In this article, you will learn
- which prerequisites are required for this Fixup, and
- how to apply this Fixup.
1. Introduction
In the Workflow the Fixup Increase Tonal Values in Midtones is available. The purpose of this Fixup is to increase the tonal values of the midtones and thus darken the printed image in the midtones.
2. General
Use the Fixup Increase Tonal Values in Midtones to increase the midtones of the tonal values by a desired percentage and thus darken them. Thereby, e.g. counteract poor linearization of the printer or darken an image that is too bright.
You can find this Fixup on the tab Data Preparation of an Article, Order or Production Job by:
- entering the name of the Fixup in the area Filter,
- activating the option Color in the area Category,
- activating the option Convert or Apply in the area Action,
- activating the option CMYK, RGB or Tonal Value in the area Property.
3. Description
Use this Fixup to increase the tonal values in the mid tones. The higher the percentage selected, the darker the printed image will be in the midtones.
3.1. Requirements and Functionality
For the Fixup to perform as intended, no special requirements must be met, as the Fixup is applied to the overall image (all object types).
Figure 1: The dialog of the Fixup Increase Tonal Values in Midtones
The following options can be used to increase the tonal values in the midtones:
- Templates [1]– settings selected in the dialog can be saved as a template and applied to other Articles/Print Items, as well as used within Fixup Chains and in the Operations Apply Fixups and Check Print Item and Apply Fixups.
- Dot Gain Curve [2]– the diagram shows the curve that should be applied. The curve is used to increase the tonal values in the midtones.
- Input [3]– enter the percentage for which the midtone value should be increased. If 50 is entered in this input field, the 50% tonal values are raised to the percentage value selected in the option Output.
- Output [4]– enter the target value of the tone value here. If, for example, 75 is entered in this input field, the tone values of the midtones are increased to the percentage value entered here, based on the percentage value entered for the option Input.
- Add [5]– add a new point to the curve. This allows you to change the steepness of the ramp in the curve as required.
- Linear Curve/Bezier Curve [6]– determine whether the curve should only consist of corner points or whether the curve should be made up of Bezier curves.
3.2. Before/After
To experiment with this function, refer to the sample file "Sample_Increase Tonal Values in Midtones.pdf". The file was created with CMYK and should now be increased slightly in the midtones.
After applying the Fixup, the file "Sample_Increase Tonal Values in Midtones_End.pdf" is created. The tonal values in the midtones were increased by 25%. The values from Figure 1 were used.
Figure 2: Left: Original file; Right: Edited file in which the tonal values have been increased in midtones
Article update: Workflow 1.20.1 – 04/2025