Magic Buttons v2.

3
color separation plugin for Adobe Photoshop
Color separation Guide
Compatible with:
Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10 & Mac OSX
Photoshop CS6 & Photoshop CC 2014 and later versions 32/64 bit mode.

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 Introduction
In this User's Guide, we will analyze the general sequence of actions when
separating images using Magic Buttons. All operations with examples that you
will find in this guide are duplicated in video format on the site. This is done in
order not to complicate the presentation of the material with unnecessary
details. After reading this guide and backing up all this by watching a video, you
can understand exactly what it is about.
As you read, you will come across paragraphs in rectangular orange frames,
these are additions. They talk about the nuances of color separation and they
are only indirectly related to the main topic of the section.
Techniques for working with the plugin are illustrated, all key actions are
numbered and labeled, it will not be difficult for you to correlate an image with
a text description.
All plugin users receive free technical support regarding the principles of
color separation and techniques for working with the plugin.
If you have any questions, please write to seps@magic-buttons.com
We will be happy to answer you.

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Table of Contents

OVERVIEW OF FUNCTIONS ......................................................................................................... 4

BUTTON FUNCTIONS .................................................................................................................. 5

COLOR SETTINGS ........................................................................................................................ 8

PROCESSES................................................................................................................................... 9

COLOR GROUPS ..........................................................................................................................11

SEPARATION STAGES ................................................................................................................17

SEPARATION OF HUMAN SKIN ..................................................................................................28

STYLIZED HUMAN SKIN SEPARATION .....................................................................................30

USING SEPARATE COLORS FOR SHADOWS ..............................................................................36

SEPARATION OF MONOCHROME IMAGES ................................................................................42

TIPS FOR A BEGINNER COLOR SEPARATOR ............................................................................49

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 Overview of functions

Control panel

All controls for the color separation process are grouped by functionality.

Basic colors. This is a set of color filters that extracts only the selected color
from the image, regardless of the lightness of the processed color. For
example, if there is blue in dark gray, then it will be selected using this tool.

Dark colors & color adjustment tool. With this set, you can customize the
color composition of each selected area. Includes ready-made shadow
templates and manual mode with fine-tuning of the color composition.

Additional colors. Separates the image into parts of the gray range, after
which they are tinted. Used for images in which there are small but very
important color differences (human skin, cars, metal objects).

Blacks and grays. Creates two kinds of black, two kinds of grays, works on
the basis of algorithms from the previous set, but without coloring. Used for
working with black and white images.
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Underbases and highlights. A set of tools for working with a underbase and
highlight. Contains tools for automatic and manual creation of an underbase.

Operations. A set of tools that are always needed at hand during color
separation. This is creating a white or black background, adjusting levels,
and so on.

Modeling. Rasterizes the image and saves the result in channels with the
same colors as in the original.
Suitable for both viewing and editing images in raster form, and for output to
film. You can choose to fully rasterize all channels with specified parameters,
or you can rasterize each channel individually with your own settings.

Button functions

Basic colors.
Red, Yellow, Green, Light blue, Turquoise, Blue, Purple. Each of these buttons
filters a different color from the image, after which a separate channel with
the corresponding name is created. The default channel opacity is 10%.

Dark colors.
Manual color. Tool for manual editing of the color composition of the
selected channel. When pressed, the channel mask appears, superimposed
on the original image. At the first stage, you need to select the sensitivity of
the mask and click OK. After that, a menu for selecting the color composition
of the channel with controls will appear. After completing the configuration,
click OK. A channel named Manual color spot with 10% opacity and default
set to black will appear. All these parameters need to be configured yourself.
* The instrument uses operations with the Black channel, so if you already
have a Black channel, rename it before using this instrument.

Dark Red, Dark Yellow, Dark Green, Dark Light blue, Dark Turquoise, Dark
Blue, Dark Purple. Ready-made shadow templates for each color. Made using
Manual color. When pressed, a window appears with a choice of mask
sensitivity, after clicking OK, a channel with the appropriate name is
immediately created. The default opacity is 40%, the color is assigned
according to the name.

Additional colors.
Color 1th, Сolor 2th, Color 3rd, Color 5th. Filters the entire image regardless of
the original color composition. Filtering is divided into zones, each zone has
its own button.

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When pressed, a channel is created with an appropriate name and an opacity
of 30%, tinted in the colors of human skin by default, but the color can be
assigned as needed.
To work with this tool, you need to set the image to Flatten Image mode in the
layers menu.

Color 4th. Stripped down red. Similar to the Red button from Basic Colors, but
captures a narrower range. Clicking to create a channel with an appropriate
name and an opacity of 10%.

Highlight 6th. Highlight filter option. Slightly different capture range than
normal Highlight. When clicked, a channel is created with the appropriate
name, opacity 30%, the default color is light beige.

Blacks and grays.

Auto Black. Extracts the dark areas of the image into a separate channel.
Clicking creates a channel with an appropriate name, 10% opacity and black
by default.

Gray. A gray filter that emphasizes a moderately dark gray roughly similar to
PANTONE Cool Gray 7 C. Pressing it creates a channel called Gray with an
opacity of 30%.

Middle tone. Analogue of the Color 1th filter, but without coloring. Clicking to
create a channel with an appropriately named, 40% opacity and default
PANTONE 423 C color.

Manual black. Tool for adjusting the color composition of the black channel.
You choose what colors the created black channel will consist of. When
pressed, a color composition menu appears with sliders for each color. After
adjusting and pressing OK, a channel called Black is created. Opacity 10%,
color black.

Underbases and highlights.

Auto Ubase. Automatic underbase creation tool. When clicked, a channel is
created with the name White, 100% opacity, the default color is white.
For the tool to work correctly, place the image on a black background.

Highlight 1, Highlight 2. Highlight filters are used to create the finishing white
color. They differ from each other in different capture ranges.
When clicked, channels are created with the appropriate names, 100%
opacity, white by default.

Manual Ubase. A tool for adjusting the color composition of the underbase.
You yourself choose for which colors you will make the backing. When
pressed, a color composition menu appears with sliders for each color. After
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adjusting and pressing OK, a channel named White is created. Opacity 100%,
color is white.

Operations.
WhiteBG. Creates a spot channel completely filled with white. Opacity 100%.
It is used as a background for displaying color channels, it is located in the
list above other channels.
The default is white, but you can replace it with any other.

