Chromalith

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Troubleshooting

Fixes for the problems people hit most.

The panel doesn't appear

  • Check Plugins → Chromalith. If it's missing, open the Creative Cloud desktop app and confirm the plug-in finished installing, then restart Photoshop.
  • Confirm Photoshop is Photoshop 2026 (27.2) or later under Help → About Photoshop.

Buttons are grayed out

  • Test Mask is gray: open a document first. The Image Sizing readout says Open a document to set output size. when none is active.
  • Generate Mask Only and Create Final Image are gray: run Test Mask first; both act on the current live test. Without an active license they stay unavailable.
  • Test Designer Studio Mask is gray: a regular live Test Mask is running. Turn Live Testing off, or keep using it; Designer Studio changes already flow into it.

Enter doesn't select an item in an open dropdown

On Photoshop 27.11 for Windows, use the arrow keys to highlight an item, then press Space (or click) to select it and close the dropdown. Enter does not commit the highlighted item. This was confirmed with a bare Spectrum picker as well as Chromalith, so the plug-in leaves the host's Enter behavior unchanged. Other Photoshop versions and macOS need their own host check. This does not change Enter to commit edits in numeric fields.

"A required Test Mask tab was closed"

You closed the Prepared or Test Mask document. Live testing turns off. Select the source artwork and run Test Mask again to rebuild it.

The preview says the screen can't resolve

The screen is blocked below 4 pixels per halftone cell. From 4 to below 8 pixels per cell, the panel cautions that dot edges soften. Raise DPI in Image Sizing or lower LPI. Hybrid can also be unavailable when the active profile's dot and gap limits do not fit; keep the requested method and follow the Screen section's explanation. See Image Sizing.

Test Mask is slow

  • Large prints at 300 DPI are large documents. Close other heavy documents and check Photoshop's memory and scratch disk settings.
  • Turn off sections you don't need for this job, for example measurements, coverage, or cleanup markers.
  • Set the final DPI and size before testing so Chromalith doesn't rebuild the prepared document after each change.

White shows around the edge of the print

Turn on underbase refinement and raise the underbase choke, or apply a small choke.

Fine detail disappears on film

Measure the mask on the Analysis tab and compare it with your printer's limits. Lower the LPI, protect gaps in Choke and Spread, or run the Print Limit Test to get measured limits.

Still stuck?

Contact support with your Photoshop version, operating system, and what the status line said.