design → screens
Color separation for screen printing, without the $500 software
Upload your design, press one button, and get one layer per ink: each named with its color, each exportable as its own file. Spot color separation that runs in your browser and starts free.
Separate a design nowWhat color separation actually requires
Every ink in a screen print needs its own screen, which means your flat design has to be split into one artwork layer per color: every pixel of that color on one plate, no matter where it appears in the design. Traditionally that means Photoshop channel gymnastics, or dedicated software: Separation Studio NXT runs on a yearly subscription plus a hardware dongle, UltraSeps is a $300–$500 one-time plugin, and both still require Photoshop or CorelDRAW underneath. For a shop doing simulated process work on complex photographs, those tools earn their keep. For the spot color work that makes up most of the everyday job list (logos, lettering, flat illustration, band merch) you are paying industrial prices for a job a browser can do.
One button: Split by color
Layersmith reads your design, finds the distinct ink colors, and lifts each one onto its own layer — named by its hex color, so your layer panel reads like a screen list. And it groups by color, not by connected shape: every letter of your cream lettering, both snowcaps, and every scattered highlight of the same ink land together on one plate, exactly as they will share one screen. The garment color stays as the base layer.
A real four-color job, separated
Below is an unretouched example: a four-ink retro design on a black garment, separated with one click. Orange, blue, red, and cream each landed on their own plate — including the cream lettering and snowcaps, which share a single screen despite being a dozen separate shapes. This exact output came from the editor you are one click away from; nothing was cleaned up for the screenshot.
Export the way your RIP expects
Download the separation as a layered PSD: one named layer per ink, with the selection carried as a real layer mask — or as a ZIP of per-ink transparent PNGs, numbered in stacking order. Both open in Photoshop, CorelDRAW workflows, Photopea, GIMP, and anything else in your pipeline. Your film output or DTS workflow continues exactly as before; the part that changes is the hour you used to spend making the seps.
What this is not (yet)
This is honest spot color separation for flat and mostly-flat art. It does not currently generate halftone dots, simulated process channels for full-tonal photographs, or an automatic choked underbase: those are on the roadmap as a dedicated Screen Print Mode, and if you need them today, the expensive tools remain the right call. If most of your work is spot color, you may not need them at all.
Free to try on your own art
The editor is free to use without an account — splitting, layer cleanup, and ORA/PNG export all run client-side, meaning your artwork never leaves your machine. Unlimited PSD export and the server-side AI tools are part of Pro at $9/month, which for reference is about one-fiftieth the annual cost of a Separation Studio setup.
Frequently asked
Is this really free?
The in-browser tools are free without an account: color splitting, manual cleanup, and ORA/PNG-stack export, plus 3 PSD exports per day. Pro ($9/month) removes the PSD cap and adds the server AI tools. There are no watermarks on anything, ever.
How many colors can it separate?
Up to 12 per pass, set with the Auto-split regions slider. Most spot jobs are 2–6 inks; the largest color area is kept as the base (usually your garment) and each remaining ink is lifted to its own named layer.
Does it do halftones or simulated process?
Not yet. Today it does true spot color separation for flat art. Halftone output (frequency, angle, dot shape) and an automatic choked underbase are planned as a dedicated Screen Print Mode. For full-tonal simulated process on photographs, dedicated tools like UltraSeps are still the right choice.
Does my artwork get uploaded?
Not for this. Split by color, the editor, and all exports run client-side in your browser: the design never leaves your machine. Only the optional server AI features (subject separation, background fill) send anything to a server, and those are clearly labeled with a credit cost.
What about anti-aliased edges between inks?
Colors are grouped with a tolerance, so the few blended pixels along an edge join their nearest ink rather than becoming stray plates. The "Clean edges on lift" option tightens edges further, and you can always refine any layer with the brush tools before export.
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