Simulated process color separations seems to be one of those mysterious things people in the tee shirt business are scared of trying. But there’s no reason to be.

Of course, that’s not to say that there isn’t a learning curve. Fortunately, most people experienced in printing tee shirts have the knowledge needed to be able to do the seps. And I’m going to show you how!

We’ll look at the tried and true select color range and the somewhat elusive HSB method. I’ll show you some simple ways to soften up your edges and achieve subtle gradations in your simulated process separations.

I also explain my thought process on why I’m doing what I’m doing while taking you from start to finish. So, without further ado, let’s watch a video!

Simulated Process Color Separations Tutorial

TUTORIAL: Simulated Process Color Separations in Photoshop

Watch this video on YouTube

Take Your Time

This is a learning process and these techniques will be able to help you get a jump start but take your time during the learning stages. Learn what the different tools in Photoshop can do.

This will help you get smooth gradations. Then see how you can start to combine them in order to get to your final desired separation.

For those of you who know how some of the tools work in Photoshop, take your time while creating your separations.

Remember that throughout the entire screen-printing process, the time spent in the computer is the most forgiving and least expensive.

Soft soft soft…I cannot express that enough. The softer your edges, the better.

Simulated Process Color Separations Quick Reference Guide

Start by saving a working file and keep your original intact. Check your resolution. 200dpi at final print size is fine. Make sure to have your info palette open while separating to check ink coverage. Make your tee channel and set it to 100% opacity. Set your base channel opacity to emulate what your particular base is going to do once printed. Try grabbing your base using an existing channel, then pull back the edges with a levels adjustment. Remember, the base does not need to be 100% throughout. Transfer your selected colors from your original image to your channels using the # value. Soften up your edges between colors using a brightness contrast image adjustment. Get rid of gradations under 5%-7% to avoid moiré. Use a levels adjustment to get rid of lower value percentages. Keep your coverage light. Remember, it’s easier to hit the screen twice; adjust your angle, slow your squeegee speed, etc., than it is to pull back an already heavy print. Shortcut Keys Used in This Tutorial Cmd+backspace to fill background color. Opt+backspace to fill foreground color. Shift+backspace to open fill dialog box. Cmd+click on thumbnail in palette to get selection. Cmd+D to deselect. Cmd+Shift+I to invert a selection. Cmd+Option+Shift+E to create a stamp. Download the File Complete With My Seps Download the file complete with all of the layers and channels you’ve seen me create in this tutorial. Practice these same techniques and compare your results to what I’ve created here. And of course, try to make yours better than mine! That’s how we get better at what we do, right? Click here or click the image to the left to get your copy of the file. Feel free to print as many shirts as you’d like from the seps.

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