This separation technique automatically separates flat artwork to manually created 1 bit layers. The resulting separation produces ‘butt-fitting’ layers with no overlaps of different colours because each individual pixel in the design is allocated to a particular layer.
Instructions
- Open a flat design and make the image visible in the Layers Palette.
- Select the Pipette Tool from the Tools Palette.
- Click on each colour in the design with the Pipette Tool and add a 1 bit layer by clicking on the Solid Layer button in the Layers Palette.
- Continue creating layers by clicking on each of the main colours in the design in turn. If the design has any white in it, you must also include it, even if you are not going to use the layer as a separation in the end. Once separated, this layer can be removed if it is not needed.
- Make the image visible but not active and the layers you are separating to active but not visible as shown below:
The separation process does not affect the image. It copies the relevant areas of colour and divides them accurately between the layers. - Separate Menu: Automatic
- Check the individual separations on each layer by making them visible one by one.
- Use the Split Views feature to compare the separation to the original artwork. Do this by clicking the small + in the bottom left hand corner of the Design Window.
- In one view make only the image visible and in the other view, make only the layers visible. The separated layers should look very similar to the original image.
- If the design looks very different to the original, you may have missed a colour. In this case, add a layer for the missing colour and re-separate the design, following Steps 5 – 7 above.
- If areas of the design have not separated cleanly use the Despeckle Filter or the Mover Tool to correct them.
How to clean up the separation
Unless you have created your designs on screen, using only flat colours and no tonal content, it is very rare that a design will separate completely cleanly. Particularly when working from scanned artwork, designs will often contain thousands of different colours. When these are limited to only your chosen few layer colours, there are likely to be at least a few areas of the design which separate to the wrong colours.
The most commonly used tools for cleaning separations are the Despeckle Filter and the Mover Tool, however if you prefer you can use other tools in AVA for this job instead. Despeckle is designed to clean unwanted stray pixels, while the Mover can be used to clean up larger areas of colour. However, it is commonplace to Lasso the Eraser. Just be mindful that erasing pixels will create holes in your design. This is why the Mover Tool is a firm favourite - because it moves pixels from one layer to another, ensuring no holes are created.
- Make all of the layers visible and active.
- From the Layer Menu, select Filter Browser and select Despeckle from the list of filter sets in the window. If you do not already have this filter in your list, you will need to add it. Follow the link to the Filter Browser above to learn how to do this.
How to use the Despeckle Filter
Designed to work on flat, butt-fitting layers, the Despeckle Filter removes stray pixels, or groups of pixels which are surrounded by another colour, and place them on other, more appropriate layers. It is most often used to clean up separations and remove areas of noise on separated layers.
Instructions
- Open the Filter Browser, and add a new filter set using the small + icon located in the middle of the browser. This will create a new ‘untitled’ filter set for you. This will appear in the top section of the Filter Browser. If you already have filter sets created, clicking the + button will duplicate the selected filter set.
- Select Despeckle from the list of available filters in the lower section of the Filter Browser
- Double click on the name of the new filter set in the top section of the browser, and name it appropriately
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Edit the variables to achieve the result you needIn the example below the filter is being used to reduce all tones
Speckle size - the software looks at groups of pixels up to and including the set amount. For example, if you type 20 in the window, the software will look for groups of 20 pixels or less and will change them to the closest, or surrounding colour. Either enter the value needed or use the slider to preview and try out different amounts. The maximum speckle size you can use is 300.
Preserve Diagonals - switching off preserve diagonals makes the despeckle effect more coarse. With preserve diagonals switched on, line detail will remain the same and pixels on the edge of motifs will be kept in tact.
In the snapshot below, the original data is on the left, and the filtered data is on the right.
Applying the filter
There are several ways to apply a filter:
- Click Apply - this will apply the filter to the active layer(s), and within a selection if there is one present in your file
- Click Make Layer - this will make a new layer in your file containing the filtered effect, leaving the original layer untouched
- Apply the filter using the Brush Tool - when you have finished building your filter set, simply close the Filter Browser. Then, open the Brushes Library, and select the filter you have just made from the drop down menu shown in the image below. You can now paint with your filter.
Note: The default setting for the Brush Tool is ‘Brush”, located at the top of this drop down menu. To prevent you from becoming confused between the default setting and a filter setting, do not name any filters ‘Brush’. When you have finished painting with your filter, set the drop down menu back to the Brush setting, otherwise the Brush Tool may not behave as you would expect later on.
Note: This filter does not work on images.
Applying the filter over a repeat join
Some of the filters do not work correctly across repeat joins when used in the normal way. However, the Despeckle Filter, does. All you need to do is use the Repeat Window to put your design into a 2 x 2 repeat prior to applying the filter.
DeleteThe Mover Tool
This function makes easy work of cleaning up dirty or noisy separations, particularly following colour separations done using Automatic or Auto with Create. It works by moving pixels from one or more specified layers to another. It is extremely useful when dirty areas in a design have not separated correctly and need to be cleaned up.
How to use the Mover Tool
- Make all the layers to be cleaned up active and visible.
- If the window is not already open, go to Window Menu > Mover or click on its shortcut in the toolbar.
- Select one of the presets you have already created using the steps above.
- Draw over the area to be moved in the design with one of the painting tools and the information will change from the colours selected on the left (in the From column), to the colour selected on the right (in the To column).
Note: You can move pixels from more than one layer at once (within the same preset), but should only move pixels to one layer at a time.
The top section of the Mover Tool window explained
The top section of this window shows all the layers in your file. If any appear to be greyed out, it is because they are not active in the Layers Palette. In order to move pixels from or to a layer, the layer must be active. This section also includes the To and From columns. Specify which layers the pixels are moved from and to, by ticking the relevant boxes, thus creating a setup.
- Clear - will remove the current setup from the selected preset, making it quick and easy to change that setup
- The arrows - will swap the order of the selected setup
The bottom section of the Mover Tool window explained
This section is used to add and delete presets which are subsequently saved with the file when it is saved in our .ava4 format.
Taking the time to build a library of presets will undoubtedly save you time during the actual clean up process of your separation. To create presets, follow the steps below:
- Activate all layers in your design.
- Go to Window Menu > Mover to open the Mover Tool.
- Click the small + button at the bottom of the window. An untitled preset will be created.
- Choose the setup required by clicking on the relevant To and From columns in the top section of the window.
- Double click on the word Untitled and name your preset accordingly.
- Repeat this process until all setups are complete.
Note: Clicking and dragging your cursor over the presets will quickly show you all of your setups.
