Copying an Image with Transparency from a PDF

[Ideareattiva]

Hello, I have an issue with the latest update. I work daily with PDFs, and I often copy images from a PDF and paste them into InDesign. I've never had any problems before, the copied image always retained its transparency. However, starting today, this is no longer the case. When I paste an image from Acrobat into InDesign, it now has a white background.

How can I fix this? I haven’t changed any settings.

I’m working on macOS, and both my system and programs are fully updated.
Thank you

[Tariq Ahmad]

Hi @Ideareattiva, 

Thank you for reaching out with your question, and sorry for the troubled experience. 

We recently have released an update for the app, could confirm the version installed on your machine: https://adobe.ly/4irAaka;

Also, have you tried reproducing the issue with other files, just to rule out the mentioned issue isn't related to app issue? Also, if possible could you share a sample file and exact steps how the issue is reproducible at your end. So we can have out product team to test this issue. A video could be helpful in this situation. 

Thank you for your patience and support.

In the meantime, you may try the following if you have PhotoShop access:

Use “Edit in Photoshop”

1. Open the PDF in Acrobat Pro.

2. Select the Edit Tool (Tools > Edit PDF).

3. Right-click the image and choose “Edit Using Adobe Photoshop”.

4. In Photoshop, the image should retain transparency.

5. Save it as a PNG or PSD (which supports transparency).

6. Import it into InDesign.

Or Try edit image with Acrobat > Adobe Express: https://adobe.ly/4kufWbn;

~Tariq

[Ideareattiva]

My workflow has always been the same: I select an image from flyers sent to me in Acrobat by clicking on it, then I paste it into InDesign. It has always worked, and the images in InDesign have always been without a background.

Since the last update, however, the images now appear with a background, and this issue is making me lose a lot of time at work. I’m forced to open Illustrator and copy the image from there, but as you can imagine, working with multiple images and many pages of PDFs, this is not a convenient or fast solution.

[JR Boulay]

Illustrator is not a PDF editor. Using it to open PDFs is bad practice, especially for images, as it screws up color profiles.

You should use "Edit in Photoshop" as indicated by Tariq Ahmad Dar

[Ideareattiva]

I know, but I don’t need to edit those images—I just have to take them and copy them into InDesign, just like I was doing until two days ago before the last update. Directly from Acrobat to InDesign. Now, if I open those images in Photoshop, I still see them with a background, whereas if I open them in Illustrator, I can take them as they are, without a background. But, again, until two days ago, I wasn’t using Illustrator at all.

[Ideareattiva]

I’m attaching three images:

1. This is what I used to do before the last Acrobat update—I would copy the image (even with cmd+c) and paste it into InDesign, and everything worked fine; the transparency remained. Now, however, when I use cmd+c in Acrobat and cmd+v in InDesign, it adds a white background that wasn’t there before.

2. The second image shows what happens when I open it in Illustrator.

3. The third image shows what happens when I open it in Photoshop.

The white background doesn’t exist, so why does it appear when I simply copy and paste it into InDesign? I’m extremely frustrated because I layout tons of flyers every day, and I don’t need to save the images—it’s a huge waste of time. I don’t know if reverting to the previous version of Acrobat would fix the issue.

[Luke Jennings3]

Check your InDesign preferences> Clipboard handling> Prefer PDF when pasting (on).

[Ideareattiva]

I already have this setting enabled.

[morrislam]

Hi Ideareattiva

You can do it in Acrobat's Edit mode.

1. Open the PDF in Acrobat Pro

2. Click Edit > Edit a PDF 

3. Right click the image and select copy

4. Paste (Cmd V) the image into InDesign.

Hope this help.

[Ideareattiva]

I already have this setting enabled. In my opinion, it’s an issue with the latest Acrobat update. Anyway, if I use "Edit PDF" and copy the image, it keeps the transparency. But again, until a week ago, it wasn’t like this—I didn’t have to use "Edit PDF"; I simply copied and pasted.

[Ideareattiva]

I just discovered that this method doesn’t work. I don’t know why, but if I use "Edit PDF" and copy the image, it keeps the transparency but at low resolution, whereas if I simply copy and paste, it keeps the high resolution but adds a white background—even though the white background isn’t there. I’m desperate because I have to extract so many images every day, and before, I was super fast.

[hitthedecoy]

If it makes you feel any better (it probably won't), I'm also having this problem since the latest update. Like you, I've been grabbing images from PDFs for years and they've always retained their transparency, but since a few days ago... Nope. Ironically, I can use a variety of techniques to put the transparency back, but that's just annoying and has me searching for another product that will simply retain the transparency as Adobe used to. It's mildly amusing to see that you have yet to convince an Adobe employee that it's an actual problem, but, well... That figures.

Anyway, I feel your pain.

[Ideareattiva]

Thanks for your reply. Well… it makes me feel a little better because it’s not just my problem, even though I suspected it was an update issue. I even tried installing the previous version of InDesign (I don’t think it’s possible for Acrobat, as I don’t see the option in the CC panel), but the problem isn’t InDesign, it’s Acrobat.

Let’s hope they fix this issue because I’ve been paying for the licenses for years, and I don’t want to keep paying just to waste time.