Converting CMYK text in PhotoshopCS3 to B&W

[plategirl]

My shop just got us Photoshop to correct customer's PDF's. Our main problem is text not separating right--ending up in all 4 coolors, when it needs to be black only.

I haven't had any lesssons in Photoshop but tried a test page in which the type wasn't sep right, and no luck. Seems to me Photoshop shouldn't be the thing to use for these things, but then again, maybe it is. Does anybody here use this to fix customer copy? Sounds like it should have been easy...and now I feel pretty dumb. I tried the "T" tool, selecting the layer, selecting the type, then using the color swatch to pinpoint black. No go.

Thanks!

 

[GinSu]

Not PSD!!

Not PSD!!

Do you have ANY version of Acrobat? Using Pitstop (an Acrobat plugin that enhances the edit-ability of PDF files) with Acrobat is a MUCH better solution for editing the color of type in a PDF. There are hoops and bars you'll need to navigate to convert vector (or 'real') text in PSD to black only. Using the 'Change Color' global action as part of Pitstop will work faster and easier the ANY Photoshop work and will maintain vector type.

The method your using will work, but only if your in CMYK mode (most PDFs seem to be RGB; from Microsoft Word, Excel or Publisher) and only if you make sure to fix ALL text layers. Then you'll need to save the finished layered files as a Photoshop PDF. I've been forced to do this a couple of times and the only way I could get it to sep correctly was by placing the PSD-PDF in InDesign CS3 and printing separations from that application. Using "Separation Preview" in INDCS3 will accurately show you what's going to happen without having to go to your RIP. If your pushing PDFs directly to your RIP, well, that don't work so good most of the time.

 

[plategirl]

Yes, we do have Acrobat 7.0

Yes, we do have Acrobat 7.0

And I have pushed like crazy for Pitstop, Pitpro, Indesign..never would have eoccured to me they'd give us Photoshop!

I did try to convert the PDF to CMYK etc., saved to Photoshop PDF, tried running it thru Preps and rerefining it thru Evo...the end result looks exactly like the original.

W/Photoshop up, the only layer that's showing up looks just like the original PDF, backround color, type, and all. Am I missing something here? (More to the point, am I doing ANYTHING right??)

We don't have Indesign.

 

[Joe]

Photoshop is not a PDF editor. If you are opening PDF's directly in Photoshop it is going to rasterize everything at whatever resolution and color space you choose when it prompts you for that information. This is basically a "last resort" type of thing. You really need Acrobat with Pitstop.

 

[jbbbarr]

Maybe try downloading the Pitstop trial and showing them in a side by side comparison just how STUPID it is and COSTLY it is and then maybe the light bulb will show some sort of activity.

If not, start looking for another job because these folks will not survive.

 

[WharfRat]

W/Photoshop up, the only layer that's showing up looks just like the original PDF, backround color, type, and all. Am I missing something here? (More to the point, am I doing ANYTHING right??)
--
No - you are doing NOTHING right.
(with the certain exception of ruining your customers file)

MSD

 

[GinSu]

Running a prepress department without Adobe Creative Suite is akin to trying to drive a car without wheels or steering wheel, the engine and transmission work fine but you won't get anywhere. jbbbarr has a good suggestion about downloading a demo of Pitstop, I'd suggest getting a demo of the Creative Suite as well.

 

[plategirl]

Re everything

Re everything

Jbbbar and GinSu, many thanks, and apologies if I missed somebody. I will certainly try to suggest Pitstop and Creative suites to--hell, yell it out--get this--our CSR, as he's actually a whole lot more into positive changes than is our plant manager, a crusty old guy, who seems to think all is A-Ok with things the way they are, meaning, having nada in the way of preflight software--becasue the less he spends, the bigger his Christmas bonus. And at least our CSR sees things a little more normally. Pretty sad, to have more faith in your salesman, than your own plant manager.

Ain't common sense great!

As for ruining customer files, WharfRat, I actually wouldn't have been THAT dumb...I tried it w/a test PDF.

 

[WharfRat]

As for ruining customer files, WharfRat, I actually wouldn't have been THAT dumb...I tried it w/a test PDF.
---
I don't know any prepress person that would actually work on a customers file
instead of a copy of the file.
But if you are sending what you are saying is your workflow to the RIP for plating
you are processing a ruined file.

MSD

 

[Lukas Engqvist]

Not a bad Idea to join Adobe Partner program. Membership fees include a mac and a PC licence for CS (and soon to come CS4 provided membership is still valid). Also there are great online tutorials etc you get access too.
I mean we need to work as a team with a customer. More satisfied customers means less rerunns, means more profit means we all will be jolly after a good bonus for Xmas ;P

 

[plategirl]

Re Photoshop files

Re Photoshop files

Lukas, you are so totally right--the whole thing is about the customers! We are a service industry, after all. There's a lot to complain about, and a lot to laugh about, too, but at the end of the day, a happy customer is a repeat customer--which means job security. And a modicum of job satisfaction. Which is all I get, here. (What's a Christmas bonus again?)

WharfRaf, thank you for your input. I didn't mean to imply I was rushing in and randomly destroying a customer file. I tried it as a test, only. The file is question that I tried to repair was a test file, taken from a job that had a bad page, but that the customer gave their OK to run, bad separations and all. And yup, it's a good thing too, cause as you said, the filed WAS ruined.

I mentioned Pitstop to the CSR, and got a tired sigh. (sigh.) But, we'll get there.