BlackBG. Similar to the previous tool. Channel color is black.

Levels. Calls up a menu for adjusting levels with a histogram. After setting and
pressing the OK button, the channel changes take effect. Has a built-in cutoff
for the upper part of the range (a few percent). When the command is
invoked, it is automatically displayed with an extreme value of 251 instead of
255 by default. If you just want to clip the top of the range, just click OK.

Before/After. Selects the original RGB channels and the created Spot channels
alternately.

Select spot. Selects all spot channels.

Enhance Ch. Adjusts the brightness and contrast of the selected channel. When
pressed, a menu appears with the corresponding controls. After setting and
clicking OK, the channel changes take effect.

Modeling.
Modeling. Creates a halftone rasterized copy of the file with the same order,
opacity, and colors as the original. When pressed, a menu for selecting
channels for rasterization appears, after selecting and pressing the Continue
button, the following menu appears with a choice of rasterization parameters.
In this menu, if you select non-integer values (for example 82.5), then use a
period, not a comma. After pressing Convert, a rasterized copy is created.
Rasterization occurs with a single value for all channels.

RasterizationCh. A similar tool, but directly modifies the channel located in the
source file. You can choose individual rasterization options for each channel.

Del inv SCns. Button to delete all created spot channels. To use, select the main
RGB channels by clicking on them, then press the button.

Mezzo Rasterize. An alternative rasterization option typically used for printing

on paper. Contains 10 irregular raster options. The size of raster elements is
controlled by the file resolution. When you press the button, a menu for
selecting the raster type appears, after pressing the OK button, the selected

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channel is converted to the corresponding raster type. The postscript Mezzo
appears in the channel name.

Color settings

We recommend using standard color settings for separating files. You can
change the Dot gain values from 20% to 30% if necessary, everything else is
better left as is. Also, without understanding the specifics of color spaces, you
shouldn't create or edit standard color spaces.

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 Processes

First, let's talk a little about the processes that are used for color separation in
silk screen printing. The process in this case is a set of principles that give the
final result of printing. There are several popular processes.

True CMYK process is a classic way to produce full color images by mixing
four highly transparent dyes. One set of inks is used for any image. Color mixing
occurs due to the transparency of the colors, and additional flexibility and
richness of shades is acquired when using screening. For a better
understanding of the process, you can print a solid square with 100% fill for
each color. During printing, you will notice how the colors are mixed one after
the other, despite the fact that there is no rasterization.

Simulated process – this process is similar in principle to the previous one, but
there is no fixed set of dyes. For each image, its own set is created and the
number of colors used can change. Here, composite colors are also obtained in
two ways at the same time - due to the transparency of the ink and rasterization.
Another difference between the simulated process and the true CMYK process is
that the transparency of the colors is not so strong.

Spot process – if you get a full-color image by printing with opaque inks and
achieve the transmission of halftones only with the help of a raster. Colors do
not mix with each other when overlaying; in this case, rasterization gives the
illusion of mixing. Such layouts are usually more difficult to prepare, the finished
prints have a slightly different look than, for example, in the simulated process.
If you try to convey a photo of a person by spot and simulated processes, then
with the spot process it will resemble an illustration.

Index process – there is no color mixing as such. The effect of a full color image
is obtained due to the illusion of color mixing during perception. The basic
principle is to print each color from a separate screen, there is no regular
rasterization to reproduce halftones.

This is how the image prepared for the Index

process looks from a distance. You see smooth
color transitions, smooth darkening and other
attributes of a full-color picture.
But in reality, if you look closer, there are
actually no smooth transitions, this is just an
illusion of perception.

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 On the left is a
fragment of a close-
up of the same
image. Each shade is
printed from a
separate stencil.
Typically, opaque
inks are used and the
underbase is not
printed.
Due to the lack of
color mixing, this
process consumes a
large number of
screens. For
example, this image
uses 10 colors.

Magic Buttons plugin works with simulated and spot processes. The process
itself is not always dictated by the inks you use. For example, the simulated and
spot process can be obtained with plastisol inks. In the first case, you may need
to use a transparent base or "soft" setting of the printing machine, and in the
second, printing in several squeegee passes on each color for the most dense
filling (let's call this "hard" setting). This will prepare the files in different ways.
Discharge printing can be done as a spot process from dark to light, or as an
index process. It all depends on the task. And understanding the properties of
each of the processes will help you get the best results every time.

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 Color groups

Each file can be divided into color groups based on their role.
These will be:
- base
- palette
- black

BASE. The base is all colors except black and the palette. What we will then
paint. The base often consists of two colors - gray and white.
Why add gray? At low percentages of fill (less than 10%), the raster dot on white
becomes too small, which makes it difficult both for exposure and for printing.
In order to give the gray shades a higher percentage of the fill, we will add a
gray color. For example, to print Cool Gray 8 C we need 9% fill with white or
80% fill if you use pure Cool Gray 7 C.
What is Fill Percentage? Since we are using stencils to reproduce images, we
need a raster point to convey the shades.
In the photo below, there are two similar gray colors, but the method of
obtaining them is different.

In the left window in we

get gray from dark gray,
and in the right - from
black.
Despite the apparent
identity of both colors, they
will require different
printing plates with
different raster
percentages.

Getting the same color when using different «inks»

Rastering can be regular or irregular. With regular, the centers of raster

elements are located at the same distance from each other. When creating
a regular raster, we set parameters in the number of lines per inch (LPI),
the shape of the raster point and the angle of rotation.
Irregular rasterization is not gridded and has no regular structure between
raster elements. In some cases, this method of rasterization is also used
where it is physically impossible to control the creation of the exact
position of raster elements.

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 Previous example in raster form

Where we would use a dark gray ink, the percentage of raster dots will be
higher, and where we would use black, the dots will be far apart. It is much more
convenient to reproduce the example on the left, and the quality will be better
when looking at the print.
You should always strive to use a fill percentage in the region of 50-70%
for key print details. This is because print distortion is much lower in the
middle of the range than at the edges.
Take a look at the image, how can you
get this gray-brown shade of the coat?
The First way: print an underbase and
the gray, and then add a fill in the
subsequent yellow and orange colors in
the region of 10% to get brown.
Thus, in addition to bright yellow-
orange details, it will be necessary to
additionally obtain a shade of wool. Yellow
and orange will need a wider range (from
10 to say 60%), this will give us less
flexibility in settings, a thinner point at
low percentages and more color shift
when printing. The wider the range, the
more difficult it is to control the
impression.

