Convert colors without precalculated separation rule

Alternatively to converting colors using a precalculated separation rule, you can also manually select up to 7 output project inks in the conversion dialog and have the required separation rule calculated dynamically. Once created, you can fine-tune the separation just like with precalculated separation rules.

When manual output ink selection is useful

The manual selection of output inks ideal for the following scenarios:

• Flexo printing workflows: Handle frequent spot color changes flexibly without creating and maintaining multiple OpenColor projects.
• Exploratory or one-off projects: Experiment with color combinations or create designs that do not require permanent, reusable separation rules.
• Urgent jobs: Perform quick conversions directly in Illustrator when precalculated separation rules are unavailable.

How to create separation rules on the fly

Please note: DeviceLink profiles created without a precalculated separation rule are recalculated with each request and are not stored permanently. As a result, no separation variants will be saved. If you need absolutely identical separation values in the future – for example, for repeat jobs or conversions with ColorPlugin for Photoshop – we recommend using conversions based on precalculated separation rules. (See also: Store and re-apply separation variants)

1. Select the color channels to be converted and click the Dynamic Conversion button in the plugin's main menu.
   The conversion dialog will open.
2. Under Source project, select the GMG OpenColor project that you want to use as source project. The channels of your selected objects are listed below.
   
3. Under Output project, select the OpenColor project that you want to use as destination color space and activate the Manual selection of output inks checkbox.
   If the selected output project does not contain a precalculated separation rule, this option is automatically enabled.

4. Select your first output ink from the dropdown menu.
   

   Tip: Instead of scrolling through the list, you can also type the ink name (or a part of it) into the dropdown field to filter large databases and find the desired spot color quickly.

5. After selecting an ink, another dropdown appears. Continue adding inks this way, up to a maximum of seven. When you are done with your selection, click Apply inks to continue.
   
6. Under Separation details, you can see the color ratios to be used and the estimated Delta-E00 (ΔE00) for each channel. Continue with the recommended values or fine-tune them by clicking on an entry and changing it. If you accidentally change values, click on the Reset Changes button to restore the default settings.
   
   
   In case you want to try another output ink combination, you can change the output channels by clicking Edit ink selection and changing the selection. The separation rule will adjust in real time.
   
7. Under Advanced Settings, you can find further separation settings such as TAC, GCR and Gamut mapping options. Continue with the recommended values or fine-tune them by clicking on an entry and changing it. (See also: Advanced settings for color conversion).
   
8. If all settings suit your needs, click on Convert to start the conversion. A dialog shows the progress of the conversion and will close automatically as soon as the conversion is complete.

Limitations with dynamically created separation rules

While dynamically created separation rules provide great flexibility, there are some important limitations to keep in mind:

• Separation profiles are not stored permanently: They will be recalculated with each request, which might result in slight color differences.
• Separation variants cannot be re-applied: Separation variants are also not stored and thus cannot be re-applied in the future – for example, for repeat jobs or conversions with ColorPlugin for Photoshop.
• No overprint behavior settings: Currently, manual output ink selection does not allow you to define advanced settings like overprint behavior or ink angles.
• Fix output channel sequence: The DeviceLink profile's channel order cannot be set up in ColorPlugin. Instead, the default ink sequence from the OpenColor output project will be used. For spot color libraries, for example a Pantone library, the final ink order will be alphabetically.
• Processing time: Creating separation rules may take slightly longer, depending on the complexity of the selected inks.

Related topics

• What are separation rules?
• Convert colors with GMG ColorPlugin for Adobe Illustrator
• Store and re-apply separation variants