Layers look different in placed content

[nicanorrr]

Hi, I don't know if this is a bug or just a limitation of the system. Basically, some layers blending modes act differently if I insert them to a Publisher document through an inserted Designer file.

For example, I created a Designer file with three shapes in the following order:

1. a green vertical rectangle with mode Hard Mix
2. a green triangle with mode Normal
3. a red circle with mode Screen

Then I place that Designer file into a picture frame in a Publisher file with a Dark Green background. If I then copy-paste the three layers I made in Designer into the same Publisher file, they look different. On the left is the placed image and on the right is the raw layers that were copy-pasted.

Is this the intended behavior? What I wanted to happen was that the left would match the right and they would look the same. It seems places content turns the layers into Normal mode (but I'm not sure).

I noticed the problem because I made a logo in Designer with a blurred ellipse at soft glow 20% in the background just to make the logo more visible. I noticed that when I inserted the Designer file into a picture frame in a Publisher file, the ellipse was a lot more visible as compared to if I just copy-pasted the layers from the Designer file directly to the Publisher file.

Thank you

[thomaso]

If you paste single objects as single layers each layer can have its own blend mode – whereas if you place a document containing various layers they get placed as 1 layer only and do have 1 common blend mode, here the placed .afpub has blend mode "normal", so its content appears accordingly. The blend modes inside the placed object don't "leave" their common layer / are "trapped" so to say in their parent container – while the single pasted layers can make their blend modes affect the entire layer stack on the page from bottom to top. That's why the "screen" blend mode (light red) occurs only in the single layers, not in the placed document. – Note, opacity as another matter of transparency (like blend modes) does get through in every case, so in the placed document, too (the bluish circle).

The different yellow in this sample is related to different color spaces: the placed .afpub (with all objects) is created as RGB document while the screenshot is done in a CMYK document. Some blend modes do appear quite different in different color spaces, which can be related for instance to additive versus subtractive colors.

Edited January 14, 2022 by thomaso
Edit: more specified, screenshot added

[nicanorrr]

thank you @thomaso that explains what's happening

Since Publisher doesn't have Symbols like Designer, I wanted to use Designer files as repeatable symbols so that it's easy for me to do edits later without having to update every iteration. I'll have to keep in mind that the blend layers get overridden as you explained. I hope in the future they allow a passthrough mode so the blending of each layer is retained.

[thomaso]

Ah, you can use Symbols in APub since you have Designer, too. Just switch within APub to the Designer Persona, select your layer set (e.g. as group) and create a symbol. You can copy/paste it into publisher and keep it being a Symbol there. I guess it will also work to copy/paste the Symbol between both apps (not personas).

[nicanorrr]

On 1/14/2022 at 9:56 AM, thomaso said:

Ah, you can use Symbols in APub since you have Designer, too. Just switch within APub to the Designer Persona, select your layer set (e.g. as group) and create a symbol. You can copy/paste it into publisher and keep it being a Symbol there. I guess it will also work to copy/paste the Symbol between both apps (not personas).

oh! why didn't I think of that. You're right thank you so much