Первое тестовое изображение

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 The second way is to print the underbase and colorize the gray, picking a suitable
Pantone to make it look more brown. When printing the rest of the colors, we can
fully focus on the details of the print and narrow the range of fill to a convenient
value. We will get more stable printing, a point of acceptable sizes and more
flexibility in setting.
For convenience of presentation, I will call the base, which repeats the original
in "monochrome" form, the "realistic" base with high accuracy.

On the left is the original, and on the right is the base, which is completely identical to the original in monochrome

PALETTE. This is what makes the color separation file look like the original
image. This includes all colors that are used for coloring. There are several ways
to achieve this, consider two of them:
- the economical way. We only use bright colors, and we get dark ones by mixing
colors and dark areas. This is an effective option that minimizes the use of
additional printing stations.
- the classic way. It uses not only bright colors, but also dark ones to produce
colored shadows. To reproduce such a print, you will need an impressive printing
press. The number of printing stations involved will often reach 10-12 or even
more. Although the prints will look almost the same on the monitor, it will look
more natural on visual inspection.
Let's dwell on the economical way, since it is easier for the first acquaintance.

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 All primary colors in the test image are concentrated in yellow-red tones with a
slight addition of green. Here is the same principle that we considered with the
base example. Let's choose the colors that will give the optimal fill percentage.

The two rectangles are colored

similar orange to each other. But in
order to get an orange color, in one
case we used a mixture of yellow and
bright red, and in the second a pair of
yellow and cinnabar.

Getting orange with different ink pairs

Left: red / yellow, right: yellow / cinnabar

A few words about resolution. It is best to use not just 300, but 600 DPI for color separation, this
will allow you to work more flexibly with trapping - with the contract / expand commands). It is
important to distinguish between image resolution and rasterization resolution. The optimal image
resolution allows you to accurately reproduce the details, the optimal screening resolution
accurately conveys all the nuances of the raster elements. Since the elements of the raster, as a rule,
are much smaller than the smallest details of the image, then the appropriate resolution will be
much higher here.
For example, try converting a picture at 300 DPI to a raster with a round dot and at 1440 DPI for
comparison. Take a close-up view of the raster dots. In the first case, the points will be with ragged
edges and it will be possible to speak about the observance of a round shape only conditionally, in
the second case, the points will be smooth and round.

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 Considering that there are no bright
red elements in the test image, the use of
red is unnecessary. It can be replaced
with orange.
Choosing other shades, we adhere to
the same principle - we strive for the
main details to be in 50-70% of the
range.
The right color separation palette
should look good on its own. The
narrower the range of the color wheel
you use for mixing colors, the better.

Mixing yellow and orange will always look better on print than mixing yellow and
red.

BLACK. The less it is, the better. This color should be minimally involved in
obtaining shadows and dark shades. You need to do all the darkening work
beforehand, and add black only in the darkest places.

All the light and shadow work has already been done in the image on the left, black only adds contrast.

Pay attention to the image on the left. Dark shades are obtained by mixing the
background, gray and sparse white with the bright colors of the palette. Since the

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darkening work has already been done, very little black remains and we can use it
in a narrow range.
Overlapping each other, each next printed color has a perception advantage over
the previous one. For example, let's look at a pair of colors - blue and dark gray.
When printing in order dark gray, blue we will get dark blue shadows (because
blue will be printed on top, and dark blue will be obtained by mixing dark gray
with blue). And if we print in reverse order, the top will be dark gray, now it will be
the dominant color. The shadows in this case will turn out to be dark gray with a
slight addition of blue.
Thus, when using transparent and semitransparent inks, it makes sense to
arrange colors so that when darkening does not lose the color identity of the dark
areas.

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 Separation stages

Let's walk through the separation of the

first image step by step. The result is
achieved in developing a resemblance to
the original. In total, we will distinguish
three stages:
- basic similarity (creating basic channels,
presetting)
- sufficient similarity (fine tuning of the
main channels)
- strong similarity (adding additional
channels for minor details, final
adjustment and color correction)

These are conditional stages and their main role

is to ensure the correct order of actions when
preparing a file for printing.

First test image

BASIC SIMILARITY. Let's start creating the base. In order to create a high-
quality white channel, you need to place the image on a black background. Let's
take a look at an example of how to make black from any color layer. Create a layer
and fill with any color.

Find the Color overlay mode (1), click

on the colored rectangle at the top (2)
and select the fill with the desired color
(3). In our case, it should be as black as
possible in the very corner of the color
field.

(1) Color overlay mode

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 The base does not have to be white.
Basically, the base is the brightness
of the colors that will be used later.
Compare with the monitor, not
always the brightness, cranked to
maximum gives the best result.
So, it is with some prints. If you are
dealing with muted colors, then
rolling a dense, bright white
underneath them is not at all the
best idea.
You can easily take PANTONE Cool
(2) Colored rectangle at the top
Gray 2 C or PANTONE Cool Gray 3 C
instead of white in a fairly sparse
raster and get a soft print of natural
brightness.
And if the image still contains rare
bright white details, then it is better
to highlight them with highlight.
In addition, the base can also consist
of several types of paints, for
example, it will be etched white with
plastisol dark gray or solid spot
etched white with plastisol halftone
white in 1 roll and gray. There are
many options.

(3) Choosing the fill

Everything is ready to create a white channel. The image is placed on a

black background.
Please note that the result of operations
with underbase, grayscale, black depends
on the background on which the image is
located.
In some cases, the best solution would
be to use a black background to create
the underbase, and create gray and black
colors with a white background.
Sometimes it is more convenient to
select some details of an image from a
transparent background.
Try different options in work and look at
the nuances, this can come in handy in
difficult situations with highlighting
colors
Image on black background

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 Press the Auto Ubase button
and create an underbase (4).
It will appear right behind
the Background channel. In
the screenshot, the Channels
display mode is enabled.

It is best to stick to the same

color order in your work.
Different people prepare files
differently, and machine
settings may vary. By preparing
all files the same way, you
make the work with you more
predictable. It is much better to
predict how your next print will
behave if the order of colors is
identical to the previous files.
(4) Creating a white channel (underbase)

To adjust the white channel, we will use the Enhance Ch. It should be adjusted so
that white remains only in bright places. Open the Enhance Ch tool (5) and move
the top slider to the right (6).

