When exporting to PDF, sometimes the images appear differently in publisher

[bluetux]

When working on the screen and exporting to PNG, everything looks fine. However, when exporting to PDF, the output appears differently.

I have uploaded the relevant files.

Personally, to resolve this issue, I found that grouping the images inside resolved the problem when exporting to PDF. However, it should ideally display correctly even without grouping. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

pdf-export-bug.afpub pdf-export-bug.pdf

[loukash]

4 hours ago, bluetux said:

When working on the screen and exporting to PNG, everything looks fine.

PNG is a lossless compression format. 

4 hours ago, bluetux said:

when exporting to PDF, the output appears differently

With default settings, PDF export converts all bitmap images to JPEG with lossy compression. That will inevitably introduce artifacts and some blurriness. To avoid this, disable the "Downsample Images" and "Allow JPEG Compression" options.

Also, the major difference is that PNG export always resamples the whole canvas whereas PDF export embeds the images you've used in their original resolution (unless it's set to "scale down"). They won't ever look exactly the same.

[lepr]

On 10/28/2023 at 1:18 PM, bluetux said:

However, it should ideally display correctly even without grouping. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

Unfortunately, a permabug. At least, it is on macOS. I don't know what happens on iPadOS or Windows.

In the case of your ungrouped placed transparent PNG with reduced opacity, the RGBA TIFF inside the exported PDF has correct alpha values taken from the placed RGBA PNG, but its RGB values wrongly are as if the placed PNG was being blended with white.

If you substitute a TIFF equivalent of the PNG, the RGBA TIFF inside the exported PDF will have correct alpha values taken from the placed RGBA TIFF, but its RGB values will wrongly be as if the placed TIFF was being blended with black.

Warning: Affinity apps have numerous ancient bugs involving transparency, which I assume to be permanent.

[DWright]

If you select the Rasterise option of Nothing in the PDF export then the shadows will be exported to the PDF file.

[lepr]

On 10/30/2023 at 3:11 PM, DWright said:

If you select the Rasterise option of Nothing in the PDF export then the shadows will be exported to the PDF file.

That makes the result look washed out all over when the export ppi is left at 300 and no image resampling occurs. It was the rasterised part of the OP's export that looked ok.

Your workaround only works because images are being downsampled (to 72 ppi in your case), which is a form of rasterisation.

A bug needs to be logged.

Edited October 31, 2023 by lepr

[lepr]

A simple example of the broken PDF export.

Source document:

contains transparencies.afdesign

 

Exported PDF:

contains transparencies.pdf

 

 

[loukash]

44 minutes ago, lepr said:

broken PDF export

Interesting!
It seems to affect only RGB export.
CMYK export converts all samples equally.

[loukash]

Also affects v2.3b

[lepr]

Just now, loukash said:

Also affects v2.3b

Yes, and it has been in the apps for years.

Problem is getting the info past the gatekeeper to the developers. That's one reason why I've abandoned starting bug report threads.

[loukash]

3 minutes ago, lepr said:

it has been in the apps for years

Yeah, I just rebuilt your example in v1 and it's the same.

[lepr]

2 minutes ago, loukash said:

Yeah, I just rebuilt your example in v1 and it's the same.

The .afdesign file I provided is from v1.10.6.

[loukash]

Uh…

[lepr]

2 minutes ago, loukash said:

Uh…

I used the current retail version of AD to do the screenshots and exporting, but you could have used my document that was created in AD 1.10.6  in your AD 1.10.6 instead of building a replica

 

[lepr]

vive la bug!

Not even acknowledging the bug? That is seriously f'd up customer service.

[lepr]

Still broken in current commercial release and current beta.

Could a Serif person acknowledge and log the bug, please?

[Alfred]

3 hours ago, lepr said:

Could a Serif person acknowledge and log the bug, please?

@DWright has not only contributed to this topic but is currently following it.

[lepr]

2 hours ago, Alfred said:

@DWright has not only contributed to this topic but is currently following it.

DWright is the problem!

DWright initially misdiagnosed the OP's problem and then chose to ignore my clear and simple example.

[Alfred]

1 minute ago, lepr said:

DWright is the problem!

DWright initially misdiagnosed the OP's problem and then chose to ignore my clear and simple example.

That’s as maybe, but the fact remains that you already asked him to log this issue as a bug.

[lepr]

Just now, Alfred said:

That’s as maybe, but the fact remains that you already asked him to log this issue as a bug.

Yes, and he ignored me, so now I want another Serif person with a more robust ego to deal with this topic.

[Alfred]

1 minute ago, lepr said:

Yes, and he ignored me, so now I want another Serif person with a more robust ego to deal with this topic.

👍