T-shirt artwork
Create separate color regions as a starting point for screen-printing preparation.
Separate an image into spot colors
Separate artwork into color plates.
Choose your ink count and separate the artwork
Select a target color count. The tool groups similar colors into separate regions that you can inspect and refine.
Fewer colors. Clearer separations.
Stop separating every color by hand
Preparing artwork for a limited-color print can mean identifying similar colors, deciding which ones can share an ink, isolating those regions, and checking every plate. Start with an automatic color reduction, then inspect and refine the plates before production.
Built for color-based artwork
Turn full-color artwork into a smaller ink set
Logos and illustrations
Review flat and semi-flat artwork as individual colors.
Poster graphics
Reduce complex artwork into a smaller set of color regions.
Merch designs
Prepare graphics for apparel, tote bags, stickers, and other limited-color workflows.
Vintage artwork
Separate dominant colors while retaining the overall visual structure.
Customer-supplied files
Start from a JPG, PNG, or WebP when the original separated design file is unavailable.
Control your ink count
Decide how many colors you want to print
Digital artwork can contain thousands of colors even when you plan to print only a few inks. Choose a target count to simplify the image into a limited palette.
3 colors
For simple artwork, logos, and bold graphics.
4 colors
A practical starting point for many promotional and apparel graphics.
5–6 colors
Keep more tonal variation and detail with a limited palette.
Custom count
Choose a count that fits your artwork and production workflow.
A four-color spot palette is not the same as CMYK process color.
Inspect before you export
See what each color plate contains
Toggle plates on or off, inspect each mask individually, and compare the combined preview with the original. Checking plates can help you spot missing details or regions that need cleanup.
Take the separations with you
Export individual color masks
Download each separated mask or package the set in a ZIP file. Continue editing in the design, RIP, or prepress software used in your production workflow.
Individual masks
Export a transparent PNG for each separated region.
Separation ZIP
Keep all generated color masks together for your next workflow step.
Further editing
Use the exported masks in your design or prepress software.
For screen printing workflows
Start with one color region per ink
Screen printing applies individual ink colors through separate screens. Multi-color artwork is therefore prepared as separate color regions. This tool creates an initial separation from a flattened image. Your production setup may still require halftones, underbase preparation, trapping, registration marks, ink adjustments, screen settings, and RIP-specific output.
Understand the workflow
Spot color separation is not the same as CMYK separation
Spot color
Selected colors are treated as individual ink regions or plates.
CMYK process
Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black process channels combine to reproduce a range of colors.
This tool reduces artwork to a limited set of separate color regions. It does not simply convert an image into four CMYK channels.
About Pantone colors
Spot colors do not automatically mean Pantone colors
A spot-color separation identifies separate color regions or ink plates. Pantone matching is a separate step that assigns a standardized ink reference to a color. This tool does not guarantee official Pantone matching or automatically create certified Pantone production channels.
How it works
From one image to separate color plates
- 1
Upload your artwork
Start with a JPG, PNG, or WebP image.
- 2
Choose the number of colors
Select how many colors you want the image reduced to.
- 3
Analyze and separate
Similar colors are grouped into independent regions.
- 4
Preview each plate
Inspect the separate colors individually and together.
- 5
Export the result
Download masks for further editing and print preparation.
Get better separations
Start with clean, high-quality artwork
Clear artwork with distinct shapes and colors is generally easier to separate than low-resolution images with compression, subtle gradients, complex lighting, or photographic detail.
Works especially well with
- Logos
- Vector-style artwork
- Illustrations
- Apparel graphics
- Bold poster designs
- Limited-color artwork
May need more cleanup
- Photographs
- Soft gradients
- Transparency
- Fine shadows
- Complex texture
- Very low-resolution images
Before you print
Separation is only part of prepress
Generated color separations are artwork-preparation assets, not a guarantee of final press output.
Ink colors are not Pantone matched
Detected colors are digital approximations unless mapped to a validated ink system.
Print appearance depends on the process
Ink, substrate, garment color, underbase, mesh, halftones, registration, and press setup can affect the result.
Automatic separation may need cleanup
Detailed edges, gradients, distressed artwork, and similar colors may need adjustment.
Verify final output
Use your normal prepress or RIP workflow to check separations before production.
Need color plates or editable design layers?
Spot color separation
Best for reducing artwork to a limited number of colors, creating separate color regions, and inspecting ink plates.
- Reduce to a limited palette
- Prepare color regions
- Inspect each plate
Image to Layers
Best for separating foregrounds, backgrounds, objects, or text to continue editing a design.
- Separate foreground and background
- Isolate objects
- Extract text or graphics
Frequently asked questions
Spot color separation FAQ
What is spot color separation?
It divides artwork into individual color regions so each intended ink or color can be handled separately. Screen printing commonly uses a separate screen for each ink color.
Can I separate a JPG or PNG into spot colors?
Yes. Upload a flattened JPG, PNG, or WebP and reduce it into a selected number of color regions.
Can I choose how many colors to separate?
Yes. Choose a target count from 3 to 6 colors based on your artwork and production needs.
Is spot color separation the same as CMYK separation?
No. CMYK uses Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black process channels. Spot-color workflows use individually defined color regions or inks.
Is this made for screen printing?
It can be used as a starting point for screen-printing artwork preparation. Review and prepare final output in your normal prepress workflow.
Does this automatically create Pantone colors?
No. Spot-color separation and Pantone matching are different steps. This tool does not guarantee official Pantone matching.
Can it tell me the closest Pantone color?
No. A validated Pantone or other licensed color library is not integrated, so digital similarity should not be presented as a guaranteed match.
Does it create production-ready spot channels?
It creates separate color masks for further editing and prepress preparation. Check final production channels in your usual prepress or RIP software.
Can I preview each color separately?
Yes. View each generated separation individually and toggle it in the combined preview.
Can I download every separation individually?
Yes. Download each transparent PNG mask separately or download the complete set as a ZIP.
Does it work with photographs?
It can process photographs, but subtle colors, gradients, and tones are approximated. Photos usually need more cleanup than flat illustrations.
Does it generate halftones?
No. The tool focuses on color-region separation. Handle halftone screening in the appropriate prepress or RIP stage.
Does it generate an underbase for dark shirts?
No. Underbase requirements depend on the artwork, garment, ink system, and printing method, and should be prepared as part of production.
Can I use the output directly to expose screens?
Review and prepare the generated masks in your normal prepress workflow first. Film output, registration, halftones, and other production settings may still be required.
Can I use this instead of professional separation software?
It can simplify an initial separation from flattened artwork. Dedicated prepress or RIP software may still be needed for final production output.
Before you upload
Separate artwork you have the right to use
Upload artwork, illustrations, logos, merchandise designs, and graphics that you own or have permission to modify and print. Color separation does not grant rights to third-party artwork, trademarks, logos, characters, or other protected material.
Ready to separate your artwork?
Turn one image into separate color plates
Upload your artwork, choose the number of colors, preview each separation, and export the masks for further editing or print preparation.
Separate my artworkJPG · PNG · WebP