Commercial Photoshop Retouching: In the Studio

Preparing a CMYK File

Let's suppose we are going to print our image in CMYK with no special colors. (We will add a special color later.

If the image is a layered file, then at this point you should leave it a layered file, as this could save you time having to remake masks of the various image elements. If the image is a flattened file, you may have to create masks and layers of the various image elements to be worked on. In either case, you should be ready to continue.

The first thing to look at is the minimum dot called for. Typically this can be anything from 2 to 10%, depending on the type of press that will be used for printing this job. A minimum dot area would be the lightest area of your image. If you have an image with a pure white background or a solid tint background, and the background contains no vignettes or images that blend themselves into the white or tinted background, then you wouldn't need to worry about a minimum dot in this background, as it is carrying no dot in the white, or the tinted background contains values that are above the minimum dot value.

If an area or the background of an image has a vignette or images that blend into the background, you may need to add a minimum dot to the background so that when the image is printed, the images blend into one another or the background smoothly without any transitions or areas where the lack of a minimum dot breaks off because the printing press could not hold the dot or lack thereof.

In Figure 9-5, the lightest ...