CMYK to spot color

[MichaelStephens@adobeforums.com]

I am looking for a two or three step process of converting a cmyk eps file to a spot color. The eps files are from a standard clip art book, are all cmyk graphics and I want to place these as spot color eps files into Quark.

The way I've been doing it is converting the cmyk graphic to greyscale then clicking on each individual object, selecting the spot color and changing it to the same percentage that grey was. Is there any easier way to do this?

[Larry_Grohman@adobeforums.com]

<MichaelStephens@adobeforums.com> wrote in message
news:3bb3acd4.-1@webx.la2eafNXanI...

> I am looking for a two or three step process of converting a cmyk eps file

to a spot color. The eps files are from a standard clip art book, are all
cmyk graphics and I want to place these as spot color eps files into Quark.

>
> The way I've been doing it is converting the cmyk graphic to greyscale

then clicking on each individual object, selecting the spot color and
changing it to the same percentage that grey was. Is there any easier way to
do this?

[Larry_Grohman@adobeforums.com]

Why not just create your spot color of choice (make a swatch or get it from
library and add it to swatch palette) then select the cmyk object and apply
the spot color.

Larry

[MichaelStephens@adobeforums.com]

If I do this the graphic becomes 100% of the spot color. I need it to retain the "shading" percentages.

If you take a box that is C100/M26/Y48/K12, it becomes 62.62% black when converted to greyscale. When I assign it to be a spot color it needs to be 62.62% of that spot color.

[Larry_Grohman@adobeforums.com]

Why? Are you not looking to replace the CMYK mix with a spot color that will
look like the CMYK mix when printed. If so, just find a spot color that is
close. For example, if the cmyk mix is 100M 100Y, then this is a deep red.
Choose PMS 430, 032 or 186. If you apply a screen value to those, you end
up with pink.

Larry





<MichaelStephens@adobeforums.com> wrote in message
news:3bb3acd4.2@webx.la2eafNXanI...

> If I do this the graphic becomes 100% of the spot color. I need it to

retain the "shading" percentages.

>
> If you take a box that is C100/M26/Y48/K12, it becomes 62.62% black when

converted to greyscale. When I assign it to be a spot color it needs to be
62.62% of that spot color.

[MichaelStephens@adobeforums.com]

This is exactly what I want to do. I'm placing the graphics into two color publications. The text is black and all the graphics are a spot color as specified by my client. Here is the original cmyk graphic and the new spot color graphic so you can see what I'm doing.

<http://www.powerlight.org/stuff/cmyk.jpg>

<http://www.powerlight.org/stuff/spot.jpg>

[Larry_Grohman@adobeforums.com]

Oh, you're replacing various CMYK colors with one spot. In that case, the
Grayscale to Spot is probably the simplest way to do this.

Larry

<

[John_Kallios@adobeforums.com]

Are you using Illustrator CS?

After converting to grayscale, group all the elements. Create a rectangular fill the same size as the bounding box of the grouped area, filled with the desired swatch color, placed directed in back of the grouped elements.

Select all and apply inverted, clipped opacity mask.

At this point, the file can be placed in Xpress and will separate correctly (as long as the pms name is exactly the same as the Illustrator file.) Caveat, the process used transparency and the transparent portions will appear white in Xpress.

To further the steps, flatten transparency with preserve spot and overprints checked.

Select the frame and delete, select the group and release clipping mask.

Note: this will cause strokes to convert to outlines and elements become a open.

Actually, since your elements are all vector, you do not need to create a rectangular fill.

Just group the elements, copy the fill with 100% fill of the desired swatch color. (stroke color too if needed) Expand add to shape, then paste in front (what you copied earlier), select all and apply inverted clipped opacity mask.

[MichaelStephens@adobeforums.com]

AWESOME! Thank you so much.