nT Colorations is a module for Adobe® Photoshop® in both Macintosh and PC environments, that allows users to create colorations from a multichannel document. You will be able to create multiple colorations of the same design and export one or more colorations to a document with customized presentations and print them later if you like. Visit the knowledge base category Coloring and Color Libraries for more.
File formats
The following file formats are supported by, and are compatible with nT Colorations:
File formats: |
|
Color spaces: |
|
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Features
Let's take a look at the plugin interface to understand its key elements.
- OK & Cancel: Click on 'OK' to save the modifications when going back to Adobe® Photoshop®. 'Cancel' will take you back to Adobe® Photoshop® without saving changes or images.
- Coloration preview: Located in the center of the window. The preview can be zoomed in with by cmd ⌘+ Space and zoomed out with Alt + Space. To set to scale modus, use the dialog at the bottom of the window with given scale values. The applied scale value and embedded profile are shown below. With the hand drag, you can move the image offset. The hand-drag becomes available with click and hold Space key.
- Multiple colorations preview: On the left sidebar, you can see all the colorations with their color patches and configuration options. Click on them to view them in the centered preview window. The order of the colorations can be sorted out, or drag and drop them in the order position that you desire.
- Load & Save buttons: From here you can create, load, save, and export colorations with the '+' button. Synchronize colors with the selected color library. Change the patch layout of the channel separations and generate printable pages of the colorations.
- Color selector: Shows colors and their values picked with the picker in the image of the main preview window. It shows color values in Native, Grayscale, RGB, CMYK, HSL, HSB, Lab, and XYZ values.
- Settings & Navigation modes: These control the general preferences for color and image options. From here you can use the already installed page templates for exportation with page buttons. Preferences can be accessed. Image selection adjustments can be managed in different units and colors. If using a single screen, you can open the color library gallery.
- Channel separations: The order of channel separations is placed on a thin area on the top of the screen, and can be expanded on the top area of the main preview. It shows you the channel names and colors of files.
- Color libraries: Color libraries will be placed on the right. If using a double-screen setting, they will be placed in the screen arrangement that you choose. This gives you all open and saves, load and export options, search for colors, color management, and the style of the color libraries.
- Image reference: Image reference will be placed on the right above the color libraries. If using a double-screen view, they will be placed in the screen arrangement that you choose.
Preferences
Before starting to work with nT Colorations, we recommend dealing with the preferences settings in nT Colorations to achieve the best results. Open the Preferences dialog with the wheel button that is situated at the bottom left section of the window.
Color
- Options for default settings all around the color space and color profile.
- Feature to enable Printer colorway feature compatibility which will be applied to all colorways.
- DeltaE types. We recommend using the setting default setting.
- Color picker available as Photoshop or Colorations picker.
- The Output path is selectable between 8 bits and 16 bits.
- Legacy gradients of two types of gradient drift.
- Classic will keep legacy gradients for colorations created in nT Coloration versions 6.9 and 8.0.
- Accurate will apply the precise drift used from version 8.1.
- Working with color libraries that can use only the color library and synchronize always the colors of the color library when using the color picker.
- Option to enable search for color in the libraries among other colors.
- Use all channels to load RGB, LAB, and CMYK images otherwise, it remains hidden and the image is blank. By default, it is enabled.
- Hide background channel hides the option to apply fond color in the background.
- Lock channel position to keep the channel orders.
Spectrophotometer
Supported devices are Eye One, X-Rite, and SpectroPad. From here you can make the configuration, and select the mode and the measurement average. Refer to the spectrophotometer setup section in this manual.
Save
- Colorways (XCM) can be saved locally at the default path (/Users/<USERNAME>/Documents/neoTextil/), select a custom path, or keep them embedded within the design file.
- The format available is XCM. This format is used to save the coloration information in text form (XCM).
- The option to save XCM with embedded profiles will save the ICC profile metadata. It is possible to work with profiles used in colorations even when they are not installed in the system.
- Backup enabled saves the XCM in User data that can be unlocked.
- Save the document every time exit plug-in. If you want to speed up the exit of nT Colorations, keep the option unchecked. A backup copy of the colorations is automatically saved every 30 seconds.
- Update colorations to the latest version will convert all colors of previously nT 8.0 colorways into the latest version.
- Install embedded profiles on load will use the embedded profiles in XCM and install them in your system when loading colorations.
Preview
- Gives you options for screen organization, Primary and Secondary.
- Size allows you to show the image as Infinite, Repeat, or Full Rapport.
Background document
Select the type of format and customize the resolution for the export of the document in the background. Available formats are TIF, PSD, and JPG.
Previous versions of nT Colorations
Disabled colorations
Colorations created in neoTextil 8.0 and anterior are not supported by neoTextil 8.1 versions and are locked and indicated with the icon 8.0 which is viewable only and cannot be modified.
The locked protection is applied to secure the color information unless you wish to modify them. The anterior colorways are not lost in colors and profiles. If you wish to use the coloration colors you have to duplicate or convert the coloration that has been created in version neoTextil 8.0. Double-click on the coloration and options to duplicate or convert will appear. To keep the previous colors you must duplicate the colorations. Or else, convert the colorations to the new version and it will not be able to be read in the anterior versions.
To apply this action automatically, in Preferences enable the preference to update colorations to the latest version and will convert all colors of nT 8.0 and anterior colorways into the latest version.
Gradients colors
Gradient colors that have been created in anterior versions will be kept using the anterior gradient type unless they are not modified in newer versions. Gradients are based to keep the hue in all colors. Other than version 8.1, that is generating gradients to keep gray colors in dark color combinations. When using anterior colorways in 8.1, the gradients are converted.
In Preferences the option 'Gradients' manages two types of gradient drift:
- Classic will keep legacy gradients for colorations created in anterior nT Colorations versions. When changing previous colors, it keeps the classic gradient type in hue colors.
- Accurate will apply the precise drift used from version 8.1. When changing previous colors, it converts to the accurate gradient type using gray colors.
Number of channels
Colorways with more than 32 channels created in nT 8.0 and anterior must be duplicated to show and active all 32 channels in nT 8.1.
Color libraries
- Color Libraries in 32-bit color depth created in nT 8.1 are not supported in nT 8.0 and will appear blank.
- Color Libraries created in 8.4 are not supported in anterior versions of neoTextil.