Wrong colors in PDF Export for linked documents

[castorpollux285]

Hello,

when I export a pdf, the color for linked documents is wrong.

Attached is a screenshot of the document in affinity publisher. The three stripes on the left are a linked document, on the right is a rectangle with the same color. The colors look the same.

The second screenshot shows the pdf created from the document. The linked document (three stripes on the left) has now a much darker color than the rectangle on the right.

[thomaso]

The difference probably results from different color models and/or profiles.
The easiest = safest would be to use 1 color model only (f.i. cmyk) to define colors AND 1 color profile only, too, for input > document > output.

For further investigation or help it would be useful not to see just screenshots (with unknown conditions) but the .afpub, the color settings of both colors, the color profiles of all three involved files or/and the export settings and the .pdf.

[castorpollux285]

Thanks for your reply.

Attached the afpub, pdf and export settings.

Color for input, document and output: CMYK

Profile for input, document and output: Coated FOGRA39

Wrong Color PDF Export.afpub

Wrong Color PDF Export.pdf

[thomaso]

With which application did you open your PDF when you made the screenshot? I see the difference in Macs Preview.app but don't in Acrobat.

In Acrobat I don't visually see the color difference in your PDF but can measure slightly different values. Nevertheless I easily can avoid the issue when I use a PDF viewer application which allows me to set the color profile to open/show your pdf according to your used Fogra 39.

To make sure your PDF will have its profile info included (as so called "Output Intent") for any application you can export it as PDF/X.    Wrong Color PDF Export_ot_X-4.pdf

Though in your .afpub the linked .eps is 'missing' I can open its curves within your AfPub. Possibly the missing image initiates the differing colors in an exported pdf. Otherwise I don't understand what creates the color difference since the profiles for in- and output and also the color values are identical. If it still occurs with a non-missing link I'd say there is a serious issue.

When I copy the curve (from the 'missing' .eps) and place it on the page in the main document its colors are identical in an exported PDF (different to the 'missing' version): 

Wrong Color PDF Export_ot_PresetForPrint.pdf

 

 

[castorpollux285]

I opened it with PDF Reader Pro. But I couldn't find an option for choosing a color profile in this software...

I  checked it in Acrobat like you did, and it's giving the exact same colors when I choose the right profile.

Thanks for your help!

Offtopic: Is there a good alternative to Acrobat Pro that has the same option for output preview?

[mac_heibu]

Yes there is: pdfToolbox: https://www.callassoftware.com/de/produkte/pdftoolbox

As far as I know, this is the only software with these capabilities. And yes, it is not really cheap. But this kind of software needs a huge amount of research and development. 

[castorpollux285]

17 minutes ago, mac_heibu said:

Yes there is: pdfToolbox: https://www.callassoftware.com/de/produkte/pdftoolbox

As far as I know, this is the only software with these capabilities. And yes, it is not really cheap. But this kind of software needs a huge amount of research and development. 

Thanks. I will have a look at it.

[thomaso]

5 hours ago, castorpollux285 said:

Offtopic: Is there a good alternative to Acrobat Pro that has the same option for output preview?

You will find further hints in this thread:

 

 

[Hangman]

My guess would be this is simply down to the eps file since you can't embed or attach an ICC profile to an eps file because PostScript does not support ICC profiles. EPS is an outdated format and is no longer supported. You'd be better of requesting a pdf/x file (assuming the file has come from an external source). As thomaso mentioned, this would then have the colour profile embedded.

To prove the point, if you create a new CMYK document in Affinity Designer using the same Fogra 39 ICC profile, draw a shape and apply the same CMYK values to the shape as used in the rectangle created in Publisher (28, 100, 93, 33) and then export as an eps.

When you place the eps file into your Publisher document the eps file no longer has the same CMYK values, it now shows (29, 100, 84, 33), so I suspect that is why you are seeing the colour shift between your eps and the rectangle you've added in Publisher.

If on the other hand you open the eps file in Designer, adjust the colour profile for the document to Fogra 39, select the graphic and adjust the CMYK colour values to match the rectangle created in Publisher (28, 100, 93, 33) and then simply copy/paste it from Designer to Publisher then the CMYK values will be the same and will likewise match on your exported pdf.

[MikeW]

56 minutes ago, Hangman said:

My guess would be this is simply down to the eps file since you can't embed or attach an ICC profile to an eps file because PostScript does not support ICC profiles. EPS is an outdated format and is no longer supported. You'd be better of requesting a pdf/x file (assuming the file has come from an external source). As thomaso mentioned, this would then have the colour profile embedded.

To prove the point, if you create a new CMYK document in Affinity Designer using the same Fogra 39 ICC profile, draw a shape and apply the same CMYK values to the shape as used in the rectangle created in Publisher (28, 100, 93, 33) and then export as an eps.

When you place the eps file into your Publisher document the eps file no longer has the same CMYK values, it now shows (29, 100, 84, 33), so I suspect that is why you are seeing the colour shift between your eps and the rectangle you've added in Publisher.

If on the other hand open the eps file in Designer, adjust the colour profile for the document to Fogra 39, select it and adjust the CMYK colour values to match the rectangle created in Publisher (28, 100, 93, 33) and then simply copy/paste it from Designer to Publisher then the CMYK values will be the same and will likewise match on your exported pdf.

Well, I think it is (mainly/solely) the way Affinity applications force the use of color profiles at the document level. Especially APub. This issue isn't a problem in other layout software I use.

A CMYK EPS is using deviceCMYK. The numbers are preserved and are passed through and it shouldn't even matter if the Acrobat viewing condition (the profile being used to render the resultant PDF) is changed.

The only time there should be a color shift is if the EPS file is using RGB color values.

[redmusic1]

 I've noticed this as well. Has anyone discovered a cause for it? I'm not sure what the EPS has to do with anything, because this happens to me when linking directly to a saved designer file. Funny enough, I discovered the problem with a similar red (C0 Y84 M84 K48) color to the one in the OP. I use the Eoroscale coated v2 profile for all my work. If I link the file in publisher and export, I get a darker hue on the linked file even if I embed it. However, a copy and paste action of the elements from designer to publisher results in a perfect export. Very strange. 

[Hangman]

So long as the colour profiles in your two documents match and you are embedding the same colour profile in your exported pdf then the colours will match. Are you able to attach your Designer and Publisher documents or a simplified version exhibiting the problem so we can take a look? The issue when referencing EPS files related to the fact that in general, you can't embed an ICC profile within an EPS file (apart from some instances where you can but only in the TIFF or PICT EPS preview).