Split a PNG into CMYK Channels
Convert an image into its CMYK components — Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (black) — each as a grayscale PNG showing that ink's coverage. It's the model print uses, so this is a quick way to preview how an image separates into plates. Drop a file and download the four channels as a ZIP, processed in your browser.
Drop images here
Multiple files allowed · one ZIP per image
What each channel is
- Cyan / Magenta / Yellow — how much of each ink a pixel needs; white = full coverage, black = none.
- Key (K) — the black plate, which adds depth and saves coloured ink.
An honest caveat about print colour
This is a mathematical RGB-to-CMYK conversion, not a colour-managed one. Real print separations depend on the specific paper and press profile (an ICC profile), so treat these channels as a useful preview and analysis aid, not final print-ready plates. For production, convert through your print shop's profile in a colour-managed application.
FAQ
Can I use these for professional printing?
As a preview, yes; as final separations, no — production CMYK needs the press's ICC profile. This tool gives a standard, profile-free conversion for inspection and design work.
Why is the Key (black) channel mostly white on a dark image?
White here means "lots of this ink." A dark image needs heavy black, so its Key channel is bright. Light images have a mostly-black (empty) Key channel.
Part of: Get an image ready for print
Resolution is pixels; DPI is only a number in the header. Upscale first, then set the DPI to match the physical size.
- 1 Upscale Add the pixels the print size needs
- 2 Change DPI Write the 300 DPI the printer asks for
- 3 PNG to CMYK See how the colours will shift on press
- 4 PNG to TIFF The format print shops actually want
Part of: Get pixel values out in another colour space
Pick by what the receiving code expects: HSL to reason about hue, LAB for perceptual distance, YCbCr for video, CMYK for print.
- 1 PNG to HSL Hue, saturation, lightness — the one for CSS
- 2 PNG to LAB Perceptually uniform, for measuring colour difference
- 3 PNG to YCbCr Luma and two chroma planes, as video codecs see it
- 4 PNG to CMYK The four ink plates a press will actually lay down