The below method is great for separating a file for conventional production, it splits an existing tonal layer.
- Have your masks or selections done.
- Use retone or continuous tone depending on having a mask or a selection.
- For each colour you want to split, duplicate the layer to the number of colours you want.
- Make the 1st layer active.
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Pipette the colour you want to be the base colour and write down the percentage by checking it in the Info Window.
- Drag the colour from the tools window to the relevant layer.
- Go to Edit Menu > Gamma and pull the value noted on step 5 to 100%.
- Apply Gamma.
- Make the 2nd layer active.
- Pipette the colour you want to be the medium colour and write down the percentage.
- Drag the colour from the tools window to the relevant layer.
- Go to Edit -> Gamma and pull the value noted on step 9 to 100%.
- On the same Gamma window pull the value noted on step 5 to 0%.
- Apply Gamma.
- Make the 3rd layer active.
- Pipette the strongest, most saturated colour on that layer (usually 100%, but it might be less in some cases) and write the percentage down.
- Drag the colour from the tools window to the relevant layer.
- Go to Edit -> Gamma and pull the value noted on step 16 to 100%
- On the same Gamma window pull the value noted on step 9 to 0%.
- Make 1st layer active.
- Go to Separate -> Combine to layer.
- Click on Make.
- Set 1st layer to 100%.
- Set 3rd layer to 0%.
- Click Fix Layer.