I thought I'd share a little something that one of my prepress buddies showed me... a tool to check your maximum density.

Using Indesign...
Create a new Document, place the image you're checking.
Open the "Separations Preview" palette (Window/Output/Separations Preview or shift+F6)
Change View from “Off” to “Ink Limit”, and enter your target DMAX.
You'll see a preview of your image in grayscale and any areas over DMAX will turn red.

enjoy!

On a related note, does anyone know of something similar in photoshop (perhaps a 3rd party plug-in)? I'm looking for something other than dragging my eyedropper all around the image and looking at the info palette. thanks.

http://tutorialblog.org/photoshop-working-with-cmyk-ink-density/
Perhaps that will help?

*edit probably not... only covers the info palette sorry.

I am working with Adobe now in trying to come up with a way to do this, kind of like the show out of gamut command. It is not an easy thing to do within the code of the program evidently.

I'll think about it for a while and post something as soon as I do... if I do. Whatever it is needs to be simpler than roaming around with the eyedropper.

Chris

I thought I'd share a little something that one of my prepress buddies showed me... a tool to check your maximum density.

Using Indesign...
Create a new Document, place the image you're checking.
Open the "Separations Preview" palette (Window/Output/Separations Preview or shift+F6)
Change View from “Off” to “Ink Limit”, and enter your target DMAX.
You'll see a preview of your image in grayscale and any areas over DMAX will turn red.

enjoy!

On a related note, does anyone know of something similar in photoshop (perhaps a 3rd party plug-in)? I'm looking for something other than dragging my eyedropper all around the image and looking at the info palette. thanks.
this may help...
instead of roaming around guessing what areas are out of density:
1. create a threshold adjustment layer on top of your image.
2. hold alt and take slider all the way to the left, then slowly come back to the right until you start to see black. this will be the darkest area of your image.
3. now put your cursor over that area and while holding shift, click on that darkest area.
4. click cancel in the threshold adjustment layer.
5. now you will have a selection with your color sampler tool to check density in the darkest area.
6. repeat as needed to see other areas over density.

I appreciate it, it's not quite it though.

Threshold can not distinguish 0-0-0-100 from 100-100-100-100
difference of 300 percent ink.