posterizing question…

TC
Posted By
tom_chambers3000
Sep 23, 2004
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752
Replies
7
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Closed
hello. i have been given the task of finding images to get printed onto t-shirts.
my plan is to find color images and reduce them to B and W so they can be printed with one ink color on a shirt.
i am not sure the best way to do this in photoshop.
i brought in a jpg image and changed it to greyscale. i then messed with the "levels’ a bit under the image-adjustment option-i then used "posterize" to change the image to B and W. i had to go back and mess with the levels a bit to find a fairly satisfactory setting that left a reasonable amount of detail in the now B and W image.
my question is-am i going about this wrong? are there other settings which allow me to save even more detail on my image besides simply ‘levels’. something having to do with curves maybe?
also now that my image is B and W is there a way to change the black to another color so i might be able to see what the image would look like printed in various colors?
and also…should i be using "multichannel" to change the two colors or using the duotone function rather than the posterize function? i am sorry-it is strange-i know flash and illustrator but i never learned anything but the basics of photoshop.
thank you very much for any input and advice.
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J
jenelisepasceci
Sep 23, 2004
wrote:

hello. i have been given the task of finding images to get printed onto t-shirts.
my plan is to find color images and reduce them to B and W so they can be printed with one ink color on a shirt.
i am not sure the best way to do this in photoshop.
i brought in a jpg image and changed it to greyscale. i then messed with the "levels’ a bit under the image-adjustment option-i then used "posterize" to change the image to B and W. i had to go back and mess with the levels a bit to find a fairly satisfactory setting that left a reasonable amount of detail in the now B and W image.
my question is-am i going about this wrong? are there other settings which allow me to save even more detail on my image besides simply ‘levels’. something having to do with curves maybe?
also now that my image is B and W is there a way to change the black to another color so i might be able to see what the image would look like printed in various colors?
and also…should i be using "multichannel" to change the two colors or using the duotone function rather than the posterize function? i am sorry-it is strange-i know flash and illustrator but i never learned anything but the basics of photoshop.
thank you very much for any input and advice.

Start with a greyscale image then
either
play with Image->Adjustments->Threshold" (Move the small triangle at the bottom left and right
or
try Filter -> Sketch -> Halftone Pattern, with the Contrast parameter set to the highest level.

HTH, Peter
TC
tom_chambers3000
Sep 23, 2004
since this post i have been messing with the bitmap function in photoshop. if i turn a greyscaled photo into a bitmap, is that then silkscreenable even though it is greyscale rather than firmly black and white? i am confused about the silkscreen process. and also about what are the best settings to use for this bitmap function as far as creating silkscreen ready images.
G
Gadgets
Sep 23, 2004
To preview a colour, you could convert your mono image back to CMYK and add a spot channel (channels palette, pullout tab – new spot channel). Copy your black channel to your spot channel and play with the colour…

Cheers, Jason (remove … to reply)
Video & Gaming: http://gadgetaus.com
J
jjs
Sep 23, 2004
wrote in message
hello. i have been given the task of finding images to get printed onto t-shirts.
my plan is to find color images and reduce them to B and W so they can be printed with one ink color on a shirt.
i am not sure the best way to do this in photoshop.

How about half-toning or dithering?
T
tacitr
Sep 23, 2004
since this post i have been messing with the bitmap function in photoshop. if i turn a greyscaled photo into a bitmap, is that then silkscreenable even though it is greyscale rather than firmly black and white?

A bitmap image (Image->Mode->Bitmap) is never grayscale. It is always completely black and white.

However, depending on who is doing your screen printing, it should not be necessary; any reasonably competent screen printer can print a grayscale image. Ranges of tone are simulated by a process known as "halftoning."

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O
Odysseus
Sep 23, 2004
In article ,
wrote:

since this post i have been messing with the bitmap function in photoshop. if i turn a greyscaled photo into a bitmap, is that then silkscreenable even though it is greyscale rather than firmly black and white? i am confused about the silkscreen process. and also about what are the best settings to use for this bitmap function as far as creating silkscreen ready images.

It’s best to talk to the screeners, as they have different preferences according to their specific equipment and technique. But if you want to do your own halftone conversion, you’re probably best off using elliptical dots at 65 lpi or less, preferably at a resolution matching that of the output device — although 1200 or 1270 ppi should be fine. Some fabric screens work best with halftone screen angles of 15° or 30° (or something else) rather than 45°, to minimize moiré interactions with the weave. Note that most silkscreens aren’t very good at holding highlight and shadow detail; try to keep your tonal range between, say, 15% and 85%, as anything lower or higher is likely to ‘drop out’ to nothing or ‘plug up’ to solid. Again, get specifications from the screen printers if possible.

—
Odysseus
M
mlengele
Oct 11, 2004
Hi,
To get an idea what the image will look like in different colors, you can open the jpg image, and then go to the Image – Adjustments – Desaturate. This removes the color. Next, go to Image – Adjustments – Hue/Saturation. Once on that screen, check the Colorize box, and then change the hue, saturation, and lightness to you preference. You should be able to achieve nearly any color you wish to see:)

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