Contour cut and photoshop

[altereddezignz]

I am used to flexi as i could create a contour cut around a image out of Photoshop.
We now have Onyx postershop 12 as of today and i am so lost.
Can anyone explain how to create a contour cut on a Photoshop file or is there a way to do this inside one of the onyx programs.

I have watched videos on how to do it inside illustrator with a spot color on a path. But nothing for a photoshop file.

Thanks

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

You can't, Photoshop is a raster program. Although you can do some vector work in PS, you can't save any of those in a format Onyx can use for a cut contour.

 

[altereddezignz]

Ok so can someone help me with this issue then?? File that is created in photshop?

In flexi i could take photoshop and give the image an effect and make it a fill layer. Save that fill layer as its own tiff. Open the tiff in illustrator or flexi and convert it into a vector. now i have a vector path.

Open flexi and open tiff in flexi, now import cut path and move it around the tiff and now i have a print cut file.


So there is no way to create a tiff or raster image with a contour cut path?

 

[altereddezignz]

So i figured out how to great a work path from a selection in Photoshop. I can then export bath to illustrator and save that path. So now since i have a cut path and i have an tiff from photoshop is there a way to rejoin them so that the cut path is associated with the printed image?

 

[Bly]

Yes just lay the cut path over your image where you want to cut and give it a spot colour fill called CutContour and Onyx will see and cut it.
The path will show in Preflight. Select your cutter, rip it then as soon as you hit print the cutfile goes to CutServer.

 

[altereddezignz]

Yes just lay the cut path over your image where you want to cut and give it a spot colour fill called CutContour and Onyx will see and cut it.
The path will show in Preflight. Select your cutter, rip it then as soon as you hit print the cutfile goes to CutServer.

Preflight?

Sorry to ask so so much but up until about 4 yesterday I had never touched onyx.

 

[agonuni]

Preflight aka Job Editor. I think that's what he meant. When you click on the file you want to edit, you can click on Job Editor on the right side above your preview box.
Look at the image and see if that helps.
View attachment Cu.pdf

 

[dbeere]

aa

 

[myront]

Drives me nuts when someone uses photoshop to design knowing it will have to be "shape-cut" at some point. Why on earth would you do such a thing!

Design all elements in your favorite VECTOR program. If you want to incorporate any photoshop effects/trickery that's fine. Once your shape/text is set export it as a transparent tiff then jump into ps and do your thing, save it and put it back into the VECTOR program overlayed over the original VECTOR shape/text.

 

[eahicks]

If you save your image as PSD, Flexi will do an exact shape contour by using the Contour tool. As long your PSD has transparent background.

 

[altereddezignz]

The reason for this is up until now i never had an issue creating it all in photoshop and saving it as a tiff. Flexi handles the files very well and you cna apply contour cuts in the tiff files in flexi.

my issue with v3ector only is i may change my design a few times before the final cut paths are needed and the actualy images may change or shape may change.

To bad you cannot go the other way as create in photoshop and create your cut path in illustrator.

But even if you use 2 programs how do you join them back together to print cut in onyx?

Drives me nuts when someone uses photoshop to design knowing it will have to be "shape-cut" at some point. Why on earth would you do such a thing!
Design all elements in your favorite VECTOR program. If you want to incorporate any photoshop effects/trickery that's fine. Once your shape/text is set export it as a transparent tiff then jump into ps and do your thing, save it and put it back into the VECTOR program overlayed over the original VECTOR shape/text.

I am no longer using Flexi as my software. I know how to do it all in flexi there is no issues there but th enew software is nothing even remotely close.

If you save your image as PSD, Flexi will do an exact shape contour by using the Contour tool. As long your PSD has transparent background.

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

Create your image in Photoshop, Import in to Illustrator, Create your Cut Paths, Fill the Cut path with a custom spot color named CutContour, Finally Save as a EPS and open in Onyx RipQueue

 

[altereddezignz]

So since i am not as familier with saving images print ready from illustrator is there any loss in image quality going from photoshop to illustrator then to print?

 

[Andy_warp]

Better bone up on Illustrator!

There are no "magic wands" to create good clean vector art for Onyx.
The problem with autotracing and generating work paths in Photoshop is there can be a trillion vector points...I don't think most cutters would like that.

Photoshop really can't do it all...and shouldn't.

You want a placed photoshop file as a link in illustrator on one layer.
On a separate layer will be your vector cut path (you'll want to draw it over your image).

Save as a pdf. Eps files work too, but I hate them for my own neurotic reasons. (ever heard of distiller? )

If your intended cut changes due to Photoshop revisions...you have to draw new paths in Illustrator.

