Open the image with Adobe® Photoshop®. Bear in mind that nT Masquerade only works with RGB format images. Display the drop-down options list from File | Automate and click on nT Masquerade 8.5.X. or else with nT neoTextil Panel shortcuts.


TABLE OF CONTENTS


Creation of Color Separation in nT Masquerade

Quality colors

Before starting to separate your design, choose the separation quality type:

  • Smooth separation: Gives smoother and more seamless gradient separations (limited to 15 channels)
  • High precision: Gives precision in detail separations


Create channels

Select a color from the picker: The fastest and easiest way to create a color filter is double-clicking with the color selector on a color that you wish in the original image and the separation channels will be done instantly. See below the separations done with this method and the results on the separations screen on the right preview. The channel number will be created as S-1, S-2, etc.

 

Select a color from a new channel: Another way to do it is to create a new separation from channel options. Create a new channel with a new channel (+) or with Cmd+N.


Create channel: Back to the original image, click on a color you wish (with the cmd button pressed), and the separation for that color will be created on the separation screen. Searching for surrounding colors in the separation channel you can select it from the color picker. Or select the color with the selector with shortcuts (Mac: Shift + ⌘ Cmd, windows: Shift + Ctrl + Alt + click). It will select the new color in the image and change the new channel in the separation screen.

 

 

Adjust separation channel

Tolerance: Lowering the color separation tolerance the color selection will be reduced the lower percentage of separation.


Tolerance 255  


Tolerance 49


Plain Ink: Working with 'Plain ink' it converts separation in 100% grayscale and creates flat separation, ideally for spot colors and background designs.

  

Color Channel Groups: Grouping the separation joins color separations in one group to be independent in the color mix with other channels, which allows different color combinations after separations. Here is the example of grouping channel when having 6 groups:

  •  Group 1 - Here the brown color separations are grouped together because we want to allow color mixes.

  • Group 2 - The salmon color we add in a single group to be able to not be mixed with other channels.

  • Groups 3 and 4 - The yellow colors are separated in single groups so they will perform independently.

  • Group 5 and 6 - Same as for yellow colors. The bluish colors should be independent.

  

Channel Mask: Working with an alpha channel mask in your image you can exclude the color separation in the masked area.


Coloring Channels: Select a channel, double-click on the color patch and it will open the color picker to change the channel color.

 

Preview Channels

From the separation preview window, the button with an arrow next to the zoom, you can choose different preview modes. Each preview window displays yet more preview options.

  • 'Color' previews the separation from the original:

  • 'Delta-E' previews the missing colors in the separation (green=not separated):

  • 'Grayscale' previews the channels in grayscale:



Export options

After you modify on channels and filters you can export your image in different file options based on the RGB image from the 'Export RGB' tab list.

 

None: Exports alpha channels separations without RGB channels. The superposition coloring method 'Pigment' will be applied in the separated channel.

 

Hybrid designs: Exports alpha channel separations including RGB channels but excluding the area of the separation on the RGB channels. The superposition coloring method 'Multiply' will be applied in the separated channel.


You have the option to export the document in Photoshop or in the background when saving the image separation channels before exporting. The additional export options for the background are using with nT Job Queue Panel that is included in every neoTextil installation.


How to use channel masks in nT Masquerade

Keyboard Shortcuts - nT Masquerade