(5) Opening Enhance Ch, basic arrangement of controls

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 (6) Location of adjustments for adjustment

Ready. The second is to create a gray

channel. To correctly create a gray
channel, you need to transfer the
image to the Flatten Image mode (7).
To do this, delete the black
background layer that we had before,
right-click on the remaining layer and
select Flatten Image.
We now have a lock layer on a white
background (8).
To generate gray, you need either a
completely white or completely black
background.
The background color depends on
this bottom color square in the
(7) Flatten image mode toolbar. I have it white, so the
background turned out to be white.

(8) Layer in Flatten image mode

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 In the Additional colors panel, you
can choose which type of gray you
need, in our case it is Color 2 (9).
Click and create a Color 2 channel
just after the white one.

(9) Additional colors toolbox

Double click on it and use the Color
picker to select the most suitable
shade (10). The most suitable
turned out to be PANTONE 7531 С

(10) Choosing a suitable color in the Color Picker PANTONE 7531C in Color Libraries

Now let's set up this channel. Take a look at the image on the left. Now the color of
Pantone 7531 C is too much, taking into account the peculiarities of screen printing,
most likely it will also be squeezed. You need to set it up so that when you switch
channels, the overall picture of the print does not change much and new areas are
added gradually.
To adjust, use the Levels tool (11).

(11) Left - channel before adjustment, right - channel after adjustment

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 Create Yellow and Red channels using the
Yellow and Red buttons on the Basic Colors
toolbar (12).
By default, channels are created with 10%
opacity, for this print we change it to 30% and
select a more suitable shade in the Color
picker. This is PANTONE 121 C.

(13) Change in opacity from 10 to 30%

(12) Create red and yellow channel

Configure the Red channel in

the same way. Since there are
very few red areas in the picture
(these are ears and some
elements on the face), it is better PANTONE 121C in Color Libraries
to choose orange in order to
increase the percentage of filling
of key elements.
We will deal with the areas
where red is needed later, when
we get an intermediate similar
result. Finding the most suitable
PANTONE 1585 C.

PANTONE 1585C in Color Libraries

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Preliminary result
Colors used:
- white
- PANTONE 7531 C
- PANTONE 121 C
- PANTONE 1585 C
Now our task is to achieve basic
similarity, so we choose the colors
approximately. It is much more
important to get an overall correct
picture in terms of contrast and the
ratio of bright and dark areas.
You can choose perfectly similar
colors, but if you ignore the contrast,
then you will not be able to get a
truly good result.

Result after creating 4 channels

Now use the Levels tool to slightly

increase the Yellow channel (13) to
compensate for this predominance of red
and give the coat a more similar color to the
original.
Next, generate the Green channel using
the Green button on the Basic Colors
toolbar. Then, in the same way, adjust the
covering power and select the desired
green shade.
Find the most suitable color in the Color
picker - this is PANTONE 361 C (14). Use
(13) Gain yellow channel the Levels button to slightly enhance the
Green channel.
All that remains is to add black to get
some basic similarity and start fine-
tuning the image.
Please note that before using black, all
the light and shadow work is already
almost finished.

(14) PANTONE 361C in Color Libraries

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 Use the Auto Black button to
add a Black channel. The image is
now more similar to the original,
but to achieve greater similarity,
fine-tune all colors with the
Levels and Enhance Ch.
In addition to fine
adjustments, slight color
changes may be required.

Preliminary result at the Basic Similarity stage

The result after adjusting the colors with the Levels and Original image
Enhance Ch tools at the Sufficient Similarity stage.

Compare the stages of Basic and Sufficient similarity with each other. On
the latter, you can already print the image. It basically conveys the original,
has a normal similarity in chiaroscuro. A high degree of identity between the
print and the original is not always important.
However, if your goal is high quality screen printing, then it is worth paying
attention to the nuances to get a really high quality print. We will need to adjust
the shade of the coat and maybe add one or two additional colors.

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 I would like to note right away that if we are talking about high quality of
the print, then there is no need to save on the number of colors. When your
client gets a great print, the small markup for a couple of extra colors won't be
critical.
More colors are not always a cost. Imagine a situation where, due to the
reduction by 2 colors, the setup and flexibility of the printing press becomes
much more difficult. As a result, instead of a 20-minute setting, say, 7 colors
(where you just need to put the correct colors and achieve alignment), you get
at least an hour of dancing trying to set the correct pressure and speed of the
squeegees (somewhere it overflows, but somewhere there is too little ink).
Yes, we saved on emulsion and positives, but lost much more on downtime
of equipment, remuneration of employees and, most importantly, we got the
worst result.
Now let's get back to editing the image. Let's try to achieve Strong
similarity. Let's start with the shade of the coat, look at the image - the gray
shade is missing. Add it with the Gray button from the Black and Grays toolbox
(16).

The most appropriate would be to place the Gray channel in front of

the colors in the palette.

(16) Adding a gray channel

Now let's move on to other details. Let's work on the ears and the greenish
tint of the coat. Let's start with the ears.
Add another Red channel after PANTONE 1585 C (17) and adjust it with the
Levels button, narrowing the range until the fill remains only on the ears and
some details of the muzzle (18).

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 (18) Setting the red channel, pay attention to the values of
the histogram range

(17) Add another red channel and place it

after PANTONE 1585C

We make the final (19) Choosing a suitable shade in the Color Picker
adjustment of all channels
with the Levels and Enhance
Ch. At this stage, you need to
double-check all the colors
and find more suitable ones,
if possible.
We make the second color
more greenish, changing it
from 7541 C to 5575 C (20),
now the shade of the coat is
similar to the original. This
completes all the necessary
settings.

(20) Change from gray to greenish to reproduce the coat tone

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 This is the final result. We have achieved a high degree of similarity to the
original, while our file is printable and predictable in customization. During
the printing process, you can, if necessary, separately change the shades of
the fur, ears and eyes, as well as enhance and weaken the shadows.

Original image Separated copy

In this example, we did not use editing with brushes, lasso and other
Photoshop tools, so as not to complicate the presentation of the material. But
you can use these tools yourself for more accurate and convenient image
editing.