Luckily for you...the vector and shaping tools in the newest Illustrator are awesome...Illustrator 9 (yes we are on v. 21 now!) didn't have any of those goodies.

 

[Andy_warp]

Illustrator will not change your image quality. You will have to be thoughtful about the resolution during file creation. Avoid enlarging your placed image once in Illustrator. If you enlarge your placed image 200% in Illustrator...the resolution will be half of your original...and so on. Same goes with rotating or any transform...it can grind Illustrator to a halt. Do not judge the image quality by what you see in Illustrator...it creates it's own preview...so it's not representative of the true image resolution...always use Photoshop to judge that. This can be tricky if you are working in scales.

To get good at Illustrator, you really have to love it. And yes, it's hard. Do yourself a favor and get the vector bug...then again, I am a graphics nerd.

 

[altereddezignz]

Thank you for the info sir!!!! I had been using photoshop and illustrator together for a long time but only really ever mixed them when I was doing a lot of effects. I would create the plain logo in illustrator and paste into photoshop and modify and print from there. I would try to do all contour cut stuff illy. I need to get Better with illustrator I know. I figure I can just import into or open tiff in illustrator and create my vector or cut path there if I need to and go from there. I'll have to do some playing with it.

 

[altereddezignz]

Just want to make sure of something here. If i have a file that is set to 720 dpi bc i scale up 1000% in rip if i create that file in photoshop and save it at a tiff then open it in illustrator i have no loss of quality. I can then create my contour cut in illustrator on top of the .tiff i created in photoshop. When i save this do i then save it as a .eps?

I am learning illustrator more for effects but still needing photoshop for now till i can get the things that i want.

My main issue is most of my auto templates are from the bad wrap. 720 dpi tiff files that rea to be scaled up 1000% in rip befor print. this works fine if there are no cuts.. Not so much if there are cuts. Can i not just open this tiff in illustrator then hide that layer after my design is created as a vector. Save as eps and print away and let onyx see my cut path?

 

[Solventinkjet]

Just want to make sure of something here. If i have a file that is set to 720 dpi bc i scale up 1000% in rip if i create that file in photoshop and save it at a tiff then open it in illustrator i have no loss of quality. I can then create my contour cut in illustrator on top of the .tiff i created in photoshop. When i save this do i then save it as a .eps?

I am learning illustrator more for effects but still needing photoshop for now till i can get the things that i want.

My main issue is most of my auto templates are from the bad wrap. 720 dpi tiff files that rea to be scaled up 1000% in rip befor print. this works fine if there are no cuts.. Not so much if there are cuts. Can i not just open this tiff in illustrator then hide that layer after my design is created as a vector. Save as eps and print away and let onyx see my cut path?

You got it. Just remember, Photoshop is fine to design in as well as Illustrator. It's not about which one should you design in, it's use the right tool for the job. I prefer Illustrator to Photoshop mostly because I started my education with Illustrator and am comfortable with it. But I still need to use Photoshop for certain things and use both to make completed projects. Being able to master vector artwork is one of the best things you can do to improve your designs in my opinion.

 

[altereddezignz]

You got it. Just remember, Photoshop is fine to design in as well as Illustrator. It's not about which one should you design in, it's use the right tool for the job. I prefer Illustrator to Photoshop mostly because I started my education with Illustrator and am comfortable with it. But I still need to use Photoshop for certain things and use both to make completed projects. Being able to master vector artwork is one of the best things you can do to improve your designs in my opinion.

Its the back and forth that i have issues with . Like today created a wrap or a partial in photoshop but need it to have cut lines. I am still very new to onyx and it doesn't see spot colors from PS so now i am working on trying to find a way to get the cut paths and design together. This is the reason i was oping i wouldn't loose any quality.

Created file in photoshop
Grouped all layers
Gave the layer a fill and a stroke the thickness i want my bleed to be.
Fill the layer with 100-100-100-100 black and save as cut layer.
open cut layer that i made the fill in into illustrator and trace image and that gets me close.
Nope place in the actual colored design as a flat image that i did in photoshop.
Set the cut path as a cutcontour path and save the joined files as eps and send to onyx.

I do all my logos and things in illustrator for the scalability but the effects is where i have issues with. Now i need to learn how to go back and forth like illustrator to photoshop and back without loosing spot colors.. haha

Thank you for your help everyone and VanderJ

 

[jfiscus]

IIRC you can create a new channel in Photoshop and name if CutContour and Onyx recognizes it. HOWEVER, that is just a memory of someone else saying it works, FWIW
I place my flattened JPEG/TIF into Illustrator and use a vector path when necessary. Not many times that I design something in PS that is going to be cut though...