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I was going over some old notes about ghosting images.

If a customer asks us to cutback an image down to 20%, my notes say to cutback (using curves) the black to 0% and the CMY to 30% (10% above what is asked), instead of just moving all four colors to 20%. But my notes also refer to a better way, something about re-seperating the file so that when you cutback the file (again cutback all black and CMY to 30%) it will be more colorful.

The problem is, my notes are vague about the re-seperation settings. Any thoughts?

Andy Adams

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Andy:

You didn't mention what the output medium is. I find that you need different values for print vs. screen. Ghosting images that look good in print will be very anemic on screen and vice versa.

Try using a simple opacity change.

I have also tried this using curves and eliminating the black channel in a CMYK document, but these were not as satisfactory both from a results and from the amount of time spent point of view. Quickie efforts with curves will probably be off color, but simply changing the opacity works well for me almost all the time.

Trying to make a ghosted image colorful is a bit of an oxymoron; something that is light is going to be only very lightly colored at best. The one exception is that if your original image has a lot of shadow area you might want to tone down the black channel before ghosting.

Good luck,

Ron Kelly

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Andy, I think what you are looking for is separating the duped image to be ghosted with zero K generation GCR (more colourful when compared to stripping out the K content from a heavier than skeleton K file).

Regards,

Stephen Marsh.

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The medium is print, though I wouldn't mind hearing more on your approach to print vs web ghosting. After trying some tests, I got frustrated and posted my question. Granted, this issue does not seem to come up as often as it used to, but I just like to keep any "how-to"s as current/accurate as possible.

I can see how this topic can be be seen as "unimportant", but what-the-heck. I thought with all the brains associated with this group, I would probably find an amazing unigue yet sensible approach to this mundane subject.

Andy Adams

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As a photographer, I have an occasion now and then to meet this request for a client. It usually involves screening or ghosting back the back cover of a 11x17 front and back full bleed cover photo so that they can over print the catalog index. I have used with success putting a blank white layer below the back cover photo area and lowering the opacity of the photo area. Putting the white layer on top and lowering its opacity also works. A third option that I have used is to use a curves adjustment layer set to luminosity mode and over all lighenting the image, but focusing more on raising the shadow area to be much lighter. This does not alter the color balance of the image. But in addition to any of these methods, I also use a gradient on the layer mask to give me a soft gradient / transition from 100% image of the front cover and spine area to the ghosted area on the back. I must keep the transition very narrow because the client uses most of the width for their index. This elinimates the "box look" of the ghosted area and instead gives a continuation of the front cover thru to the back. The last thing I always do is use eithor the curves adjustment layer I just made or in the case of the white layer with opacity, I add a curves adjustment layer, again in luminosity mode; to add a bump in the contrast of the screened or ghosted area. I find too often that the ghosted area gets to flat and washy, and the contrast bump helps bring back some depth to the ghosted photo. It is a delicate balance between how much contrast, ie: black you can add back when you are trying to still be light enough to over print copy. So it depends the photo, the font and point size. Sometimes I paint on the layer mask to selectivly add / remove the added contrast based on the above items. I proof this out on an epson 3800 Pro using a Colorburst RIP

Good Luck

Jeff Natrop

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We usually evaluate images in terms of contrast first and color second, but when they're intentionally ghosted back as far as this, the detail is so subdued that we are more prone to identify what it is by its color.

I recommend separating using Heavy GCR, then trashing the black channel and ghosting back the CMY. With that heavy black missing, you should be able to keep the CMY fairly heavy--35 or 40% of normal should be acceptable.

The usual purpose of ghosting is to have text overprint the ghosted image. The advantage of reseparating as I described is that it eliminates darker grays, which are often an impediment to legibility. Any grays that are left after the heavy black is deleted will be quite light. And the darkest colors that are left after the ghosting will necessarily be pure pastels that will readily contrast

with whatever text overprints them.

Dan Margulis

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Why would this be preferable to separating direct to No GCR, perhaps with some enhanced saturation?

Rick Gordon

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Never mind. I tried it and see the saturation advantages. Actually found a combination of layering the Heavy GCR with K removed (more) and the No GCR (less), along with a little higher percentage of the Heavy GCR with K removed in Color mode got me even closer.

Rick Gordon

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RICK GORDON

EMERALD VALLEY GRAPHICS AND CONSULTING

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