IDML import only black and white (no color)

[rpnfan]

Where can I report the bug (see topic) and share a link (non-public) to the relevant file?

Bugs:

1) content only in black & white

2) when opening the file via double-click from the explorer the GUI is distorted

[walt.farrell]

This forum is where you report it, @rpnfan.

If you ned a private upload link you'll need to wait until a Serif staff member (moderator) has time to get to this report, which could happen soon, or could take a few days.

[rpnfan]

Thanks Walt, I have uploaded the file already, but cannot post that document link in public, so I'll wait for a Serif staff to get in touch with me.

[Gabe]

Hi @rpnfan,

Can you please use this link to upload your files? https://www.dropbox.com/request/rqSFYRcXOv66AVZYF1jR

[rpnfan]

Thanks Gabe, I uploaded the files.

[Gabe]

On 10/26/2020 at 3:23 PM, rpnfan said:

when opening the file via double-click from the explorer the GUI is distorted

I'm not sure what you mean by this. 

I have logged the EPS issue. It seems like we're treating it as an unprofiled document, and it gets assigned a grey colour mode during the import. 

[rpnfan]

Hello Gabe,

a) when opening the IDML file (which is associated with Publisher) the file will show up like this. So the area where the document is drawn is not in the right location  (1) and way to small and cannot be altered. I use a 4K screen (3840 x 2160 pixels), which might be part of the reason. I did not try a different display resolution. Of course I expect Publisher to work with a current display resolution! Secondly the menu, for example (2) will either not show any subitems, or only show one item when the mouse hovers over it (3). This bug is reproduciable. Opening the file from within Publisher the GUI is not "distorted" and menus work as expected.

b) when is this bug to be expected to be fixed? I was relying on the ability to import IDML files to suggest that we use Affinity in the company. Honestly: I don't have the time to try to live or work around with serious bugs and would need to either rent the Adobe suite or outsource the relevant activities, which we just tried to get "in-house" by introducing Affinity...

I appreciate all the efforts from Affinity, cool functions and business model, but when trying to use Photo or Publisher I stumble over serious bugs and shortcomings (non-working or not refined / full color management being a serious problem) which prohibit a professional use -- which btw, you imply would be possible when writing "Affinity - Professional Creative Software". 😮

[Gabe]

I can't seem to replicate #1 . Try this please 

• Close Publisher.
• Navigate to %AppData%\Affinity\Publisher\ and rename 1.0 to 1.0.backup.
• Double click on the idml file and see if it's fine this time. 

I'm afraid we can't provide ETA for bug fixes. Sorry  

 

[rpnfan]

1a) Thanks. Your suggestion changes the menu problem. Some menus now seem to work, but not all!? It also changes how the GUI is shown, but it's still not drawn correctly.

b) I now get a new problem, that fonts would be missing (although all fonts are in the relevant subfolder available).

2) Mmh, having no idea if / how / when a bug might get fixed leaves me with the option to look for an alternative as quick as possible. Not really great that I suggested to my boss we can create some documents in-house using Affinity and now seeing that I'm out of luck and cannot deliver the needed documents! 😕

BTW, and now "wasting" time to report bugs and try fixes... 😞

 

 

[Joachim_L]

Maybe you can check some things / preferences?

a) Menu View >> Are the open documents floated or docked? The current active status is greyed out.

b) General >> Documents open in a new floating window unchecked? If not, uncheck it.

c) General >> Documents open in the current active group checked? If not, check it.

d) Performance >> Change renderer to Warp to see if there is a difference?

[rpnfan]

Hallo Joachim,

the tips do not help unfortunatelly.

Danke für die Tipps. Hat leider keine Änderung gebracht (d). b und c waren schon so eingestellt.

a) soll "gedockt" sein, ist es aber nicht... 😞

[rpnfan]

On 10/28/2020 at 3:29 PM, Gabe said:

I have logged the EPS issue. It seems like we're treating it as an unprofiled document, and it gets assigned a grey colour mode during the import. 

I took another look and tried to assign another ICC profile to the document. No change in the "Document Setup - Color" does make any difference. Although it should bring back the colors when assigning for example ISO coated to the document.

* So changing the document color space does not seem to work

* There does not seem to be an option to assign (or convert to) an ICC profile on an object basis in Publisher! Is that really missing!?

