Can you colorize a grayscale image in Affinity Publisher?

[thomasbricker]

I want to colorize a grayscale image in Affinity Publisher?

Im used to being able to specify in InDesign that a greyscale image print in a certain PMS color instead of black.

Is it possible to do this in Affinity Publisher? If so, how?

Gracie Watermark_bw.psd

[Wosven]

You can do it with effects or other means (a form with a blending mode).

color_greyscale.afpub

[thomasbricker]

Cool.

That looks promising...

Now if I use an Effect or Filter, will that reproduce correctly if I’m printing in PMS colors?

Can I specify a PMS color to the tree art?

 

And what is a Form with a Blending Mode in this context?

[Sean P]

Unfortunately it is not currently possible to limit a greyscale image to use a single colour. Doing it via the method Wosven mentioned above, will cause it to be split into all 4 CMYK channels

[Wosven]

To have only one colour, you need to use your image as a mask on an object filled with tjhe color you want. But you must use APhoto to create this mask (or I wasn't able to find it in APub).

 

PS.  A form is a vector object as rectangles, triangles, circles... You can create those easily in APub.

[thomasbricker]

Yeah. 

Thats why traditionally I would colorize a grayscale bitmap tiff in InDesign assigning a PMS color to it. 

Works perfectly in Adobe software. 

I have to believe there is an alternative method in Affinity. I just don’t know what it is yet. Usually, Affinity’s solution is there. It’s just a little different. And usually better.

Any further ideas anyone?

[Wosven]

Here the example file in Pantone Green  and some Violet one.

You need to keep Aphoto opened and copy-paste a fill layer (but it gives a border, > violet one), or a coloured rectangle + mask (green one).

 

color_greyscale.afpub

[thomasbricker]

Ok Im getting warmer...

Unfortunately I cant see how to get my masking to behave correctly.

What I want to do is use the grayscale image of the branch as a mask for the rectangle that is spaced as PMS 418.

Makes perfect sense. But I haven't figured out how to set it up right yet.

Whats the method?

 

Files attached.

Thanks.

 

 

PMS Color with Mask.afpub

Gracie Tree Art_BW_Inverted.afphoto

Gracie Tree Art_BW.afphoto

[JaneE]

I think the 2nd method is something like this:

1. Open your image in Aphoto.

2. With the layer selected, in the Layers menu, click on "Rasterize to Mask"

3. Copy the newly created mask layer (it should look similar to below)

4. Paste the mask layer on a page in Publisher (since it is a mask you won't see the image on the page)

5. Create a rectangle or ect. with your desired color  (about the size of your image) and directly over the mask layer

6. In the layers tab, drag the mask layer directly under the shape layer and to the right

[Wosven]

Yes, that's the way for doing it, or using the chanel.
You'll need a rectangle or to crop the fill layer to avoid the color border and the color spreading on the page in APublisher.

For avoiding the stroke around the mask that is visible in APub (less visible in the green example, but visible), I would add further steps:

1. Add 1 more pixel to each sides of your image, with the same background (white or black depending of the file you use)
   (if the image is 500×500px => 502×502px)
2. Create the mask (from rasterizing to mask, or chanel to pixel selection > add mask, etc.), if needed invert color
3. Create a centered rectangle of the original size (for example: 500×500) (< no border stroke this way)
4. Copy and paste to APublisher and fill the rectangle with another color

With a fill layer you'll need to do the same:

• Adding +1 pixel to each side
• Chanel to selection
• Add fill layer
• Crop the resulting fill layer (to avoid the border stroke)
• Copy and paste to APublisher and fill the rectangle with another color

[thomasbricker]

Thanks JaneE,

Your method works perfectly!

Love it! and the masking is very accurate. Great!

 

Couple of interesting points:

- If I create the masks in APhoto and then try to "Place" them into APubisher, they don't work.

But if I copy and paste them using the clipboard, they work just fine. Strange...

- Whether I invert the mask image or leave it positive, seems to make no difference at all. They work identically.

 

Wosven,

You mention creating a mask by going from Chanel to Pixel. I cant figure out what you mean by that. And whatever that means, I am still unable to do this technique solely in APublisher without creating a Mask in APhoto first.

Also with the APhoto Rasterize to Mask version, I get no border edge problem whatsoever.

 

Again, thanks for your help.

 

 

 

PMS Color with Rasterize to Mask.afpub

[Alexander Rutz]

Works fine and just like in InDesign in the current 1.9.0 Beta! \o/

Tested with a greyscale TIFF and JPEG. PSD is apparently not working.

[Jeroen de Haan]

I get the mask thing working. But still no spot colour output. Am I missing something?

Grtz, Jeroen de Haan

[fde101]

On 11/25/2020 at 2:59 AM, Alexander Rutz said:

Tested with a greyscale TIFF and JPEG. PSD is apparently not working.

Interesting...

PSD is considered a document format rather than an image format, but if you are using a rasterize feature I wouldn't expect that to matter?

[Ashcraaft]

Hi. Is there still no way to apply a PANTONE spot-color to a 8 bit grayscale image in Affinity Publisher or Designer so it will be separated to the PANTONE separation?

[loukash]

12 hours ago, Ashcraaft said:

Is there still no way

Of course there is: