A how-to question on making a duotone

[Robert...@adobeforums.com]

If you're printing process, why do you want a duotone?

Bob

[David...@adobeforums.com]

We have a CMYK image of a split pie chart we're using on a apge. Each slice in the pie is a different color. We'd like to take the pie chart illustration, reduce it to 50% of the original size, and use it as four separate design elements. We'd like to make each of the four smaler versions into a duotone, and we'd like each duotone to match the color of one slice of the "master pie".

My question is, how do we get each of the duotones to match a pie slice color? If either color is black, the resulting duotone is too dark; if either color in the duotone is white, the resulting image is washed out.

Is it possible to do what we want with a duotone, or is there a better way to do this? We'll be printing process.

Thx for any suggestions.

David Earls

[Scott_...@adobeforums.com]

Indeed. If your images are CMYK then you are done.

[John_...@adobeforums.com]

Try this:

Take eyedropper readings on the 4 CMYK builds that you want to colorize your "duotones" with. Write them down.

Reduce your pie chart 50% in size, and grayscale it.

Save as to a new file name as a tiff.

Now in a page layout application (I assume you have one) place your color image, and the smaller grayscale image 4 times.

Add CMYK swatches to the color palette of your layout using the numbers you wrote down above, and colorize the grayscales accordingly.

PS- Duotone is not really what you are doing here. I would call it a monotone printed in CMYK.

[David...@adobeforums.com]

Bob & Scott,

We want to "assign" colors from the "master pie" to each of four categories of discussion, and then use the smaller, colorized pies as design elements. In other words, make a small, bright green pie to match a bright green slice in the large graphic.

We're not concerned with getting a duotone, just getting four small pies whose colors match the bright colors in the "master pie."

John,

When I follow your instructions, I get something virtually identical to a duotone made in PhotoShop using black and the "spot color". The result is noticeably less bright than the original. We're working in InDesign CS.

[Scott_...@adobeforums.com]

David,

Make a selection of each pie slice, then invert the selection, delete (or fill with white) and save as for each section. Do not worry about size -- that can be changed when the slices are placed in ID, QXP, whatever.

If you have Illustrator you'll be better off recreating the graph there. The slices will be individual shapes that are much easier to colourize and divide.

[Robert...@adobeforums.com]

You're never going to get bright colors using CMYK. And I'm actually
wondering why you're using Photoshop for this anyway. It seems like
Illustrator or Corel Draw would be a much better choice.

Bob

[John_...@adobeforums.com]

When I follow your instructions, I get something virtually identical to
a duotone made in PhotoShop using black and the "spot color". The result
is noticeably less bright than the original. We're working in InDesign
CS.

I'm not sure how that is possible, since my method only introduces black to the small images if there is black in the CMYK build.

For the duotones you speak of, are they duotone MODE?

That mode is not designed for CMYK printing.

What are some sample CMYK builds you came up with?

How big is the color original? If not too big, stuff it and email it to me at jslat...@aol.com and I will look at it.

Bob is right about using a vector program if you can.

[David...@adobeforums.com]

Thx to all for these ideas. We're working in PhotoShop because the "master pie" is a chalk pastel drawing from a CD-ROM that's a jpeg. The colors in the jpeg are quite bright even in CMYK mode. We'll be printing digitally and can get brighter color (I think) than when we print offset.

If we were creating the "master pie" then yes, we'd do it in Illustrator. Our primary drawing was done as chalk pastel and scanned - it wasn't created in a vector program. We're using other drawings from a set in our piece, and so we need to match colors and values as well as drawing style.

John,

When I take the jpeg to greyscale and convert it to duotone and apply two bright greens, I can get a lot closer to the original. But it's a real hit-and-miss process. Everything based on grey - in PS or colored in ID - ends up "duotone dull", so to speak, when I apply my CMYK mix. The files are way too big to email - they're all 5+ MB. I could put them on our ftp site if you'd be willing to look at them from there.

[Scott_...@adobeforums.com]

What is this duotone nonsense? You are pritning digitally, meaning in process colours. If you insist on making a duotone you are makign more work for yourself, reducing your colourspace, and increasing costs, since that duotone will likely need to be converted to process by the printers.

[David...@adobeforums.com]

Scott,

"Duotone" is probably my misnomer for what I'm trying to do. What I'm trying to do is to take a full color illustration and create four variants, each of which is colored with a single color. I thought duotone was the easiest way to do that, but it's not working. Is this something I would do through color channels?

We're not, by any stretch of the imagination, anything other than marginally proficient in PhotoShop here. We know what we want to do, but not how to do it.

[sandy_...@adobeforums.com]

I wouldn't bother with converting to grayscale. Leave it as cmyk.

Try a layer applying a bright color (the gradient tool or brush tools to apply two different hues of green) in "color" blend mode and adjust the slider until it looks good. Also try experimenting with different painting or layer blend modes like color, hue, multiply, softlight, or color burn. You could also fiddle with image>adjust>hue/saturation or image>adjust>color balance.

[LenH...@adobeforums.com]

David,

I would think Hue/Saturation>Colorize would be an easier route.

Top avoid white or black areas, I would alter the OUTPUT Levels sliders by
moving them towards the centre before doing the Colorize

[David...@adobeforums.com]

Len,

Thank you, thank you, thank you. This is producing the closest yet to what I want.

David Earls

[LenH...@adobeforums.com]

You're very welcome, David. The simplest way is often the best.....