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 Separation of human skin

There are several ways to color separation of human skin, let's look at two of
them.
- realistic
- stylized
Realistic way. Depending on lighting, shade and individual characteristics,
human skin can consist of a large number of colors.
By preparing the file in a realistic way, we strive to convey all these nuances.
As a result, the set of colors for the transfer of complexion can vary greatly
depending on the design.
In fact, such color separation of the face does not differ from any other
objects, and is done according to the principles described in the previous
example (print with a cat).
Look at the image - this is a realistic way.

The main task here is to convey

the similarity to the original image.
And most of the time it works.
But there are situations when it is
not necessary to convey an exact
resemblance to the original.
Human perception works in such
a way that a person's face and skin
are perceived differently from other
objects.
We can fully reproduce all the
shades of the original on the print,
but the skin may appear reddish
due to the subjectivity of
perception.

Separations made in a realistic way

In order to eliminate the effect of subjective perception, we must not

exactly imitate the original, and we need to make sure that the design looks
good on print. There is a traditional way of printing skin tones with silk
screen printing. We'll call it the Stylized Way.

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 In a stylized way, we base our understanding of human skin color and "tweak
the solution to the answer."
Technically, this is an overlap of differently filtered gray channels, tinted in
colors ranging from light beige to reddish brown.
The example shows a stylized way.

As a rule, no more than 4 colors are

usually used for a stylized way. This is
due to the fact that in addition to
leather, the print usually contains
other important elements for which
colors are also needed.
The colors used are usually related
and located close to each other in the
color wheel, so when mixing them,
the palette turns out to be much more
modest than with a realistic method.
However, the print looks more
natural when printed by using
separate colors for bright and dark
areas.

Цветоделение, сделанное стилизованным способом

The palette can have different variations, but the principle remains the same.
For example, below are two options for the palette.

1 variant of the palette (set of colors) for the 2 variant of palette for a darker skin tone
transmission of skin tones

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 Stylized human skin separation
Unlike the previous file, here we ourselves determine a sufficient degree of
similarity to the original for us.
In order to create a high-quality white channel (background), you need to
place the image on a black background. Create a layer and fill it with any
color (1).
Go to the Color overlay section and choose black. You are now ready to
create the background. Use the AutoUbase button to create a white channel
(2).

(1) Create a layer filled with black for high-quality

underbase creation

(2) Creating a white channel with the Auto

Ubase button

Now you need to adjust the

white channel.
For this we use the Enhance
Ch. It is necessary to
minimize all white in dark
areas. Adjust the desired
value with the upper knob by
shifting it to the right (4).

(3) This art requires a light gray background, assign it by selecting the
Background channel and double-clicking on it.

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 For further actions, we need
the Additional colors
toolbox.
These are different types of
gray, tinted in skin colors
for convenience. The color
of each button indicates
which gray it works with.
There are 4 of them, as well
as a trimmed red and a
trimmed highlight for
working with leather.

(4) Using Enhance Ch to tune the underbase

Additional colors
When you press the buttons, the default set of
colors will drop out as in the picture below.
What is the relationship with
gray?
After you have created the
channel, select the Color
Picker and drag the
eyedropper to the left - you
will get the gray one
indicated on the button.
Below this is done using the
Colors are arranged exactly according to the buttons example of Color 2.

The original colors obtained in the same way as in the picture on the right.
Please note that they completely match the color of the buttons. The right arrow is the default color, if you
move the cursor to the left, you get the
original gray color.

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 As in the previous example, in order to work with the Additional colors set,
we transfer the image to the Flatten Image mode (5,6). Next, press the Color 1
and Color 2 buttons to create the corresponding channels (7).

(6) This is what the layer image looks like in Flatten Image
mode.

(5) Flatten Image menu item in the layers

menu
Now we match the color to each
channel in the Color picker. Note
that the Color 1 button works with
light colors and is colored light.
Therefore, the appropriate color
for the Color 1 channel is from the (7) Create channels Color 1 and Color 2

lighter shades. In the Color picker,

you can move not only
horizontally, but also slightly
vertically. Choose from light
shades.
In the screenshot, the green line
denotes the border below which
you should not darken the color for
Color 1. You should choose not only
from red, but also from any other
shades.
Default color for Color 1 with border of adjustments

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On the left is a underbase and Color 1 with default settings, on the right, another Color 2 has been added similarly
configured

If you choose more suitable shades instead of basic ones, then the picture will
change. Below is an example with PANTONE 712 C for Color 1 and PANTONE 725
C for Color 2.

An underbase and PANTONE 712 C are added to the left, PANTONE 712 C is added to the right. The Additional
colors tool is configured for printing with opaque inks, so the default channel opacity is 30%

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 Create a black channel with the
AutoBlack button (8).
This will give the image a
finished look and make it easier
to prepare further.
Now the way to obtain such a
result has become clearly
visible.
You can desaturate the Color 1
and Color 2 channels to see a
monochrome version of this
picture. Or try to pick other
colors in the Color picker.

(8) Creating a black channel with the AutoBlack button

Now add gray with the Gray button (9) this will
be the hair color. Remove all unnecessary under
gray from the previous Color 1 and Color 2
channels. To do this, hold down cmd (ctrl) and
click on the Gray channel. With this action, you
have selected all the contents of this channel.
Now select another channel and erase the excess
using this selection.

(9) Create a gray channel

Take a look at the intermediate

result. Not bad already, but
there are not enough nuances.
Usually, there are various
redness on the human skin, we
get them with the help of red -
this will give naturalness.
Add a red channel with the Red
(or Color 4) button to make the
face livelier. Place it after the
main skin colors (10).

Intermediate result after adding gray

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 Selecting a more orange-flesh shade in the
Color picker (11) (PANTONE 164 C), and
adjusting it with the Enhance Ch and Levels
tools (12).

(11) Selects a hue for red. The top rectangle the arrow points to
(10) Creation and location of the Red Channel is the color we selected, the bottom rectangle is the default
color.

After finishing the final setup, we got a

stylized portrait. If necessary, you can add a
separate color for the highlights with the
Highlight button, or additional gradations
of skin colors with the Color 3 and Color 5
buttons.

(12) Red adjustment options in the Enhance Ch.

For final configuration use the Info

panel (called with the F8 key). It
shows the percentage of filling of
the selected area. Check areas that
appear to be completely white,
there may be 1-2% stray fill. Also,
this panel will help you control
the percentage of filling of plates
and other elements.

Final result Info panel

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 Using separate colors for shadows

When preparing a color separation file, it is very often necessary to accurately

edit an individual color channel. Since the channels in the software are generated
using a system of filters, the composition of channels that are close in color
spectrum can intersect.
This is not some feature of our plugin - this is a common feature of all popular
color separation software.
To better understand what I'm talking about, look at what part of the color wheel
is captured by the Red button from the Basic colors set.
Now let's do the same with the Yellow button - pay attention to the yellow range.

Red filter range Yellow filter range

You can see that both red and yellow

cover the same area of the color wheel.
This area forms orange due to the
mixing of red and yellow. All filters in
the Basic Colors section work in a
similar way.
However, in the practice of color
separation, there are often situations
when you need to get rid of this
intersection.
Overlay red and yellow

The filter cannot completely remove parasitic aliasing from related parts of the
color spectrum on its own. For independent editing of the color composition of each
individual channel, the Manual color tool is provided.

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 Its use gives a huge scope for solving creative and professional color separation
tasks. In this section, we'll take a look at an example of how the Manual color tool
works with grayscale.
Here I will not dwell in detail on the order of each action, since enough time has
already been devoted to this in the previous chapters. Let's take an example of
how the Manual Color tool works.
We have an image of an
alien creature (1). Skin
color is composed of blue
and purple tones.
In this case, the image is
dark enough and you need
gray in order to convey all
the shadows well. The
combination of white and
gray may look like the
picture below (2).
What if we used gray to
create the blues and
purples in the image?
We can of course now
paint this gray (PANTONE
424 C) in shades of blue.
But then the purple areas
(1) Original image
will also turn blue. It is
necessary to separate the
blue shadows from the
purple ones.
To solve such problems,
there is the Manual color
tool.
Using it, you can color-edit
any channel.

(2) White and gray base Manual color tool

That is, remove, for example, all the red shades from this gray or enhance
them. To do this, create a gray channel (use Color 2 button) and press the Manual
color button.

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 This screenshot shows
the RGB channels that
are projected using the
mask of the PANTONE
424 C channel we have
selected.
You choose what will be
projected onto the RGB
original. This is how the
Manual color tool
works.

The channel selected for editing is highlighted, the Manual color button, in
the foreground is the window for adjusting the sensitivity of the Manual
color tool

A window will appear with the sensitivity adjustment of this instrument. The
plugin selects all pixels, which are gray in our case, and projects the original image
onto them. We can see the color composition of the selected channel. The default is
0.70, but you can increase or decrease it.
After pressing the OK button, the following menu will appear where we can adjust
which colors will be included in the channel we have chosen.
You can choose absolutely any
channel to adjust the color
balance.
Situations often arise when it is
impossible to "extract" a certain
color from an image in its pure
form. Artifacts appear due to
poor quality of the source or too
little presence of the desired
color to work with the filter.
You can copy any of the main
RGB channels and use the
Manual color tool to cut off the
excess, resulting in a much
higher quality option than when
Color balance adjustment window. By default, all adjustments are set working with filters.
to 0

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 Two similar instruments,
Manual Ubase and Manual
Black, work on the same
principle. They regulate the
substrate and black in the
same way.
High-quality color separation
is primarily an individual
work with each image.
Ready-made patterns do not
always give a good result, so
the more tools you have, the
more variations in
combining different methods
you get.
You can use Manual color
not only to create new
channels, but also to adjust
If we increase the purple hues and weaken all the others, then the result
will look like this. All controls are moved to the right, only Magentas to the already created ones.
the left. Since it is not always
possible to remove
unnecessary items or add fill
to key elements using the
eyedropper or eraser.
When creating a new
channel, Manual color works
with black, so if any channel
already has the name Black,
it will be replaced. To avoid
this, rename the previously
created black channel, name
it instead of Black, say
PANTONE Black, in order for
the instrument to work
correctly.
Also, this set of tools
contains ready-made shadow
templates for different
The blues are now enhanced. The Blues control is moved to the colors called Dark Red, Dark
maximum left. Compare both settings.
Yellow and so on.

Click OK and create a channel. By default, it will be created in black with an

opacity of 10%, we will assign the desired color for it ourselves.
Let's use the full range of shadows. Before that we used the Color 2 channel, now
let's also work on the Color 1 nadi. Create a channel and make the same
adjustments for the blue and purple colors.

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 As a result, we will get the
full volume of the painted
shadows, which will look
like this (3).
Compare with the original.
We separated not just the
colors from each other, we
separated the light areas
from the dark ones. It is a
powerful tool for
professional color
separations.
In this case, 4 channels for
(3) Support plus shadows in two types of blue and two types of purple. shadows similar to each
The channels Color 1 and Color 2 are taken as a basis. other is a clear overkill.
Merge blue with blue
channel, and violet with
violet.
We get the following result
(4). It remains to add
channels for bright colors
and black as needed.
Add vibrant colors and fine
tune. Since we are dealing
with colored shadows, we
can place dark colors after
lighter ones.

(4) We combine the channels in pairs. Color 1 and Color 2 for blue and
similarly for purple. To do this, hold down cmd or ctrl and click on the
Color 1 channel icon so that the content is selected, then switch to the
Color 2 channel and paint over the entire area using this selection with a
brush. Thus, in one channel, we will get everything that was in both Color
1 and Color 2.

I deliberately did not name the channels differently, left it as it is - for clarity.
You can do without black here. All bright channels are generated using Basic
Colors and assigned the corresponding PANTONE colors in the same way as in the
previous chapters.
As a result, we kept within 8 colors, which is not so much for such an accurate
study of colors and shadows (5). Take a look at the final result below.
By working on the light and dark areas of the image separately, we get even more
flexibility in the printing process, where each shade can be adjusted separately.

