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Known Participant
August 9, 2018
Answered

Photoshop image is a total blurry mess in InDesign

  • August 9, 2018
  • 6 replies
  • 607 views

Hi!

I have made a scan of a map into a digital document in photoshop and now I would like to put it into an InDesign document.  Although the map in Photoshop is made on an A4 sized canvas, somehow, the image in InDesign (also A4) looks totally unclear and blurry. As if the document is either too stretched out or too compact. I do not understand where this is coming from. I need to put the map into a flyer I am creating in InDesign, so it should be clear and fitting.

I have no experience with using Adobe Illustrator (otherwise I might have tried that, but there is time pressure in this case), or extremely experienced with the whole Adobe thing at all.

If anybody could help me with this issue, please! Thank you in advance!

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer Per Berntsen

    Also bear in mind that InDesign doesn't display the actual image, it creates a preview.

    The preview will always be lower quality than the original, even when set to High quality display.

    But when you export to PDF or print from InDesign, the original is used. The preview is just for viewing on screen inside InDesign.

    6 replies

    Martine95Author
    Known Participant
    August 10, 2018

    Thank you all very much for your help! It was indeed the blurryness of the preview mode in InDesign.

    Per Berntsen
    Community Expert
    Per BerntsenCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
    Community Expert
    August 9, 2018

    Also bear in mind that InDesign doesn't display the actual image, it creates a preview.

    The preview will always be lower quality than the original, even when set to High quality display.

    But when you export to PDF or print from InDesign, the original is used. The preview is just for viewing on screen inside InDesign.

    Derek Cross
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    August 9, 2018

    In InDesign select the image and look at the Effective PPI in the Links panel. For printing it should be around 300PPI.

    Also check for the best quality display: View > Display Performance > High Quality Display

    Which version of InDesign? If you have CS6 or below and you have a high resolution screen it will look blurred whatever you do.

    JonathanArias
    Legend
    August 9, 2018

    what does lit ook like in the .pdf when you export? Is it still blurry?

    D Fosse
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    August 9, 2018

    First of all, set InDesign View > Display Performance to "high quality" instead of standard. That may be all it takes.

    JJMack
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    August 9, 2018

    What kind of image file did you save from Photoshop what is its size and resolution. A4 is a print size however without knowing the Print DPI Resolution we have no idea if  you saved a High resolution high quality image or a small low resolution image.   How many Pixels are saved in the image file.

    JJMack