EPS files imported into Affinity Designer 2 get rasterized and look terrible

[DanielPPeters]

Every eps file I import into Affinity Designer 2 looks awful. The graphics are separated into unusual sections and gradients and shadows are changed (misplaced or redrawn) and some graphic elements look as though they have been rasterized (The graphic no longer appears smooth and well drawn.... they look pixelated). Every single eps I've tried to import turns out this way. Is there a setting that needs to be adjusted? Not sure how useful Designer will be if it can't handle eps files. Please help. I've attached and eps and a jpg of the same file to you can see the two and how Designer is treating the eps. 

Daniel

 

Christmas background blue v kr.eps

Edited December 31, 2023 by DanielPPeters

[MikeW]

8 hours ago, DanielPPeters said:

Every eps file I import into Affinity Designer 2 looks awful. The graphics are separated into unusual sections and gradients and shadows are changed (misplaced or redrawn) and some graphic elements look as though they have been rasterized (The graphic no longer appears smooth and well drawn.... they look pixelated). Every single eps I've tried to import turns out this way. Is there a setting that needs to be adjusted? Not sure how useful Designer will be if it can't handle eps files. Please help. I've attached and eps and a jpg of the same file to you can see the two and how Designer is treating the eps. 

Daniel

Such eps files typically have an embedded Adobe Illustrator file in them. If so, only AI will open them faithfully as it will open the embedded Illustrator portion of the file.

The eps file format itself cannot contain transparency, which the original eps file likely has. Various other applications may open the AI portion with greater success, but none will likely be a 1:1 faithful recreation compared to Adobe Illustrator.

[walt.farrell]

28 minutes ago, MikeW said:

Such eps files typically have an embedded Adobe Illustrator file in them. If so, only AI will open them faithfully as it will open the embedded Illustrator portion of the file.

I thought the same, but that does not seem to be the case with the EPS file attached in the first post when viewing it with a text editor.

[MikeW]

1 hour ago, walt.farrell said:

I thought the same, but that does not seem to be the case with the EPS file attached in the first post when viewing it with a text editor.

That was a Affinity Designer generated eps file. The result of opening the original in AD and exporting it back to eps.

[walt.farrell]

2 minutes ago, MikeW said:

That was a Affinity Designer generated eps file. The result of opening the original in AD and exporting it back to eps.

Good point. If true, we would need the original EPS file.

[MikeW]

2 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

Good point. If true, we would need the original EPS file.

Stock sites generally require the embedded portion for eps files.

[walt.farrell]

30 minutes ago, MikeW said:

Stock sites generally require the embedded portion for eps files.

Yes, but the OP didn't say the problem is with EPS files from stock sites. Rather, "Every eps file I import into Affinity Designer 2 looks awful."

Though the rest of the descripttion, "The graphics are separated into unusual sections and gradients and shadows are changed (misplaced or redrawn)" does seem like a description of something from a stock site. You're probably right, but it would be nice to have an original to show the problem, not something created by Affinity applications.

 

[MikeW]

1 hour ago, walt.farrell said:

Yes, but the OP didn't say the problem is with EPS files from stock sites. Rather, "Every eps file I import into Affinity Designer 2 looks awful."

Though the rest of the descripttion, "The graphics are separated into unusual sections and gradients and shadows are changed (misplaced or redrawn)" does seem like a description of something from a stock site. You're probably right, but it would be nice to have an original to show the problem, not something created by Affinity applications.

 

https://stock.adobe.com/images/christmas-blue-background/57437645?prev_url=detail

Shutterstock, etc., also list it.

Even places where similar eps files are located, if there is evident transparency, those eps files are either merely containers having an embedded jpeg or embedded AI file. Just the way it is.

So if the file came from Adobe or another pay-site, it is a commercial product and shouldn't be freely shared. However, if you search the forum, there are samples here where people have uploaded such files that fail in Affinity (and other) applications that open faithfully in AI.

btw, I used Tineye for a reverse image search on the OP's jpeg upload to find sources. Adobe was just the first hit.

[DanielPPeters]

Hello gentlemen

Thank you so much for engaging in this discussion. I'm going to share the original eps file downloaded from the website Depositphotos.com. PLEASE DO NOT SHARE or use this image as it is against my licensing agreement to share it freely. I'm hoping it will be acceptable for the purposes of this investigation. Less complex images, like QR codes downloaded from legitimate sites show no degradation in quality. The more complex the images (number of elements and layers etc...) the more distorted the images seem. 

MikeW... you also mentioned that other applications could open AI portions of the file more faithfully. Could you list a few? I cancelled my subscription to Adobe and moved to Affinity because of the cost. I really don't want to go back to Adobe if I don't have to. 

Also, has anyone heard from the Affinity staff in regards to this issue?

Thanks again. Christmas background blue v kr.eps

[MikeW]

19 minutes ago, DanielPPeters said:

..

MikeW... you also mentioned that other applications could open AI portions of the file more faithfully. Could you list a few? I cancelled my subscription to Adobe and moved to Affinity because of the cost. I really don't want to go back to Adobe if I don't have to. 

Also, has anyone heard from the Affinity staff in regards to this issue?

You should remove that eps file. This is a public site.

I've uploaded a free vector that illustrates the issue.

abstract_background_268729.zip

[walt.farrell]

1 hour ago, DanielPPeters said:

Also, has anyone heard from the Affinity staff in regards to this issue?

If Mike is right about the cause (which he probably is), there's nothing more for the staff to say than they have elsewhere.

True EPS files can be handled by the Affinity applications. Those files are not really EPS fights, but a composite of an EPS container (which is documented and understood by Affinity) which holds a .ai file (a proprietary undocumented format that Affinity does not understand).

The stock sites should not say they are providing EPS files, but rather that they are providing Adobe Illustrator files which are not guaranteed to work for anyone but Adobe Illustrator users.