Change CMYK color to PMS equivalent?

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Posted By
wendyjcs
Aug 13, 2008
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476
Replies
6
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Closed
I’m rather a newbie when it comes to color work in Pshop…

I have a CMYK image that is used as a "background header" on a brochure. It is mostly cyan and magenta, a touch of yellow and no black (CMYK colors range around 95%, Magenta 69-71%, yellow 7% or so). It is kind of a spotted abstract pattern with a distinctive geometric shape in one corner. Someone wants me to change this image to the CMYK equivalent (we are printing using only CMYK) of Pantone 432, which is 23C 2M 0Y and 77K. I’ve been messing with channel mixer, desaturate and color balance, etc, but really don’t know what I’m doing… Can anyone point me in the right direction? Thanks…

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Phosphor
Aug 13, 2008
Click on your Foreground color swatch at the bottom of the Toolbox.

In the bottom left corner of the Color Picker dialogue, enter the values for C,M,Y & K.

Click on the "Color Libraries" button.

Choose a Pantone library from the drop down menu.

It’ll show you the closest match. The closest looks like 2935 U.
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wendyjcs
Aug 13, 2008
Thanks, but that doesn’t really help… I already know I want the equivalent of PMS 432 and I have the breakdown. What I don’t know is how to change this very blue CMYK image into the very grey CMYK equivalent of PMS 432. (It doesn’t have to be exact, they just want the grey look of 432 instead of blue.)
MO
Mike_Ornellas
Aug 13, 2008
Use the Hue and Saturation color correction tool and bring down the saturation slider.
JJ
Jim_Jordan
Aug 13, 2008
One of twenty ways to do this…

1) Image Menu -> Mode -> Grayscale

2) Image Menu -> Mode -> Duotone

In the Duotone box, switch to the type of monotone and then choose the color of your PMS ink (see color libraries button in color picker).

3) Image Menu -> Mode -> CMYK

And another of the 20 ways…

You might also do a color overlay layer effect to non-desctructively adjust the color while keeping some color info from the original image.
BJ
Bob_Janusz
Aug 13, 2008
Your CMYK breakdown of PMS432 is wrong.

Choose PMS432 in the picker, open a new LAB document (any size) and fill it solid. Convert it to CMYK and that’s what your breakdown should be.

The simplest thing to do is a color fill with PMS432.
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wendyjcs
Aug 13, 2008
I got the breakdown of PMS 432 from the Pantone color swatch conversion booklet that the client used.

Jim, I tried the method of using Monotone, and lost a lot of detail and the end color didn’t match what we’re looking for. Per other suggestions, I tried a color overlay earlier, and also Hue/Saturation but just couldn’t get the right tone.

I am having some luck with using the channel mixer! Since my magenta plate has the most detail, I am directing that to the Black output channel, then knocking back the CMY channels according to my desired end breakdown. I’ve got something pretty close. Live and learn–and spend all day experimenting–I guess!

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