Spot colors from imported color library not selectable

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yosimo
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Posts: 42
Joined: Tue Mar 27, 2018 6:25 pm

Spot colors from imported color library not selectable

Post by yosimo »

Hello,

I have imported a color library ( in .ase file format) into PitStop Pro and the colors are available for selection.
The colors should be defined as spot colors. But I can't color vector objects with these colors. The ok-button to select color is grayed out.
How can I use the color library so that I can work with the spot colors?
Thanks
yosimo
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Screen.jpg
Screen.jpg (90.25 KiB) Viewed 4165 times
bens
Advanced member
Posts: 252
Joined: Thu Mar 03, 2011 10:13 am

Re: Spot colors from imported color library not selectable

Post by bens »

Your screenshot shows a defined _colour value_ and not a _spot colour_. A spot colour is really not a colour but a whole collection of colours: a tint of 1% Coca-Cola Red looks very different from 100% Coca-Cola Red.

But in your screenshot you have the colour RGB 237, 188, 50. That is one specific colour, not a collection of colours. And it is certainly not a spot colour.

To create a spot colour in the colour picker you need to select the checkbox "Define as Spot Color alternate values" (which is a bit confusing I have to say). I'm not sure how this would work for importing colours from a .ase file. I'm guessing those files indeed contain _colour values_ and not spot colours.
yosimo
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Posts: 42
Joined: Tue Mar 27, 2018 6:25 pm

Re: Spot colors from imported color library not selectable

Post by yosimo »

There are two questions:
1. why can't the color of an object be reassigned with the Enfocus Inspector when I want to select a color from an imported color palette?
On the other hand I help myself with the action "Change Specific Color" from the "Global Changes", because there it works.

2) Why are the colors of a spot color library not imported as a spot color? They are listed in the Spot Color Picker, but they are not defined as a separable spot color.
Since in other programs the color libraries are usable as spot colors, I think that maybe the import filter in PitStop does not interpret the library files correctly?
Attachments
No separable spot color from an imported PANTONE color palette
No separable spot color from an imported PANTONE color palette
Spot Color Picker2.gif (41.25 KiB) Viewed 4086 times
abailescollins
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Posts: 458
Joined: Wed Apr 22, 2015 4:28 pm

Re: Spot colors from imported color library not selectable

Post by abailescollins »

They are not Spot Color Swatches. If you import them into Indesign they look like this.
So they are just regular RGB colors but associated with a Swatch name.
Screenshot 2022-02-19 at 14.18.44.png
Screenshot 2022-02-19 at 14.18.44.png (72.31 KiB) Viewed 4055 times
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yosimo
Member
Posts: 42
Joined: Tue Mar 27, 2018 6:25 pm

Re: Spot colors from imported color library not selectable

Post by yosimo »

Ahh, ok, now I understand. Although the colors have a name, they are not really spot colors.

Now if I import an *.ase color library into Illustrator and define the colors there as a spot color, and then export the colors back as an ase color library, then PitStop will recognize this imported colors as a true spot color.
That would be my goal.
Is however somewhat complex, if one would have to do this with many colors of a large ase color library.
If you import them into Indesign...
Yes, but in Indesign or in Illustrator I can easily change the Color Type from Process to Spot Color. It would be nice if one day this could be done just as easily in PitStop.

My request is then hereby done for me.
Thank you very much.
Attachments
Now it is a true Spotcolor.gif
Now it is a true Spotcolor.gif (30.5 KiB) Viewed 4011 times
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