AfPub CMYK separation preflight "view mode" or channels

[woefi]

for Affinity Publisher

Request:
For prepress workflows it would be very helpful to switch to a preflight mode where you can quickly check what objects are on which colour plates (eg. spot colours)

Problem:
Sometimes there are shadow-effects or overlaying colours and multiplying images that change the otherwise clean constructed set of elements in your layout. For example, you know every text has this global colour and every icon has that corporate-design colours, but where things overlap and blend, you need to know "how dark this black really is" to be successfully printed.

Solution:
Of course Indesign has had this feature long ago, and I'm even only using version CS5 from 2010...
But you can also look for Photo's Channel panel: Like Photoshop, you can disable the green and red channels and look how the blue channel looks in isolated mode. in RGB mode this is maybe not as useful but in the prepress-world looking at your isolated CMYK plates is essential!

 

[commaimagination]

My solution is opening my PDF file into Acrobat Pro and use Output Preview. But I still need Adobe Acrobat. It's the best way to validate Overprints, true 100% Black (and not CMYK composition)

[sfriedberg]

There has been discussion of this on other threads, but I will chime in here as well.  Yes, if you are doing graphic art that feeds into a printing pipeline, you need the ability to view (and tweak) color separations.  In addition to showing the separated channels, there should be tools (maybe like video "zebra" overlay?) to show areas with "too much ink", unwanted "rich black", etc.  The Affinity suite should provide these tools, so plates can be checked before export, rather than after.

There are also some artistic cases where control over the screen (frequency and angle) for each channel is a design element, not just a make-ready consideration.

Additionally, the color management settings and flow need to be elevated to a much higher level than they are right now.  I'm of the opinion that the profiles associated with everything should be explicit, user-settable, and resettable to the appropriate file/device/system default.  And users should be able to load ICC profiles into the Affinity apps even if the OS doesn't have a place for them. Automatic "it's for your own good/convenience" color conversions lead to madness and premature baldness -- hard-learned lesson from painful experience.

[khperkins]

Preflight and color separations are pretty important for printing, which I thought Publisher is for. I don't mind going to Photo, or Designer for seps, but things like saturation percentages should be in in a preflight.

[uneMule]

Un jour mon prince viendra...

One day my prince will come...

[zuzi]

Yes, PLEASE, install a SEPARATION VIEW in Preflight Mode in Publisher! This is sooo important to get away from adobe's Acrobat Pro, which is sooo expensive! A real Alternative to Acobats "Output Preview" will push Affinity to a REAL Alternative to Adobe! We NEED it!!

[commaimagination]

@zuzi

I found PackZview that do separation preview and more on PDF like Acrobat pro. It still free but for how long because it's so good. A separation Preview in Publisher is a good idea for preflight BUT it's often the export to PDF that mess the thing. You have to keep the same color profil along every file you use or import in your publisher. Then in export keep the same profil. If you change your profil at export your color will be "destroyed"  I also use PDFX 3 and 4 to keep my black "BLACK" and Pantone when needed. Having 100% black in Affinity suite is a nightmare and should always be checked when going on offset press.