I’m not sure what you mean by duplicate a cmyk channel. Do you duplicate it and then paste its contents into a Spot Channel? That is what needs to be done. From the channels menu "New Spot Color" and then you can paste contents into it.
Make sense?
alan
Yes Alan,
That is exaclty what I do, the problem is that after I create the spot channel and hit save as, that Photoshop sometimes does not flag the spot channels box checked on. If I save it without checking the spot color on ,when I reopen the psd file the newly created channels would not have been saved. Sometime it is checked and sometimes it is not…curious why the random recognition of the spot channels when saving the file?
thx
paulw
Oh well, I can’t can’t help you with that one. I haven’t paid close enough attention to the dialogues. It wouldn’t surprise me if the behavior you describe happens to many people. When I add spot colors I make a point of checking that the option is checked. I remember having more inconsistency in earlier versions–I’m surprised it hasn’t been addressed further yet.
alan
Then, when I go to Save As to save a flattened eps version, I notice that Spot Channels option is unchecked.
Of course it is.
If you want to save Spot Color Channels, you need to Save As: Photoshop, Photoshop PDF; or Photoshop DCS 2.
On a related subject, you can save a Duotone that uses spot colors with a good ol’ EPS… don’t need a DCS 2, I don’t think. Is that right?
And am I also right that Duotones using spots do not preserve those spots when saved as PDF and then Placed in Illustrator CS2?
Part one you are certainly right, but its a different animal. A photoshop duotone is really a grayscale image with internal transfer functions applied. I thought you could place them and create a pdf with spot colors but I don’t have the tiem to run a test right now, only time to blather.
WIth the DCS2 you can have a greyscale wiht spot colors or a 4c process with spot colors. The photosop eps duotone (mono, duo, tri and quadtone) cannot
alan
Wrong!. I think maybe I wasn’t clear. Can you have cmyk channels (and I don’t mean just a cyan channel but 4c process with a spot color in a photosho EPS?
Or are you referring to something else I thought was correct?
alan
NO! I’M WRONG!
In fact, you CAN save a Duotone as a PDF out of PSCS2. And it WILL be preserved as a duotone when Link-Placed and then Saved As PDF from AICS2.
The trick is in the Output panel of PSCS2’s Save As PDF dialog. You must set Color Conversion to NO CONVERSION.
Hi Anne
I guess I am not splainin my sitiation clear enough…
I periodically have spot channels missing in the file when I reopen a file. Now, as a workflow safety net I always save as rather than just resave my completed files with spot channels in them in order to make sure the spot color box is visually checked on and then hit save (sometimes when I save as, the spot color box is on by default …sometimes it is not) I thought this quirky behaviour is why I was sometimes losing my spot channels. I cant confidently just save over top of a finished DCS2 because sometimes my spot channels dont automatically resave in the file.
confused you even more?
paulw
confused you even more?
Actually, YES I am!
You originally said that you were saving as "EPS" but now you say that you are saving as "DCS2".
So which is it?!
Ordinary EPSs don’t support Spot Colors, and EPS is rapidly becoming an out-dated format anyway, so I suggest that you consider moving-up to Photoshop PDFs instead.
DCS2 is a form of EPS. Mangled one at that thanks to Quark.
I don’t have the tiem to run a test right now, only time to blather.
I see its ok for you to blather but then you ridicule me and others for blathering.
Interesting.
I don’t have the tiem to run a test right now, only time to blather. I see its ok for you to blather but then you ridicule me and others for blathering.
Interesting.
No, get it right. I only ridicule you, the Kulon because I’ve seen you do it to many other people, many times.
I was being tongue in cheek but apparently it passed way by you.
alan
Yes Photoshop help also mentioned that. It recommends usage of PDF or DCS2 file format. However it would be interesting to know when actually Paul getting the Spot Color check box selected during performing Save As EPS operation (I assumed Format under Save As Dialog is set to Photoshop EPS). I could not able to reproduce the behavior "when I go to Save As to save a flattened eps version, I notice that Spot Channels option is unchecked".
It is interesting note we get same file extention *.eps for Photoshop EPS as well as DCS 2 option. However for Photoshop EPS option Spot Color option is always grayed out. For DCS 2 option Spot Color option remains checked by default if the file contains spot color.
Sorry Anne
I am from the old school I sometimes use the EPS/DCS loosley around here. You are correct It is in fact the DCS2 with spot colors that we always save. I know we really should be using PSD or Pdfs but our studio of 75 artists is a slow train to push. If we do go the PSD route we still will have to flatten and save as a seperate image and place in Illusfrustrator. Are all film shops OK with the pdf workflow?
Thanks for you insight Malay I will do some more testing …I think there may be some gremlins at work!
thx
paulw
If we do go the PSD route we still will have to flatten and save as a seperate image and place in Illusfrustrator.
Why?
Are all film shops OK with the pdf workflow?
I won’t say all but I won’t give out anything but PDFs and won’t work with anyone who does not accept PDFs. I have yet to find someone in my area that does not take PDF files.
I can’t speak for your area
Hi Buko,
Just for giggles I saved one of the DCS2 files as a pdf/jpeg encoded. I get the followiing error placing it in Illustrator? An unknown PDF color Space was found..Illustrator had a problem (RTYP)
thx
paulw
Try Saving As a "Photoshop PDF" DIRECTLY from Photoshop CS2 (and NOT by first making a DCS2 and then converting that back into a PDF).
If you then Open, or Place, the PDF in Illustrator CS2, and show View menu/Overprint Preview, you will see that your Vectors, Spot Color and separations are intact.
Likewise, if you "Place" the same "Photoshop PDF" in InDesign CS2.
——-
And, like Buko, I supply ONLY PDFs for final output.
Follow Ann’s counsel. But make sure in the Output panel of the Save As Photoshop PDF dialog, you set color conversion to None.
If we do go the PSD route we still will have to flatten and save as a
seperate image and place in Illusfrustrator.
Shakes head, walks away bewildered. Too many areas need clarifying. I’m tapped on time, or I would post on this.
Oh, and there is nothing frustrating about Illustrator. B)
Don’t leave, JK. Need to hear from you on these matters. (By the way, I have it right, don’t I!)
Yes. And your observation, in #23, is spot on.
And don’t forget the tick box when saving thats lets you keep spot colours.
a lot of people will place psd files in illustrator as there is a better preview and also due to the fact that illustrator has problems with DSC2 files…
There is NO need to use DCS2 files any longer and, as Nick has said, they can just cause problems.
Save As .PSDs; or as Photoshop PDFs (if you want to retain vectors); and OPEN or PLACE in Illustrator or PLACE in InDesign.
(Vectored Photoshop PDFs that are Opened in Illustrator retain editable vectors.)
Several of our PSDs are quite large due to the amount of layers involved. I was thinking that a merged and smaller psd would be less taxing to place several times in Illustrator. I work at a package design studio and placing multiple full side panels on a full size carton along with tragically slow text manipulation can cause much grief. So for now the pdf thing wont work here with Ai10 and PSCS…. ..yes, there is a general lack of enthusiasm to Adobe upgrades here in TO.
thx
paulw
the pdf thing wont work here with Ai10 and PSCS…. ..yes, there is a general lack of enthusiasm to Adobe upgrades here in TO. >>
Unfortunately the best answer to your problem DOES lie in installing the upgrades.
You might want to ask your employers how much of your wasted time are they prepared to pay for instead of just buying the Upgrades?!
