additional color layer in channels palette?

[danii]

I worked on a merchandiser from a client and the photo used had an extra red layer in the cmyk channels palette to color seats and some smaller details of a car red instead of yellow. There was only 1 layer in the layers palette. It seemed that they used a certain red (like you can pick from the color libraries). I was a bit confused because adding an alpha channel usually masks in red as well. So, I wonder if it is possible - but most of all how you do it - adding a color channel. And then... why would you do it there and not in the layers palette. Anyone any idea of how and why?

Maybe worth mentioning...
The photo is a tif file and saving it as jpg results in losing this red channel information, which means that the seats turned out yellow again. That's how I found out that there was an additional 'red' layer in the channels palette.

Thanx,
Danii

[pixelzombie]

sounds like they are using a spot channel...

[cricket1961]

Yeah. Its a bump plate to boost the reds when printing. They use it for blues and other hard to achieve saturated colors. Sometimes black also.

Chris

[danii]

Thanks for your replies! I'll try the spot channel on one of my pics to see if it works. I'll let you know.

[danii]

Yes! That's it! Just tried it. I simply forgot that you can colorize with the spot channel as well. Most of the time I use a 'solid color adjustment layer' and put the blending mode to color. Thanks again.