SVG embeds frequently "lost" or corrupted

[Luke Graybill]

Some linked SVG files are lost when the afpub is opened again later. The SVG itself and the afpub are unchanged from when the image was placed (I use git file tracking, so I'm confident that both files are unchanged) and yet the SVG is not listed in the resource manager, despite it actually rendering when I first open the afpub:

Changing to another page and back again, the image disappears:

The outline shows that the image is still there and linked:

The transform panel for it shows an uneditable width and height of 0:

While the top bar shows what looks like more or less correct information about the linked image, except for the 0x0 pixels:

Adjusting the DPI or scale appears to have no effect at all.

Replacing the document with the same image results in wild DPI numbers that will not change regardless of what I set them to, it always resets to this negative number:

The only way to "fix" this that I've found is to completely delete the placed image control itself, then place the image again in the document. This works until it eventually breaks again at some point, and has to be "fixed" again.

Not all linked SVG images do this, only some of them. There seems to be no way to predict which images will do this - it appears to happen at random.

Edited November 23, 2022 by Luke Graybill
linked, not embedded

[D. Bakel]

I can confirm this behavior. I had this problem also with .PSD files. Seems to me it happens to files with layer structures.

[dhyatt52]

I was having the same problem with my SVGs from Designer 2.0, I fixed this by exporting them from Designer 2.0 as curves which is unchecked by default. Maybe the export by default exports them as raster images which seems to confuse Publisher 2.0? I noticed when I would reopen the file after placing them that Publisher 2.0 was showing them not as vectors but as low-resolution images. Once I made them curves from Designer 2.0 it seems to be working correctly. 

I also noticed it didn't like my font in Publisher if I tried to convert it to curves in Publisher the text wouldn't convert and just disappeared. So, my guess would be this entire issue is tied to Publisher not liking the fonts? I've had many problems in past with Publisher 1 not liking certain fonts.

[dhyatt52]

Gotta export the text as curves even though your file was already curves for it not to break in Apub until they fix it.

[Anni_Wi]

Hello everyone,
I had the same problem. Exporting the text as curves did not help in my case either.
The only (and for me fastest) solution was to change the "Image placement" value from "Prefer Linked" to "Prefer Embedded". You can find this dropdown when creating a new file in Affinity Publisher.
 

[Luke Graybill]

On 11/27/2022 at 4:33 AM, D. Bakel said:

I can confirm this behavior. I had this problem also with .PSD files. Seems to me it happens to files with layer structures.

This is an interesting insight for PSD files, but unfortunately it doesn't seem to matter with SVG how many layers there are for it to trigger this bug.

8 hours ago, Anni_Wi said:

Hello everyone,
I had the same problem. Exporting the text as curves did not help in my case either.
The only (and for me fastest) solution was to change the "Image placement" value from "Prefer Linked" to "Prefer Embedded". You can find this dropdown when creating a new file in Affinity Publisher.
 

Yes, for me, exporting as curves doesn't help. One of the files I routinely have this problem with is already only curves.

The only solution I've found is, as @Anni_Wimentions, to use embed instead of linking. Obviously that's subpar in a large publication that relies on a lot of external resources, but at least it seems like a workaround for now.

[Callum]

Hi All, 

This is currently logged with our developers to be investigated further, I'll update this thread once I have more info.

Thanks
C