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 (5) Final result

When working with Manual color, it is not necessary to select gray shades, you can
work with colors from the Basic colors block, removing or enhancing the intersection
of related colors with each other. You can choose which colors you will put black on
and which ones you will not. Or you can work with the original RGB channels with a
better quality "pulling" the desired color without unnecessary artifacts.
Here is a tool with which you can thoroughly prepare an image for screen printing.

magic-buttons.com 41
 Separation of monochrome images

To prepare an image in grayscale for printing, you also need to split it into
convenient "chunks".
Usually for this it is enough to select 2 types of gray plus black.
For example:
- light gray
- dark grey
- black
Why split a monochrome image into these 3 parts at all? Why not use 1 stencil and
print all at once? As mentioned earlier, for the most effective transfer of details, it is
desirable to use the upper middle of the range of 50-70% of the fill.
Let's say you want to print such an image.
If you use 1 stencil for
everything, then in the effective
range you will have only a
fraction of the necessary details.
Pay attention to the
predominant color. I
deliberately chose such an
image, where all the important
elements are concentrated in
almost the same range. The
difference in the folds of the
jacket in terms of lightness is
minimal, and the face also has
similar parameters in terms of
the percentage of filling.
In real monochrome printing, it
will be difficult to convey these
nuances due to dot gain.

Image requiring multicolor printing

There are images for printing which you can use 1 stencil. They should have
sufficient contrast, bright details should alternate with dark ones. In addition, the
presence of large areas with smooth gradients should be minimized.
I will not even dwell on the issue of the technological equipment of the printing
industry, the qualifications of printers. For such printing, technology must be at its
best.

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 Below is an example of an image that will look acceptable when printed in
monochrome. If we dwell a little more on this
topic, then the secret of images that
look good when printed with
silkscreen will become clear.
You've probably noticed that not all
prints look good. Even if the print
quality is normal.
A good print should have
contrasting and compositional
rhythm.
An example of such a rhythm is
just in this photo.
All details are easy to read, large
dark areas (the head and two sides
of the fur coat) are separated by a
light spot, the space of the fur coat
is divided by white highlights into
small separate parts, the skin has
pronounced shadows, highlights
and basic tone.
Due to this, the print is well
received and easier to print.
The same rules will work for color
Image that does not require multicolor printing
images as well.

Let's take a closer look at the separation of the

first file.
For this, you can use both 2 and 3 colors.
Consider a three-color option.
We convert the image to Flatten image mode.
Set the background color with the White BG
button - let it be a white background. And we
create three channels in turn by clicking on the
buttons Color 1, Color 2 and AutoBlack.
(1) Switching to Flatten Image Mode

What we get will look like this (2). Now let's move on to the settings for each
channel and first select the appropriate colors. The Color 1 button is responsible
for the light shades of gray, so we assign the PANTONE Cool Gray 2 C color to this
channel. Color 2 button is responsible for dark shades of gray, assign PANTONE
Gool Gray 9C.

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 We'll use the Additional
colors set for monochrome
separations to get a better
idea of how this tool works.
These are versatile filters
for working with color and
black and white images.
There is also an additional
set of Blacks and grays,
there are also tools for
editing such images. The
Gray button is an additional
gray filter, the Middle tone
button copies Color 1, but
without tint with light pink.
(2) Intermediate result after creating Color 1, Color2 and Auto Black
channels.

Choosing the right color. For Color 1, this

will be COOL GRAY 2 C. An arrow points
to it, the rectangle below it is the color
previously selected in the Color Picker.
Change the color of the Color 1 channel to light gray. There are two Similarly, the choice of color occurs for
rectangles in the Color Picker menu. The bottom light pink is the default Color 2.
color, the top one, which is outlined in red, is the color we chose.
Its position is additionally indicated by a red arrow.
The color adjustment in the Color 2 channel is done in the same way.

All is ready. We got the result

almost identical to the
original. You can make fine
adjustments, but now I will
not focus on this, so as not to
complicate the material.
Moreover, all this has already
been described earlier.
If we trace step by step what
happens to the image as the
channels are turned on, we
will see the following.
All light areas are printed first
- PANTONE Cool Gray 2 C (3).

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 If we trace step by step what
happens to the image as the
channels are turned on, we will
see the following.
All light areas are printed first -
PANTONE Cool gray 2 C (3).
They are followed separately by
dark gray and gray shades in the
PANTONE Cool gray 9 C. In the
photo you can see both of these
channels together (4).
And the last black channel
complements the picture by
(3) Picture with PANTONE Cool Gray 2 C only adding the darkest areas (5).
An extended three-color version
is shown here, but in some
situations it is quite possible to do
with two colors Cool gray 9 C and
Black. The tricolor option should
be used when there are large
areas of light gray or very smooth
transitions from light gray to gray.
Try typing both for a better
understanding of how this works.
When using a black background,
the situation will be similar, but
with some nuances. Since the
substrate will be used, there is no
(4) There is already a combination of Cool Gray 2 C and Cool
Gray 9 C need to use the first color
(PANTONE Cool gray 2 C). We will
transfer all the necessary shades
with the help of white paint. The
white color will interact with the
black background and we can get
grayscale.

(5) Final result of three colors. Cool Gray 2 C, Cool Gray 9 C and
Black

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 For example, consider the same image. We place it
on a black background in order to make the correct
backing (6).
Generate a white channel with the Auto Ubase
button. Use the EnhanceCh button to adjust the
white channel, move the upper control to the right
in the range of 55-65 values until the amount of
white in the dark areas comes down to a minimum
(6) Placing an image on a black (7).
background. Now let's create black and gray channels. Place the
image on a white background and press the Auto
Black button. After that, switch the image to Flatten
image mode and press Color 2. The opacity of the
channels is given by default (as it is for most
images) for White - 100%, Color 2 - 30%, Black -
10%.
We got 3 channels - white, gray and black (8).
(8) Arrangement of three channels

Throughout the User

Guide, we use Levels, but
we do not use Curves.
These two tools give the
same result, but to use
Curves you need to enter
data more accurately (in
Levels you just enter a
range, in Curves you need
to follow the shape of the
curve). If you adjust
something 1-2 times, then
there is no problem, but
when you need to
perform such an
adjustment 15-20 times,
then it becomes more
noticeable. At a greater
distance, you will get
more tired and the results
will be worse.
(7) Adjusting the white channel with Enhance Ch. The foreground shows the location
of the adjustments.

Assign the PANTONE Cool gray 9 C color to the Color 2 channel and adjust it
relative to white with the Levels button (8).
Tuning in this case consists in weakening saturated areas. Gray should not overlap
white, it should complement it. Here everything is similar to the FIRST EXAMPLE
with a cat.

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(8) Adjusting Color 2 with the Levels tool. In the foreground Continuation of the configuration. Pay attention to the
is the default position of the tool adjustments. change in the position of the adjustments and the general
appearance of the image.

