Working with colors: red, blue, yellow (not green) --------> PLEASE HELP!

[iDYEcarpet]

Here are my questions prior to an explanation:
1. What would be the best software application for the situation?
2. Is there software out there for working with primary colors?
3. If not, what is the formula for translating the values from RGB to equivalent values in red, blue, yellow? (where equal values of each would always be some shade of grey)
I am a color technician in the feild of textiles and am looking to improve the quality, efficiency, and profesionalism of my work using a digital camera, a laptop, and............. some type of graphics software. I want to be able to take a picture of the carpet, put it on my computer, and be able adjust the values of red, blue, yellow, and black and refrence those variables relatively to the perportion of each dye that I use (I only use red, blue, yellow, and black. I would need to apply those changes sometimes to sections of the photo with clear cut edges (mis-matched seams, carpet edges) and sometimes blended (carpet with fading). Also: dyes are transparent as oposed to pigments which cover up colors so when I add red dye I'm really taking away green light not adding red light. By the way I did call Adobe and ask them but they were of no help.

[iDYEcarpet]

Here are my questions prior to an explanation:
1. What would be the best software application for the situation?
2. Is there software out there for working with primary colors?
3. If not, what is the formula for translating the values from RGB to equivalent values in red, blue, yellow? (where equal values of each would always be some shade of grey)
I am a color technician in the feild of textiles and am looking to improve the quality, efficiency, and profesionalism of my work using a digital camera, a laptop, and............. some type of graphics software. I want to be able to take a picture of the carpet, put it on my computer, and be able adjust the values of red, blue, yellow, and black and refrence those variables relatively to the perportion of each dye that I use (I only use red, blue, yellow, and black. I would need to apply those changes sometimes to sections of the photo with clear cut edges (mis-matched seams, carpet edges) and sometimes blended (carpet with fading). Also: dyes are transparent as oposed to pigments which cover up colors so when I add red dye I'm really taking away green light not adding red light. By the way I did call Adobe and ask them but they were of no help.

[FAx]

Image->Mode->Multichannel

Remove unused channel from channel palette.
Add "New Spot Channel" and set Color when adding.
That easy.

So!, FAx
www.artin.ru | fax@goody.ru | icq 39779414
www.livejournal.com/users/faxenoff

[iDYEcarpet]

I appreciate that suggestion but I am very much a novice with photoshop. I tried that advice but the pallete only gives me options for either rbg OR yellow, magenta, and (that other printer color). So I am not getting red blue and yellow together. I guess I can edit in each seperately but the relative value of each color is not clear to me (as in equal values of each color= grey.) Am I missing something? Might there be a better place to pose this question? There seems to be a lack of replies.

[Mike Bailey]

Lets see if I can address your questions.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> 1. What would be the best software application for the situation?
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well, you stated you are to be using a digital camera. You need photo (bitmap) editing software.

IMHO Photoshop is the industry standard.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> 2. Is there software out there for working with primary colors?
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yep! almost all of the modern graphics software available.
A 24 bit RGB color model can display millions of colors.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> 3. If not, what is the formula for translating the values from RGB to equivalent values in red, blue, yellow? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Each one of the million or so colors that can be represented by the RGB color model has a value.

EG.. R has a value 0-255, G has a value 0-255, B has a value 0-255.

So you have 3 combinations, each with a numeric value of from 0 to 255 available, these values define a specific color.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>(where equal values of each would always be some shade of grey)<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

It doesn't work that way.

Mixing primary colors as if you were mixing paint on a palette can be achieved by overlapping layers of color and adjusting the transparency value of the top layer.

If you wish to freely adjust the colors of the RGB color model on a digital photograph. Photoshop has filters and masking tools.

Attached is layering 2 colors, the Yellow swatch is the top color at 50% transparency.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> Also: dyes are transparent as oposed to pigments which cover up colors so when I add red dye I'm really taking away green light not adding red light. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

The blend modes, the values of each color are used via Addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, etc... to calculate the values for a new color.

What fun!

Hope this helps

Best wishes
http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

[This message was edited by Mike Bailey on November 09, 2003 at 02:08.]