[Import PDF] Colors lost, and also a Group / sub-element alignment error (white Curve, Curves, Ellipse, and a Group of Mask, Rectangle)

[Nick Richards]

1. Affinity Designer
2. Latest release version 2.1.0.
   1. ALSO occurred in 2.0.0
3. Always occurs
4. (New doc:) Sorry, I only have the original PDF (attached), and not Windows InDesign 17.
   1. See attached original and exported documents.
   2. Created by: Windows InDesign 17 + PDF Library 16.0.3

Hello! And thank you for the neat apps!

(FIRST ISSUE) Affinity appears to "lose" color information at import for certain drawing elements of the attached PDF.

Also (SECOND ISSUE, same doc, minor concern) Affinity misaligns an element of a Group at import, when the group contains a Mask and a Rectangle, resulting in previously unseen hair-lines along the top and left of the group.

Please find attached an (1) ORIGINAL PDF, an (2) AFFINITY EXPORT which shows an issue, and a (3) SCREENSHOT for additional information.

Details:

1. The Original PDF correctly includes several differently-colored, masked, layered drawings on a single page. [Green, Blue, Red, Yellow, Green]
2. The Affinity-2.1.0 export (issue also at import) incorrectly loses colors of the elements of these drawings. [White, White, White, White, White] Based upon the Layers of the imported document: certain Curve, Curves, and Ellipse elements are missing colors at import. Affinity 2.0.0 also shows this issue.
   1. For the SECOND issue, I am able to workaround the unexpected hair-line drawn by the Group of Mask + Rectangle at import by moving the Mask by -1, -1 points
3. The Screenshot confusingly shows correct colored Original drawings in the "File > Open > Recent" preview thumbnail. I speculate Affinity's "previewer" PDF library differs from its "importer" PDF library (my terms).

Please let me know if I am misusing the app.

Best regards,

Nick

Benefits Lights - affinity-2.1.0 - stripped.pdf Benefits Lights - original - stripped.pdf

[walt.farrell]

Please describe what you mean by "import".

And could you also include the Affinity document itself?

[Nick Richards]

• "Import" == File > Open.
  • To correct my original post, there is no feature named "import".
• Please find attached the Affinity (*.afdesign) document, saved after opening the original PDF.

Cheers.Benefits Lights - affinity-2.1.0 - stripped.afdesign

[Hangman]

Hi @Nick Richards and welcome to the forums,

I suspect the missing colour is a result of Illustrator mesh gradients used to create the graphic prior to being imported into Indesign and exported to pdf, something Affinity Apps don't yet support which is likely why they just appear white.

You would unfortuntaly have to attempt to recreate the gradients used though it will be difficult to match them exactly...

You could then also add your own drop shadow using a layer FX to replace the misaligned interpretted mask layer. Certainly not ideal as that is the majority of content on that particular page.

Placing the pdf also exhibits and issue with the drop shadow transparency which shows as very obvious squares as well...

I don't know if you are able to request a more recent pdf version of the file in question, the supplied pdf is pdf 1.4 which may also be causing some of the issues you're seeing with the file. A pdf 1.7 file may provide better results.

[Nick Richards]

Thank you for the Welcome ⭐ it is good to be here. Thank you also for the quick response and analysis!

This resolves my concern.

More:

SWEET - it's not me - okay I will work around this.... I discarded most of the gradient effect, and flattened each "badge" to three colors, revising the key color for each. It's works for my needs:

Neat - Illustrator Mesh Gradient - I did not know about these: https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/meshes.html I learned something! "..it will be difficult to match them exactly..." I agree. This seems like a tricky feature to implement correctly - good luck, Serif.

Insightful suggestion about PDF 1.7 - I unfortunately cannot request any revision though fortunately my needs are met, as I mentioned, with a quick recolor workaround.

I will read up on layer FX .. illustration software is neat, gives me tools for my imagination.

Cheers, and thanks again.

N

 

[Hangman]

Hi @Nick Richards,

I've converted the pdf to an svg and quickly tidied things up a little and have attached both an updated Affinity Designer file along with a pdf if you want something closer to the original which now includes the missing graduated colours (as image layers). There appears to be some text missing on the right where it says 'of 60% (up to a...

Note: The fonts used are Canadara Bold and Regular.

Benefits Lights.afdesign

Benefits Lights.pdf

I hope this helps a little...

 

[Old Bruce]

@Nick Richards and @Hangman

I opened the PDF in the Apple application Preview and saved it as a PDF and there were colours when I opened that PDF in Designer.

Benefits Lights - bruce - stripped.pdf.pdf

[Hangman]

16 minutes ago, Old Bruce said:

I opened the PDF in the Apple application Preview and saved it as a PDF and there were colours when I opened that PDF in Designer.

Oddly, I tried that as well but it made no difference, I still had empty white circles so I converted the PDF to an SVG, copied the colour elements from the SVG to the Designer file and tidied the file up as certain elements were cropped. I then removed the mask layers making up the problematic shadows and replaced them with Designer FX shadows and then cleaned up the text layers which were also a bit messy…

[Nick Richards]

While my practical need for the doc is satisfied, I do like learning, and these new routes to solve this problem are making me smile.

• @Hangman and @Old Bruce yes, converting (SVG and also export using Apple Preview + export option) is giving more flexibility. Good thinking.
• Bruce, me opening that perfect-color upload into Designer seems like magic since up to this point the colors have been obliterated.

I also get no-change with default export from Apple Preview. However, to make progress via Apple Preview exportation, I clicked check-boxes for PDF/A plus Linearized PDF, and I fiddled with the Quartz export drop-down choices. I managed to approximate Bruce's version, though Bruce's upload keeps the lead. Due to the Quartz Filter mine introduces a spurious, heavily pixelated "bonus layer", partially covering some assets, also nuking some of my alpha drop-shadow:

not good, "bonus" pixels:

... keep trying ...

I found an ideal export option from Apple Preview to Designer for my PDF color-loss, replicating Bruce's upload, "Quartz Filter: Reduce File Size":

The result is perfect, IMO. Apple Preview magics-up the colorful elements nicely. I recommend this solution.

Fun stuff.

 

 

 

Edited June 1, 2023 by Nick Richards