Advise on workaround

[ChrisP]

Hi,

I really like designing in AD, so much more than AI, but the PDF export issue is becoming a problem. My clients want the PDF mostly and I can't use drop shadows or other effects without them getting rasterized. AI does not do this. Even iDraw doesn't do this - it exports PDFs as clear and sharp as AI.

 

In a few cases, they said just send us the .ai file. :(    So then I have to import....etc... and bottomline...... keep AI and CC subscription ;(     Some want to .svg or .eps, so not much of an issue with AD export there. It's just this PDF thing is driving me a little crazy.

 

Any ideas how to get a crisp AD PDF where I use effects? 

[MEB]

Hi ChrisP

As far as i know we are currently using Apple's PDF to generate the exported PDF files. Soon we will be using our own export code to generate them which will give us much more control over the output. Bear with us while we work to improve this.

[ChrisP]

No problem MEB. I know AI uses the Adobe PDF but I wonder what iDraw uses.  

 

Thanks again for response. I look forward to the new export code being implemented.

[Hokusai]

ChrisP,

 

I'm just curious as to how you are able to do make a drop shadow in Illustrator or iDraw that isn't a raster? When I create a drop shadow in iDraw or Illustrator, it is a raster effect which when I export as a PDF, gets rasterized. You are right they both do create clean crisp drop shadows but only if I set the dpi to at least 300. A drop shadow by design is a raster effect, there are ways to make a faux drop shadow out of vectors but the look is slightly different. In my work, I don't use rasters only vectors and so if there is a way to create a vector drop shadow (with the feathered look of a raster drop shadow) I would love to know how to do it. Thanks.

Hokusai

[ChrisP]

Hokusai,

My mistake then because I did not know that the drop shadows in AI or iDraw are rasterized. I was going by the resulting image that looked crisp so I thought it was a vector. 

I've used the workaround in AD of duplicating the shape or text and placing behind, then making it black and changing the opacity.  As for the dpi, in iDraw I have used 72 dpi and still got crisp drop shadows, but I always use 300 dpi for print.

[MattP]

Apple's PDF output path has a special bit of magic in it for blurs and shadows which works brilliantly - but only in OS X's built-in Preview application.

 

Basically, iDraw is using Apple's PDF path and is saying to CoreGraphics 'shadow this curve' (for example) and OS X is writing a rasterised version of it and also writing a magic tag that Preview can read when it opens the file to view it. If Preview finds this tag it will draw a shadow at the correct size, as though it was produced for the current view size, but if that tag was not there it would fall back and use the rasterised version. This is great... until you give the file to anyone - where it looks completely different if they aren't using Preview on OS X to view it!?! So we don't use this - which makes our output look worse in one application, but at least it's predictable - you know you're seeing what the client is seeing or what the printer is seeing and I think this is more valuable.

 

To the best of my knowledge, Illustrator is not exporting some form of vector shadow either - it is purely raster. It is done less destructively than our current implementation - and we are already typing to make our approach work in the same manner. I have attached a PDF I just produced in Illustrator CC 2014 with default settings @ 72 dpi - if you open it in Affinity Designer and check you will see that there is a 72 dpi image forming the shadow.

 

ShadowTest.pdf

 

We're not missing a trick or doing anything wrong at present- we could just be doing it better... And we will be doing it much better soon.

 

Thanks,

Matt

[Hokusai]

MattP,

 

Thanks for the detailed explanation! Very informative and useful to know. I think Affinity is wise not to use Apple's PDF path as it would make things even more complicated for people when they hand files off to be printed or viewed by others. 

Hokusai

[Hokusai]

ChrisP,

 

No worries, I think that raster items or raster effects in a vector program confuses many people! I hope that MattP's explanation clears things up for you.

 

MattP,

 

Maybe it would be helpful if there were a palette that showed items that are raster items (or items that will be rasterized on export) similar to the "Links" palette in Illustrator. Or better yet, how about something that would indicate in the Layer stack that something was a raster (like a different colour or something)? I think that what will be rasterized confuses many people, especially people new to vectors, and a Links/Raster palette or something that better indicated what is a raster and what is a vector would be helpful. Just a thought.

Hokusai

[MattP]

Thanks for that Hokusai :)  I think that we're hoping that one day we'll be able to highlight all these things in the Export Persona, for example - drawing highlights over areas that will be rasterised and explaining why...

[Hokusai]

MattP,

 

That sounds like a good idea, I'm looking forward to it (I realise it is something that might be added much later but I'm still looking forward to it) . I really think it would be helpful for beginners as well it would be helpful in cases where there is some confusion as to whether or something is a raster or a vector.

 

Hokusai