Color Separation

Screen and Rotary Printing Layers.

Fastest color separation — no Photoshop needed.

Separate designs into individual color layers for screen, rotary, and digital printing. You get one layered PSD with each colour on its own layer, ready for your separation artist to add underbase, halftones and registration in your prepress software.

At a Glance

Credits
10 credits per image
Input
PNG, JPEG, TIFF or PSD, up to 50 MB
Output
One layered PSD, one colour per layer
Colour layers
2 to 30, or let the AI decide
Modes
Advanced (full pipeline) or Simple (faster)
Typical time
40 to 60 seconds per image

A separation, start to finish

A real run on a flat-colour floral (2000 by 1600 px) with the layer count set to 10.

  1. 1

    The design as uploaded

    A flat-colour floral with clean edges, the kind of artwork that separates into clean layers.

    Upload / 3404_design.png
    The flat-colour floral used for this run: pink, yellow, green and blue petals on a pale ground
  2. 2

    Set the colour count

    Turn on automatic detection to let the AI pick the count, or set it to the number of screens you plan to burn. Advanced-Q mode runs the full pipeline for complex art.

    textile-designer.ai / Color Separation
    Color Layering panel with the design loaded, Automatic colour layer detection off and Number of Color Layers set to 10
  3. 3

    Open the PSD in Photoshop

    One layer per colour, named and editable. Merge, recolour or delete plates here, then hand the file to your separation software for traps, halftones and marks.

    Adobe Photoshop 2025 / 3404_color_separation.psd
    The downloaded PSD open in Photoshop with the Layers panel listing Color_0 through Color_9, one colour per layer

Real-World Use Cases

Rotary screen film preparation

Rotary screen printing requires one screen per color. A 12-color design needs 12 separate screens. Color separation generates the individual layers for screen making.

Production cost estimation

Before committing to a print run, a production manager needs the exact color count to estimate screen costs. Automatic separation gives the count instantly.

How It Works

1

Upload your design

PNG, JPEG, TIFF or PSD, up to 50 MB. Flat-colour artwork separates cleanest; photographic or heavily shaded art needs more cleanup afterwards.

2

Set the colour count

Turn on automatic detection to let the AI pick the number of colour layers, or enter an exact number from 2 to 30 to match the screens you plan to burn.

3

Download the layered PSD

Each colour lands on its own named layer. Open it in Photoshop or your separation software to review, trap and add press marks.

Key Features

One Colour per Layer

The PSD keeps every colour on a separate, editable layer so you can merge, recolour or delete plates before output.

Colour Count Control

Choose the exact number of layers or let the AI decide. Fewer layers means fewer screens.

Advanced or Simple Mode

Advanced runs the full separation pipeline for complex artwork. Simple is faster for clean, flat-colour designs.

Fits Your Prepress

Output is a standard PSD, so it drops into Photoshop, Illustrator or a dedicated separation tool without conversion.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take?

Typically 40-60 seconds depending on image size and complexity.

What does Color Separation not do?

It does not trap, add a base or underbase, convert gradients to halftones, add registration marks, or act as a RIP. It builds the colour layers. For press-ready separation with traps, a base under every motif, solid ground and a positive per screen, use Channeling (beta). Halftones, marks and film stay in your prepress software.

What is the output format?

A single layered PSD. There is no TIFF or PNG-per-plate export from this tool. To get a flat PNG of one layer, hide the others in Photoshop and export.

Does it work on dark garments or photographic art?

The tool separates by colour, so it works best on flat-colour or vector-style artwork. Simulated-process and photographic designs will separate, but expect manual cleanup and you will still need to build the underbase yourself.

Guides & Tutorials

AI color separation for screen and rotary printing: step-by-step →Digital vs rotary screen printing: which suits your design? →

Your designs and our AI

Uploads and results are stored in your organisation's workspace and are not accessible from other customers' accounts. Under our Terms of Service, uploaded designs and generated outputs may be used to train and improve our AI models, and that use continues after an account is closed. Any customer can request an AI-training opt-out for their organisation before uploading by contacting support. Details are in our Privacy Policy.

See Plans & Pricing

Find the right plan for your production needs.

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