I'm now really mad about Affinity not delivering what they promise! When I find the time I'll write a detailed article about Affinitys lack of color management handling and will warn everyone to think he could switch to Affinity and still be able to work professionally with colors. It's just not possible. I already started a thread explaing what Affinity is missing regarding color management. That was done in the hope that it'll nurture development to include those absolutely needed functions. But nobody at Affinity seems to care. So basic (prof.) functions keep missing... C'mon, we write 2020! Colormanagement in Adobe products works for about 20 years now...

EDIT: I just tried the current 1.9 beta -- no difference in opening the IDML file -- still black and white.... 😕

[walt.farrell]

2 hours ago, rpnfan said:

I took another look and tried to assign another ICC profile to the document.

Gabe said it "gets assigned a grey colour mode". Once something has a grey colour mode, it has no colour, and changing to RGB or CMYK or changing the ICC profile will have no effect as all the colour information is gone.

[rpnfan]

On 11/4/2020 at 12:59 PM, walt.farrell said:

Gabe said it "gets assigned a grey colour mode". Once something has a grey colour mode, it has no colour, and changing to RGB or CMYK or changing the ICC profile will have no effect as all the colour information is gone.

Yes and no. He wrote "assign", which would mean that the original data is not altered, but only the meaning of the pixel values will change with a different color space of the same type (RGB, CMYK, Grayscale, Lab...). Changing from CMYK to gray scale will be a conversion by definition. But due his use of the word "assign" I was hoping that the channel information might be intact -- which it does not seem to be. So it got converted unfortunatelly. 😞

Oh, I have to correct myself. Affinity (at least Photo) seems to be buggy there as well! I created an RGB document in Photo. Then I converted via "Document - Convert Format" to Grayscale. Then when I choose "Document - Convert Format" to convert back by chosing RGB the document get's coloured again.... 😕

So this can be added to the list of bugs and missing features regarding ICC color management! 😞

[Gabe]

In this specific case, assign is the correct word. When a file is "unprofiled", you can't convert, because you have no base reference. So, that image will be assigned a colour profile/color mode. 

7 minutes ago, rpnfan said:

Oh, I have to correct myself. Affinity (at least Photo) seems to be buggy there as well! I created an RGB document in Photo. Then I converted via "Document - Convert Format" to Grayscale. Then when I choose "Document - Convert Format" to convert back by chosing RGB the document get's coloured again.... 😕

This is not a bug. Once you convert something to a different color space, that conversion is destructive, and the "original" color values will be discarded. This is standard behaviour in all image processing apps. 

[rpnfan]

On 11/6/2020 at 4:11 PM, Gabe said:

In this specific case, assign is the correct word. When a file is "unprofiled", you can't convert, because you have no base reference. So, that image will be assigned a colour profile/color mode. 

This is not a bug. Once you convert something to a different color space, that conversion is destructive, and the "original" color values will be discarded. This is standard behaviour in all image processing apps. 

Gabe, thanks for the answer. But you just explain that it is a bug. Converting to a color space is indeed "destructive" (not reversible), but I found that in Photo the application behaves different. Reread my answer please. 🙂

[Gabe]

The bug is the EPS opening with the wrong colour mode/ICC profile(already acknowledged), and not the "destructive" behaviour of converting from RGB/8 to Grey/8

[rpnfan]

I was talking about an _additional_ bug in Photo, which does not behave -- as reported -- like it should and like you state above it should do in your opinion too (being destructive).

[rpnfan]

I have done some further tests. The CMYK EPS files can not be used in Photo, Designer nor Publisher. When I create a new blank CMYK document and open the EPS files they are shown in gray. Searching for a moment for a possible solution I found posts from 2016 reporting the same problem and also another one from 2019 where someone stated that not handling CMYK files correctly is a dealbreaker to be able to use Affinity professionally. Unfortunatelly he is right and I see that why no times are given for bug fixes, because obviously even basic broken functions which must work are not dealt with in any timely manner. Come on. From 2016 to 2019 and now close to 2021... How could I be so stupid to believe Affinity would offer a true professional solution!? Yes, stupid to believe in marketing slogans (just copied from your website):

'Experience next-level professional publishing with this groundbreaking creative software.'

Publisher is extremly "creative" by assigning grayscale to CMYK files. This behavior is very professional -- as well as ignoring this bug for years.... 😮

 

 

EDIT: I don't want to be rude, but I just do not have any understanding when the most basic professional features are not implemented at all / correctly, but one is told that the solution would be professional.