Select Window > Channels.
Last updated on
Oct 4, 2026
Create and manage spot channels for printing with custom premixed inks alongside or instead of CMYK.
Spot color channels let you add premixed inks to your print projects for accurate color reproduction, brand colors, or special effects like metallic and varnish finishes.
Spot colors are used instead of or in addition to process color (CMYK) inks. Each spot color requires its own printing plate.
Use spot channels when you need exact color matching for logos or branding, or when adding special effects like varnishes or metallic finishes. For standard photo printing or projects without brand color requirements, process color (CMYK) printing is more cost-effective.
To export spot channels, save files in PSD or TIFF formats. These formats preserve spot channel information.
Understanding spot color behavior
Spot colors in Photoshop have these characteristics:
- Spot color prints on a separate plate
- Spot colors overprint on top of the fully composited image
- Spot colors print in the order they appear in the Channels panel, from top to bottom
- Spot color names appear on the printed separations
- Spot colors can’t be applied to individual layers
- Spot colors work in RGB, CMYK, Grayscale, and Multichannel color modes
Note
For spot-color graphics with crisp edges that knock out the underlying image, create the artwork in a page layout or illustration application such as InDesign or Illustrator.
Create a new spot channel
To apply spot color to a specific area, create or load a selection.
Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (macOS) the New Channel button at the bottom of the Channels panel, or choose New Spot Channel from the Channels panel menu.
In the New Spot Channel dialog box, select the color box to open the Color Picker.
Select Color Libraries in the Color Picker to choose from custom color systems like Pantone, Trumatch, or Focoltone. Learn how to select spot colors from color libraries.
Enter a name for your spot channel. The channel uses the custom color name you selected from a library.
For Solidity, enter a value between 0% and 100% to simulate the on-screen density of the printed spot color. Use 100% for opaque inks, such as metallics, or 0% for transparent finishes, such as varnish.
Select OK.
Tip
Name spot channels to match the exact ink specification from your print service provider. Accurate naming ensures proper recognition by other applications and prevents printing errors.
The Solidity setting affects only your on-screen preview and composite prints, not the actual printed separations.
Convert an alpha channel to a spot channel
If you've created a mask or selection saved as an alpha channel, you can convert it to a spot channel.
If a selection is active in your image, choose Select > Deselect.
In the Channels panel, double-click the alpha channel thumbnail you want to convert.
In the Channel Options dialog box, select Spot Color.
Select the color box, then choose a color in the Color Picker or select Color Libraries to choose a custom color.
Rename the channel if needed to match your print specifications.
Select OK.
To apply the spot color to the selected areas, choose Image > Adjustments > Invert.
Grayscale values in the alpha channel determine spot color density—darker areas receive more spot color.
Edit a spot channel
Add or remove spot color from specific areas using painting and editing tools.
Select the spot channel in the Channels panel.
Choose a painting or editing tool, such as the Brush tool.
Paint with black to add spot color at 100% opacity, gray to add spot color at lower opacity, or white to remove spot color.
Note
The Opacity setting in the painting tool's options bar determines the actual ink density in printed output, not just the on-screen preview.
Change the spot channel color or solidity
Modify the color or on-screen appearance of a spot channel without affecting areas where the color has already been applied.
Double-click the spot channel thumbnail in the Channels panel.
Select the color box and choose a new color from the Color Picker or select Color Libraries to choose from custom color systems.
Adjust the Solidity value between 0% and 100% to change how the ink opacity appears on screen.
Select OK.
Merge spot channels into color channels
To convert spot colors to process colors (CMYK or RGB), merge spot channels into standard color channels. This is useful when your print method doesn't support spot colors or when you need to reduce printing costs.
Select the spot channel you want to merge in the Channels panel.
Choose Merge Spot Channel from the Channels panel menu.
The spot color is converted to process colors and merged with the standard color channels. The original spot channel is removed.
Caution
Merged colors may not match the original spot colors precisely because CMYK and RGB inks have a more limited color range than specialty spot inks. Merging spot channels also flattens layered images, discarding hidden layers.
Adjust overlapping spot colors
When spot colors overlap in your design, decide whether they should overprint (layer on top of each other) or knock out (remove the underlying color). Knockouts prevent color mixing that could create unintended results.
In the Channels panel, select the spot channel containing the color you want to print on top.
Choose Select > Load Selection.
In the Load Selection dialog box, choose the same spot channel from the Channel menu and select Ok.
To create a trap (slight overlap that prevents gaps during printing), choose Select > Modify > Expand if the overlapping spot color is darker than the color beneath, or Contract if it's lighter. Enter a small pixel value for the trap width.
In the Channels panel, select the underlying spot channel from which you want to remove the overlapping area.
Press Backspace (Windows) or Delete (macOS) to remove the color from the overlapping area.
If the top spot color overlaps multiple spot colors, repeat steps 5-6 for each underlying spot channel.
Note
Use this method to knock out areas from any channels beneath a spot color, including standard CMYK channels. For special cases like varnishes or bump plates, you want colors to overprint rather than knock out.
Create stunning images with Photoshop
Edit, retouch, and transform photos with the industry-leading creative tools you know and love.
