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vanessau17557669
Participating Frequently
February 13, 2023
Question

Colors in Nested Layers Become Oversaturated on Export to JPEG

  • February 13, 2023
  • 2 replies
  • 2174 views

I use illustrator to make maps for work. I like to use layer styles so I can move objects (parcels) in and out of zoning categories without the parcels having any appearance settings themselves. For the past while  I've been running into the problem that opacity settings that are applied to nested layers don't work. As in I've got a zoning layer that's set to 60% opacity, and then a sublayer with a color, and then objects within that layer with no set appearance. When I export to JPEG, the opacity for these shapes ends up well over 60% but not quite at 100% either. However if I have just an object in a layer set to 60% it comes out fine.

In the example jpeg export below, the two circled colors should be the same.

If I place the illustrator files in InDesign I don't run into this problem, so that is my usual workaround, but it adds several steps.

Illustrator is set to RGB mode. Opacity is Normal 60%. 

I'd like to be able to use layers and sublayers to stack effects and have things look consistent when I export from Illustrator! Can you help?

This topic has been closed for replies.

2 replies

Preran
Community Manager
PreranCommunity Manager
Community Manager
February 14, 2023

Not an expert here, but can you try using the Appearance panel to apply opacity settings to your shapes, rather than relying on layer opacity settings? This can be a more flexible way to control the opacity of your shapes and may help avoid issues with nested layers.

 

To use the Appearance panel, select the shape you want to adjust and then go to the Window menu and choose Appearance to open the panel. From there, you can add a new fill or stroke, adjust the opacity settings, and apply other effects as needed.

 

Apologize in advance if this is not what you were looking for.

V
vanessau17557669Author
Participating Frequently
February 14, 2023

Thanks Peran - I'd really like to be able to apply opacity and other appearance settings at the layer level rather than to specific shapes because it improves my workflow. Since layer opacity settings are a thing included in illustrator, I'd like to try to figure out how to use them effectively, if possible. 

Preran
Community Manager
PreranCommunity Manager
Community Manager
February 15, 2023

Can you try this?

  1.  Open the layers panel. Click on the small circle on the right-hand side.
  2. Open the Transparency panel. Change opacity setting here.

 

 

Monika Gause
Community Expert
Monika GauseCommunity Expert
Community Expert
February 14, 2023

Can you please tell us your system and version?

How is your color management set up and what is the document color mode?

How do you export to JPEG?

V
vanessau17557669Author
Participating Frequently
February 14, 2023

Thank for asking Monika. I'm running Illustrator version 27.2 on Windows Pro 11.

I messed about with different color management schemes to try and address this problem but haven't been able to find any settings that make a difference. I just reset them to North America General Purpose 2 and there's no change, I'm still having the same issue.

I use the File > Export > Export as... route to export to JPEGS.
Default export settings: Color Model RGB, Quality 10 Maximum, Compression method Baseline (Standard), Resolution 300 ppi, Anti-aliaising: Type Optimized (Hinted).

Monika Gause
Community Expert
Monika GauseCommunity Expert
Community Expert
February 14, 2023

Which color profile is configured for your monitor?

In which app do you check the JPEG? Is its color mangement synchronized with Illustrator?

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