TIFF Images created with Photo 1.7 beta not readable by Adobe InDesign (but were with 1.6)

[kaffeeundsalz]

I just noticed this when I tried to implement some of the new 1.7 features into our production workflow. I edited an image with the current Affinity Photo Beta and exported it as a TIFF file. For export options, I basically set the same parameters that I have a preset for in 1.6 (TIFF, CMYK 8-bit, Uncoated FOGRA29, Embed ICC profile, do not embed metadata).

When I try to place this TIFF image in Adobe InDesign, I get an error message saying that the file is incompatible or damaged. However, TIFF images exported in Affinity Photo 1.6 with the very same export options are readable by InDesign. Is there something that has changed in TIFF export, or am I doing something wrong?

[Wosven]

I confirm this, I had the same problem but no time to do more tests than importing one file.

[MEB]

Thanks kaffeeundsalz, Wosven,
I'm logging this to be looked at.

[Patrick Connor]

The tiff export format was deliberately changed so I'm not surprised to see this report. Disappointed, but not surprised

[kaffeeundsalz]

This seems to be fixed since the previous beta, presumably because Serif "Fixed TIFF ZIP compression issues" as it says in the changelog. Just out of curiosity, @Patrick Connor: Do you mean disappointed in a way that you had hoped to fix compatibility issues with tiff export and accidentally created some new ones? If that is the case, wouldn't it be a good idea to reconsider giving us some more options in the TIFF export settings? Especially related to compression methods? I'm not saying that the export dialog should be as complicated as in Photoshop, but it seems to me that there are cases where you would need to tweak a specific setting currently not accessible in Affinity Photo to make exported TIFF files readable by other apps. I know that this has been discussed before, and sometimes extensively, but it seems to fit in here quite well.

[Patrick Connor]

5 hours ago, kaffeeundsalz said:

Do you mean disappointed in a way that you had hoped to fix compatibility issues....

I was not hoping to fix anything. I head up the QA team. I was not surprised because with 10 years experience any change to export flushes out compatibility issues. The fix was to use a more modern compression algorithm that other applications "should" support, but the disappointment is that as always you will quickly find that other applications do not support all the features that tiff can implement. So this week we have NOT reverted to the original method, but are using another compression (one that Adobe use) so it should have less compatibility issues and still be better that LZW that we were using. I do not have a strong opinion about other options on the export dialog, though in this case it would have given a work around.

 

[walt.farrell]

20 minutes ago, Patrick Connor said:

So this week we have NOT reverted to the original method, but are using another compression (one that Adobe use) so it should have less compatibility issues and still be better that LZW that we were using.

In case we have problems with other applications, can you tell us what method you're using now, if it isn't LZW?

[Patrick Connor]

On 12/15/2018 at 6:00 PM, walt.farrell said:

In case we have problems with other applications, can you tell us what method you're using now, if it isn't LZW?

We are now using Adobe Deflate in the latest 1.7 betas on Mac and Windows (i think this link is useful). 

[fde101]

Any particular reason to not make the compression method user-selectable?

[ronnyb]

Yes, PLEASE allow the user to select which type of compression; these issues are critical when working in legacy environments, and print shops are notorious for having legacy equipment...

On 12/17/2018 at 7:47 AM, fde101 said:

Any particular reason to not make the compression method user-selectable?

[Fixx]

For most users compression on/off switch would be enough (and well liked).