1. Tanning - Taking raw cattle hides that are in the perishable state and, with the technology in the world, put them into a preserved state. Hides at this stage are light blue in color and have an unlimited shelf life.
2. Dying - This is the step to introduce color to the hides. The dye has the same effect on the hide as stain has on wood. The hide is soaked in a vat until the solution of dye has penetrated all the way through the hide. This is a synthetic dye. Remember... a dye is a color that has no solids in it. A purely dyed hide will have a very natural look to it. With no solid, the color will vary through the hide based the cell structure of skin. Loose areas such as the belly may take more of the dye and be darker than other areas. Also dye, because it has no hiding power allows all of nature's marks to be visible, i.e., barbed wire, insect bites, fat wrinkles, stretch marks, cuts etc. Some leather gets all of its color from dye.