Cutting Edge Design This Ain't Your Father's Duotone


	This is when those masks I created from the original objects come in handy. I selected the combined object, loaded the mask from the "Ziger" channel, and created an object from a copy of the selection. (Ctrl+UpArrow) I then selected the combined object again, loaded the mask from the "PawZ Box" channel and created another object from a copy of that selection. I now had my separate objects again. With no further need for the combined object (and ever-observant of system resources), I deleted it.




		Figure 11



			Figure 12


	To spiff up the paw print, I first selected it in the Object Docker and then applied the Ripple effect with the setting shown below. Figures 11 & 13 . I liked this new shape and could imagine it embossed on shoeboxes and tags, and even as a part of the tread of the shoe itself. Even if Mr. Ziger decides he doesn't want to keep writing big checks to the printer, I can simulate the embossing with a favorite Photo-Paint effect: The Boss. Before applying this filter, I created yet another mask (from the Rippled paw print object) and then inverted it so that the effect would be applied only within the paw print itself and not "grow" past the object's boundaries. Figures 12 & 14. When I was happy with the changes, I inverted the mask back to its original state and created a new channel from it. I then deleted the original "Paw Print" mask since it no longer applied to this image.




		Figure 13



		Figure 14

The last bitmap effects to be created were drop shadows. However, I've never really been thrilled with the automatic drop shadow effect in Photo-Paint 8 and prefer to create black-filled duplicates of my to-be-shadowed objects and then apply a Gaussian Blur (with a setting between 3 and 10, depending upon the size and resolution of the image). To me, this produces a more realistic shadow. So that part is easy for the "Ziger" object, but how would you create the "cut-out" effect for "PawZ?" Well, that's easy too, if you've spent some time creating a script for it (I did). But even if you haven't, check out the other sidebar to get you through this dilemma. I then used the original "Ziger" mask to "knock out" the object from the drop shadow object. Figure 15.



	Figure 15

With all of the bitmap effects complete, it was time to assemble the spot plates. Personally, I find it easier to select each object for a particular plate and group them together for easy selection, with the added bonus that I can turn visibility on/off by group to check that I have everything assembled correctly. Figure 16. If you haven't been saving your own work along the way, you should do so now. For purposes of this article, I named this image "Zigerpawz1" and saved it as a CPT file.

Next, I created and saved a new RGB image using the same size, resolution, and format settings from the previous image. I'll refer to this new image as "Zigerpawz2." At this point and for the next few steps, I have both Zigerpawz1 and Zigerpawz2 open simultaneously. In Zigerpawz2, I masked the entire image (Ctrl+Shift+A). I then saved this selection as a channel 3 times, naming the channels "AlphaA," "AlphaB," and "AlphaC." From the Channels Docker I deleted the current mask and selected channel "AlphaA." Figure 17. If the eye icon is active for the composite RGB image, turn it off now by clicking on it once so that you are sure to be working only on your selected channel. Also, if your channel is one big black rectangle, change this to white by going to Image>Transform>Invert. See Sidebar.




		Figure 16


		Figure 17

	Switch to Paint on Mask mode (Ctrl+K), which will change the selection in the Channels Docker. Change the selection back to the last-selected Alpha channel (in this case, "AlphaA"). Change window focus to your original image (Zigerpawz1) and select the objects destined for your first spot plate. Edit>Copy to place a copy of the objects onto the clipboard and then switch focus back to the second image (Zigerpawz2). Edit>Paste … As New Selection. This will create a new floating mask. Immediately go to Mask>Defloat, which will de-float the current mask and merge it onto the current Alpha channel. Then Mask>Remove. I repeated these steps for the remaining two channels/spot plates. I closed Zigerpawz1 without saving any changes, and then saved Zigerpaws2 to update it with the new channel information.

Now that I finished transferring objects to channels (and Mr. Ziger's fees to my checking account), it was time to watch the purpose of this article unfold. I converted Zigerpawz2 to a Multi-Channel image (Image>Convert To>Multi-Channel) which left me with the original (and empty) Red, Green, and Blue channels plus the three channels I had added (AlphaA, AlphaB, AlphaC). Figure 18. By converting to Multi-Channel, the composite RGB channel is deleted. I also manually deleted the empty Red, Green, and Blue channels since I would not be needing any additional color separations for this image. If you are working on a CMYK image to which you wish to add spot plates, you can use the methods described in this article to assign spot colors to individual objects, but keep your CMYK channels after conversion to Multi-Channel so that you will end up with CMYK plus spot separations.

