A color management method, system and storage medium output 4+ color separation signals to a 4+ (5 or more) color print engine. An input source color is converted into virtual intermediate CMYK separation signals using a 4-color management tool, which may be a conventional tool. These virtual intermediate CMYK separation signals are received as input within a digital front end (DFE), which transforms the intermediate signals into 4+ separation signals, such as for a 6-color print engine. A transformation unit of the DFE passes some of the input separation signals through directly as output (without transformation) while transforming others by splitting them into light and dark separation signals, such as light and dark cyan or magenta using a blend curve that will output the same tonal quality. The transformation unit may use a blending curve that takes into account ink-limit constraints and may maximize light colorant usage to improve image smoothness in light image regions.
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