems there is so many different methods that need to be used, dependant on the design.
Can anyone poiint me towards any more articles/videos or even books and dvds to buy?
I am already prepared for some replies saying nYears experience necessary/trial and error etc. I will be spending as much time as necessary with this, but just looking for as much helpful advice/articles as I can get.
Those are probably the best articles online you've already found for sim process. As you've already mentioned experience and trial and error play a big part as each design is different and the techniques need to be tweaked. Allot of doing a sim process sep is knowing photoshop well (all the different tools, layers, channels, ect..). You're on the right track with those articles.
Any reason why you're not doing index or process printing? These are 2 techniques that are often good options depending on the design and garment.
Thanks for the reply. I've seen some index and cmyk designs, most of which i haven't been too impressed with. It seems to be a lot harder to achieve a 'good' end result with these methods. There are also issues such as accuracy of registration, inconsistency and lack of colour vibrancy. Of course, i have no experience and just reciting advice i've either been told, or that i've already read on my www travels.
I am just starting up my shop as well and have reviewed many of the articles and videos on sim proc. printing.
One thing I have been doing on a regular (daily) basis is downloading various images of different difficulty/complexity and going thru the process of separating them using the different techniques. I am finding that the method you use will very much depend on how complex the image is.
Some are simple graphics that can easily be converted to vector and separate from there, while others require many more steps in separating into several channels and then merging some channels back together that share similar color. I definitely feel much more comfortable going forward using sim. proc. even though I have yet to print my first test job.
Even though you may not print some of these, I would find various images online and practice with them over and over. I have found that sometimes it is best using Photoshop to separate the channels while the image is in RGB, while other times I use CMYK or even LAB. It all depends on the colors used and how well they can be separated.
Cheers,
Tracy
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I've been doing the same, except I think I've been going a bit over the top choosing very detailed and colourful photos. I figure that if i can master the most advanced techniques, then the rest will be easy.
I've been doing the same, except I think I've been going a bit over the top choosing very detailed and colourful photos. I figure that if i can master the most advanced techniques, then the rest will be easy.
Andy
ps - also libertarian
Thanks...I wish you luck as well.
I think one of the most difficult portions of doing this is taking something that is full color with thousands of variants of color down to under 10. I will be limited to 6 as I just had my 6 color 6 station press delivered today.
Now the fun part of putting it all together.
It will simply be impossible to get the detail and color range you need to replicate some images. I also purchased a set of process inks, as I will be testing how well I can produce sell-able shirts using that method.
I have read where some add a bit of opaque ink to each of their process inks to bring out the vibrancy in color, but that kinda seems like it would counter the transparent properties for generating the correct colors of the overlaying dots. Something to play around with, I guess.
Cheers
Tracy
__________________
Libertarians are the only individuals that do not want to restrict freedoms.
We'll be using a 6 colour carousel too, so will be facing the same challenges.
I'm not finding it so difficult to separate colours in designs that have clear contrasting colours, but am having a lot of difficulty with images that have a lot of similar colours. For example, as an experiment i was trying to split apart the colours of a zombie, but his flesh had light and dark browns, green, dark red, all blended and textured together in places. The color range tool just wasn't working because the colors weren't that clearly defined and a lot of the colours blended into one another or were similar tones. This is where the articles don't seem to help and I get a bit stuck. I can see that technically, the design can be done in just a few colors, but I don't really know how to achieve the end result.
The only system i've found that seems to work is by half toning the image first and then re-colouring it, but it's just not very convincing and i'm sure can be done better.
It seems as though we have come to the same area of difficulty.
I'm trying to do my best at avoiding those expensive plug-ins for PS, and wonder exactly how they would benefit, as I understand that they can't necessarily provide good seps at just 6 channels either.
As I move forward with my testing, I will keep you up to date with any successes and hopefully we can find a method that works for us.
Cheers,
Tracy
__________________
Libertarians are the only individuals that do not want to restrict freedoms.
yeh the plugins and separations programs not only seem really expensive, but i'm not sure i believe that they could do a better job than an experienced human with artistic vision. Besides, I know that it is possible to do brilliant seps in photoshop and i would much sooner spend 1000 bucks of my time trying to figure it out than 1000 bucks on software that may not offer the most desirable end result.
the biggest thing beginner printers overlook is their Rip, Film quality and the actual printing ability.
I have seen perfect seps pinted like crap by niovice printers, and horrendous seps look like works of art by veteran printers.
The spot solor simulated sep can very easily be done in straight photoshop, without the aid of expensive plugins and programs, it just takes practice....practice...practice, and a comfort level that will only come with experience.
I have a bunch of so-so tutorial videos on my site, if you are looking for walk throughs...with the channel mixer.
Any issues such as accuracy of registration, inconsistency and lack of colour vibrancy...are strictly a printing side problem. As long as your 100% areas are 100% black on your sep film on screen it will reproduce as such.
Channel Mixer and Gradient Map work great, nearly always.
Color Range is spotty and doesn't produce good results if you have mixing of colors....works great for art that has minimal mixing though...Blues, Tans, purples, oranges and Greens blending in sunsets, flames and skin will put an end to the color range fast.
Index Seps can produce a good result, but it is very dated, and limited by gradients as well.
CMYK is expensive and very esy to screw up....you need to be very very good to do it right and have it bright. Plus you will usually need a White & grey spot anyways...and your print will look purpley on occasion.
Sep'ing is an art form in itself, and there are tons of ways to do it.
Simulated Process... Help??! 