Now I was left with my three custom channels. If I turn on all channels at once, it is confusing to distinguish one from another; plus, since they are all using the same overlay color, they will merge onto the same plate. Definitely not what we're after here. The final step before exporting to the DCS format is to select each channel, right-click it to bring up its Properties dialog, and then assign it a spot color overlay by clicking on the swatch button and digging down into the next dialog until you hit the spot color palette of your choice. The percentage shown in Figure 19 only applies to onscreen representation, not print. The screen percentages can be set in the color dialog. Also, as long as you have the channel properties dialog open, I recommend renaming the channel to its proper ink name so that you can tell by a glance to the Channels Docker, what color is assigned to each channel. Now, when you click the eye icon in the Channels Docker to make all three channels visible, you will see a nice color representation of your image. Figure 20.

Export the file (Alt+F+E) to the DCS format. That's it. I now have a bitmap that when imported to CorelDraw and/or Ventura Publisher (or your page layout application of choice) will separate to the spot plates I specified. (Use the EPS Placeable, not interpreted, filter when placing these images in CorelDraw and Ventura.) If necessary, check with your Service Bureau and/or receiving application documentation for the proper DCS version to choose when exporting from Photo-Paint, and be sure to transport the main DCS info file and separation files along with your other page layout files when preparing for PostScript output.

Figure 18

Figure 19

Creating a Photo-Paint 8
Cut-Out Effect

1. Select your object and create a mask from it.
2. Save the mask as a channel and name it "Alpha X" (or your own custom name).
3. Select the background layer from the Object Docker.
4. Select the rectangle masking tool and switch the masking mode to XOR.
5. Using the rectangle masking tool, draw a rectangular marquee around the existing mask being sure to allow some "growing room" for the effect.
6. Switch back to normal or additive masking mode.
7. Create an object from a copy of the selection and then Shift+PgUp to move the new object to the top layer. Name this object "First Blur" by rt-clicking on it in the Objects Docker and choosing Properties.
8. Check the Preserve Transparency box in the Objects Docker.
9. Go to Edit>Fill and if black is not already your active fill, then click the Edit button and choose black. OK out of this dialog to apply a black fill to the new object. (If you want another color drop shadow, substitute your color of choice for black.)
10. Uncheck the Preserve Transparency box in the Objects Docker.
11. Apply a Gaussian Blur to the "First Blur" object. Start with a setting of 3.0 to 4.0 and adjust as necessary.
12. From the Channels Docker, load "Alpha X" as a mask.
13. Check the Objects Docker to be sure that the "First Blur" object is still selected. Align this object as desired for the cut-out effect. (As a starting point, move it 4 pixels down and 4 pixels right.
14. With "First Blur" still selected and "Alpha X" still the active mask, create an object from a copy of the selection. Rename this object "Final Blur."
15. Delete "First Blur."
16. Select "Final Blur" and your original object from step 1 and Combine them together to create one object.




			Figure 20

		Final Notes: Unfortunately, when exporting to DCS format from Photo-Paint 8, you do not have a option to create a header, which can make placement in the layout application a bit tricky. I'm very optimistic, however, that Photo-Paint 9 will include this option. Also, you can create (and save) masks on your alpha channels in order to clip out unwanted bitmap information, such as that darned white background.

Debbie Cook is a freelance designer and writer, living in a Tampa, Florida suburb. She enjoys helping Corel users on Corel's Compuserve forums and internet newsgroups, as a part of Corel's C-Tech technical support program. You can email Debbie at dc@cedesign.com. Debbie would like to thank Patrice Malo for the inspiration for this article.

Channels are 8bit grayscale images that contain information about an image. Because channels are grayscale images, you can edit them in the same way that you would edit any other grayscale image. You can use masks, apply paints and fills, add special effects and other filters, and cut and paste objects directly in the image channel.

For our purposes in creating spot plates, white equals blank or no ink, and black equals 100% ink. (As that's pretty much the way it is for actual negatives, this shouldn't be too hard to remember!) This is why it is essential to stay with black, white and grays and to know what each shade of gray will net on the press. For example, if I had pasted orange and blue objects into the spot channels of Zigerpawz2, the colors I meant to be 100% filled would have been converted to various gray levels and would print as tints or screens of the spot ink


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