Close-up adjustment position before adjustment Close-up adjustment position after adjustment

The final result after adjusting the Black channel with the Levels adjustment position for close-up Black channel
Levels tool. We only use the middle regulator. adjustment

This completes the work on the image. Before us is a color separation file that is
very similar to the original, let's also look at it in stages.

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1. Contrast underbase, where the amount of white is 2. Gray. We have duplicated areas with a low fill in the
minimized in dark areas. gray channel to get a more predictable and stable print of
these areas.

3. Black. You can prepare this work so that black is not An example with tinted channels. In the final file for white
needed. To do this, select black (holding ctrl or cmd, click on textiles, neutral grays are replaced with light flesh for
the channel image, if necessary, press ctrl or cmd + i to Color 1 and gray-blue for Color 2.
invert) and remove the areas from white and gray using You can try other colors as well.
this mask.
However, printing with black has some advantages -
separate adjustment for dark areas and smoother shadows,
so I left it.

As you can see, grayscale operations and human skin tones have a lot in
common. The main difference is the color of the channels in gray or flesh colors.
The basic principle remains the same.
For example, if we change the choice of channel colors instead of gray to colored
in other colors, we can get a stylized result as in the picture above.

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 Tips for a Beginner Color Separator

1. Smoothness from color to color.

As you cycle through the colors in your file one by one, notice how smoothly one
color blends into another. Each next color should only slightly complement the
picture, there should be no sharp jumps, when, for example, everything was just
bright white, and on the next color it turned dark gray.
Examples can be found on our Instagram channel and on the website.

2. Works with suitable colors.

If you have a dark image, then you should not print a solid white underbase
under it, and then print on it in black. If the image is muted, then opt for a light
gray underbase instead of white - it will look more natural, and add a couple of
white elements with a separate screen.

3. Use highlight if necessary.

Why is this last white one needed? The main point is to print on automatic
machines in 1 circle, without rolling the underbase 2 times. You first print the
base, which will fit the colors, then cover it from above with opaque inks, and
duplicate the white elements that remain uncoated with highlight.
As a result, you get a thinner layer of white and less dot gain.

4. If you can add a couple of colors and it will result in better or easier to
print, use it.
The economy on the number of screens are imaginary and often not worth it.
Printing production is not only about the number of screens, positives and ink
spent on a print run. It also means time to set up, no problems with printing, and,
ultimately, the quality of the result.
It is better to add 1-2 colors and adjust the circulation in 15 minutes than to
"save" and get a complex adjustment in a couple of hours, capriciousness in
circulation and a dubious result. The bottom line is you lose more on employee
pay time and press downtime.
He will quickly forget that the client saved a hundred dollars on circulation, but
the quality of your print will remain in his memory for a long time.

5. High-quality equipment.
The better the equipment you have, the easier it will be for you to get a good
print result. It is better to immediately work on good equipment and gradually
pay for it, than to work on the trash for years, collecting for the printing "dream
machine". Time is spent not building a company's reputation and working
towards results, but fighting the equipment. To obtain high-quality printing
often requires extra effort, and you can simply burn out and start working
"carelessly". The same goes for consumables.

magic-buttons.com 49
6. Not everything that looks good on the monitor will also look good when
printed.
As for the file itself, you must understand the logic behind combining different
colors. There are many things you need to see live before you can take that into
account when preparing a file.
Two great looking files, but with different color logic, will look different. For
example, in one file you get brown by superimposing black on orange, and in
another you take a separate color. When setting up, pay attention to how the
color separation file looks at each stage and the print result.

7. One and the same color separation file will look different in different
print shops
I always prepare the files the same way, but in one production everything turns
out fine, and in the other it is very stretched out. If you have a similar problem,
then there are a couple of ways you can fix it.
The first way. Setting Color settings.
I use ready-made color profiles, I do not make changes to them. Dot gain and
Spot parameters are set at 20%.

Dot Gain and Spot are set at 20%

With these settings, the color

separation file looks like the
screenshot on the right.
But you can try other settings for
stronger dot gain.

Dot Gain и Spot выставлены на 30%

Result with Dot Gain 20%

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In order to bring the image with Dot
Gain 30% to normal after Dot Gain 20%,
you need to weaken the fill of all
channels, this will give less dot gain.
Alternatively, you can immediately start
working with the 30% setting, then you
don't have to change anything.
The second way. Adjusts the histogram
of dark areas.
To do this, you need to manually
adjust the finished file without
changing the color settings. Each
channel is individual. Adjustment may
vary depending on color, ink and
screen position on the machine. I
usually boost the whites a little and Результат с Dot Gain 30%
tone down the grays and blacks,
leaving the rest of the colors as they
are.
In this way (below).

Before starting any serious work, of

course, it is better to calibrate. You
need to make test screens for
unerbase, black and other colors.
The main task is to see how similar
the print result and the appearance
of the file on the monitor screen
are.
Compare what white you have in
the file, what is on the positive and
what turns out on the T-shirt.
Photoshop shows channels with 80-
100% fill brighter than they
Example of an adjustment in the Levels tool actually are, so some underbases
may appear too dark when printed.
Also check the print result for each There are RIPs that compensate for
channel separately. Use black paint to this effect, but you can still run into
test all colors except white. it. Just calibrate and you will be free
Print the test result on white textiles, of these problems.
open the channel separately on a white
background with a black fill on the
screen and compare the result.

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8. When working with a regular raster, use one rotation angle for all
screens.
There are guys who use a color rosette, but usually they cannot explain why
they are doing it. You can hear something about moire, but the rosette came to
silk-screen printing from other printing systems, where there is no such
problem.
A color rosette is needed to minimize unprinted space. Take a look at the image
below for an example. On the left, rasterization was performed using a rosette (a
round dot with a shift of 25 degrees for each color), and on the right at one angle
(the same ruling, a round dot).

Overall plan. Left color rosette, right rasterization at one angle for all colors

The rosette version looks

richer as the white space
between the dots is
minimized.
Dot gain values are
different when printing on
paper and textiles. On
textiles, it is much higher,
so using 1 raster rotation
angle for all colors we
reduce excess dot gain.
CMYK is printed according
Close-up. Rosette on the left, one angle rasterization on the right to the same principle, at 1
angle.

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