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Does anybody know how to find a tutorial to color separate before sending to silk-screening? do I have to start with RGB and covert to CMYK or can I just start with CMYK? so lost....plssss help...
The best thing to do is design it in an illustrator program that uses vectors like Corel or Illustrator (lines and objects) and fill them with spot (pms) colors. Otherwise CMYK will do but you really need to ask your printer/separator what they prefer.
The separation process can be very simple to extremely complex. If you are separating spot color vector artwork for printing on a white shirt. It can be very simple. The Other extreme is simulated process on dark shirts. There are third party rips and plugins that automate the process but they are far from perfect and a working knowledge of manually separating files is required to deal with all but the simplest files. Screenprinting institute has some dvd tutorials as well as their plugins and rips. Great dane Graphics is another. Their are others but I recomend you get a basic sep tutorial first. Sorry I couldn't give you a more cut and dry answer. but this industry is one of the few that has not been automated and streamlined, it still has an artisan type of culture. Thats the reason direct to garment is being promoted so heavily.
Simulated process and index seps can be very tricky. 3rd party separation software is a very good start. To learn how, you've gotta put some hours in. Master photoshop or buy some software.
If your doing spot colors, it can stay RGB. If your doing 4 color process then CMYK. All depends on the art being printed. It really isn't that hard to do and you can find many video tutorials online. Try youtube or google for starters.
the desing or image you wanted to print decides how you will attack it on silkscreen printing. when it's flat or we say "vector" then its easy, but when its some kind of picture or a photo design then you can split it through cmyk, but colors will change a bit from rgb into cmyk which you may find out a bit dull for cmyk. the nxt problem is the halftoning, bcoz only through halftoning that you can interpret a photo design into t shirt printing.
just ask where are u at the stage of silkscreen knowledge and we will start from there, i can be of help,, with precision...
hi mot, will you please give us a step by step procedures on how to color separate a picture. i know now how to halftone (thanks to t-shirt forum). please begin with the cmyk thing. thank you in advance
I've been a color separator for 15 years. The other post were correct, select an in-expensive software{actions} for photoshop. I suggest using that to get the general idea. You'll never get photo realistic seps from Adobe or coreldraw programs. Photoshop is the most powerful separating toll you can use.
I have been working with seps for 2 weeks now. Its pretty complicated even for someone with years of PS & AI experience. There are some great tutorials here of course, but if you are visual, use youtube and work a file right alongside and pause the video. There is a cool one for sim process solid color seps from a forum user and one from Ryan/Ryonet sales guy with a complicated gradient motorhead image.
Good luck I am learning too.
I've been a color separator for 15 years. The other post were correct, select an in-expensive software{actions} for photoshop. I suggest using that to get the general idea. You'll never get photo realistic seps from Adobe or coreldraw programs. Photoshop is the most powerful separating toll you can use.
pls teach us how to color separate using photoshop. thank you
color separation for silk-screening 
Re: color separation for silk-screening 
