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03-29-2006, 08:50 AM | #1 |
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Placing black image into Photoshop
I don't normally get involved too much with Photoshop, so sorry if this is a daft question, but how do you plonk a black and white tiff into a CMYK Photoshop design without the tiff being converted to rich black?
The design is a CD inlay tray card in CMYK, and I've generated a barcode that I want to place onto it. The tiff is 100% black, and must remain so. When I place the barcode onto the page design it goes in on its own layer, but the colour changes to rich black. Bit of a rush of course! |
03-29-2006, 10:52 AM | #2 |
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This is just a guess, but what happens if you place the b&w tiff while the image is still RGB and then convert to CMYK, perhaps via LAB?
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03-29-2006, 11:22 AM | #3 |
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Dunno Ann, but I expect the colours will all go to pot!
I've fixed it now with help from Mick, my film maker, and zis iz vot ve did: 1. Open the greyscale tiff in Photoshop, then convert it to cmyk. 2. Delete the cyan, yellow and magenta channel content (not the channels, the content) to leave just the black channel. 3. Increase the contrast a tad (I used +16 or +20) to make sure the black is 100%. 4. Copy or place into the main document. Check with the eyedropper that the image really is still 100% black). 5. Have a glass of wine! Surely there's an easier way? |
03-29-2006, 12:01 PM | #4 | |
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I've only ever put b&w EPS barcodes onto page layout program pages for publication, and they've always worked fine. __________________ |
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03-29-2006, 12:24 PM | #5 | |
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To my mind, something like a bar code is an illustration item. It would be exported as EPS from Illustrator or Draw and wouldn't set foot in an image editing app. I don't like to mix my pixels and curves. Something I learned from way "back in the day" when image editors were image editors and illustration apps were illustration apps. Now all apps seem to be trying to do all things; people are using apps because they are familiar with them to accomplish tasks the apps weren't originally intended for and don't necessarily do all that well. It's not really the consumer's fault; the manufacturers claim the apps can do it all, the consumer or the company the user works for is convinced, and that's what ends up being used even if it may not be the best or only tool needed for the job. OK, stepping off my soapbox now. __________________ .. ..Franca .. |
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03-29-2006, 12:49 PM | #6 | |
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But like you, I believe that barcodes are an illustration item, and also that they should be really, really clear. Where I work now, we use barcodes for the books, and also the best quality laser barcode readers. There are still occasions when the reader doesn't want to acknowledge the barcode on the book, although the instances are much less frequent than I see happen at supermarkets. But even though I've only done a couple of circulation desk shifts, I have a lot of sympathy for the supermarket checkout people. We at least can take the wand off its stand and thus adjust the angle, getting better reading rates. I've yet to face the necessity to type the barcode numbers into the computer. __________________ |
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03-29-2006, 12:02 PM | #7 |
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Unfortunately, deleting the channel content for the bar code from all but the K channel is the only way I can think of.... but I wonder if you could save a step or two by doing the necessary manipulations directly in the main document? Not sure because I haven't tried it myself.
__________________ .. ..Franca .. |
03-29-2006, 02:56 PM | #8 |
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I agree with you both that this wasn't the best way to produce a document for print, but since the chap had obviously spent ages doing it, and said he designed CD artwork as his main occupation, I couldn't really tell him to shove off <gg>. Oh, and he's my client's client's designer, over in the USA. So I have to be nice and friendly and helpful even though the sizes were wrong and there were no fold marks, and and and (been there before, girls?) Anyway, it's sorted and my client has agreed to pay for the time.
I tried doing the channel stuff just on the barcode layer, but it changed the whole document. |
03-30-2006, 12:00 AM | #9 | |
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03-30-2006, 12:07 AM | #10 | |
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An even easier way to do it if it's a recurring problem would be to write a PS action or -- even better -- get someone else to do it while you make the coffee. Mike |
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