Problem rendering music scores (PDF import)

[JLE-67]

Hi,
I would like to edit some music scores I produce with Publisher. So I export a PDF file and try to import into Publisher. I have installed all the fonts used within the score (as requested by publisher the first time) but rendering is not correct. The same score file can be opened at least with Preview or for example Nitro PDF Pro and the rendering is correct… So the problem seems to be linked to Publisher… I have tried to import a PDF score from the web again adding the "music" fonts with the same type of results…
I am using Mac version 2.1.1 of Publisher and MacOS 12.6.7 on a MacBookPro16,1 (Intel). I join PDF file as well as rendering appearance.

Best regards.

 

Conducteur_linéaire.pdf

[walt.farrell]

11 minutes ago, JLE-67 said:

I would like to edit some music scores I produce with Publisher.

If I have interpreted you correctly, and you produced them with Publisher, it would be better to Save a .afpub file and edit that later to make changes, rather than Exporting a PDF and trying to edit the PDF later.

[JLE-67]

No, I produced the files with a score dedicated software called Notion but the score arrangement in the pages is sometimes quite poor. It's why I would like to rearrange partly things within Publisher (mainly some stave position). And the only "common" format is PDF…

Edited July 16, 2023 by JLE-67

[Oufti]

You could try to tick "Préférer un texte éditable plutôt que fidèle" in the Options when opening the PDF. 

[kenmcd]

The only way you may be able to edit this at all in an Affinity application,
is to convert the PDF to all curves, and then move the shapes around in ADesigner.

The document is a mix of text objects, and shape objects.
The little amount of actual text (the title, Amadeus, etc.) uses an old encoding not supported by Affinity applications - MacRoman - so none of that text is going to appear properly in APub.
Some of the shapes are simply placed by the music application (the lines, etc.),
and since they are shapes and not tied to a font, they do appear.
Some of the symbols are from fonts (e.g. 3,4, notes, etc.) with code-points up in the PUA, but the fonts are embedded with MacRoman encoding, so nothing appears.

Keep in mind that the vertical alignment of the characters is being done by the music notation application, and none of that information is in the PDF.
The PDF just has shapes and text of which some is then vertically stacked, some is overlapped over other shapes, some is shifted up or down (e.g. notes) - and none of that alignment info is in the PDF.
It is just a bunch of objects.
Placed on the page by the specialized music notation application.
It is not a bunch of linear Unicode text which can be edited in APub.

Notion uses its own ten custom fonts.
One font is a old style symbol font, one font has some actual basic Latin characters, and eight have completely custom layouts with most of the glyphs up in the PUA.
For you to add the 3/4 you would have to find the glyphs in the Glyph Browser, manually insert them, and then manually stack them vertically.
And on-and-on.

APub only has two choices for a PDF - full edit as Unicode, or pass-through unchanged.
Some applications allow you to edit a PDF as-is and only edit the objects that you actually touch, and they understand the old encoding - that may be a better choice for you.

As I said above...
The only way you may be able to edit this at all in an Affinity application,
is to convert the PDF to all curves, and then move the shapes around in ADesigner.
If you just want to move a few objects, that may work.
If you just want to add a few objects, that may work.

[JLE-67]

Ok, I will move parts using Photoshop… I will loose simplicity, but it will do the job.
Thank you for the complete response.