Embedded image disappears from pdf when opened in Chrome Browser

Report · Mar 24, 2022

Hello there,

After designing a document in InDesign and then exporting to a pdf, I found that when the document was opened in my Chrome browser one of the images disappears. I opened it in all of the other 'popular' browsers (Safari, Firefox, Explorer etc) and it showed up.

First I tried clearing my browser cache in Chrome and that didn't do anything. I also made sure that Chrome was just opening the pdf and not downloading it in my saved settings (that was set to viewing already). After resetting the Chrome browser settings the image did appear. I understand that deeply nested images can sometimes not display in Chrome because of the users settings. However, I would like to make sure that website viewers (using Chrome) can access this resource with the image without having to make any adjustments to their Chrome settings.

What ended up happening was the page was recreated in a separate InDesign document with a new image and then combined in Acorbat with the rest of the original document. Then it was viewable in all browsers

So, any advice... if there is a pdf setting or even something in InDesign that can be done to avoid this situation? Or any ideas why this could have occured? Could it have been something to do with the image and if so what?

Report · Mar 25, 2022

Hi,

As Chrome uses its own viewer to display PDF files, you are relying that they are implementing the PDF spec as expected and that the PDF file you create is to spec. There is also the possibility that different applications implement and make different decisions based on the same spec.

So there is no guarentee that all PDF viewers will always show your PDF exactly as you expect. This is why there are a number of PDF files that I have seen that start with "This File is best viewed in Adobe Acrobat/Reader" or similar sentiments.

Report · Mar 29, 2022

Hi,
Thanks for reporting it. This doesnt look like an Acrobat issue. This is a Chrome browser bug if this PDF is rendering fine in other browsers and PDF viewing applications like Adobe Acrobat/Reader. Please confirm if PDF renders corerctly in Adobe Acrobat/Reader or in IE.

Thanks,

-amboo

Report · Mar 29, 2022

Chrome is updated constantly, so it might be that your change didn't fix it, but instead a new version of Chrome arrived with a fix. If, however, an old file is still shown without the graphic, please report it to Google.

Report · Mar 29, 2022

Yes, when I posted the new document and the new image appeared, I tested the old document immediately after that and the image was missing still.

Thanks for your input.

Report · Mar 29, 2022

Chrome is a spyware, not a PDF reader.

😉

Report · Aug 29, 2022

I had the same problem with Chrome. When viewed in browser mode certain images would not display but in the Acrobat reader app, there was no problem. So I figured the problem was with Chrome right? Well yes and no. As I kept digging for an answer I became convinced it was something to do with the images themselves, their color profile etc. but no luck. I even changed formats etc. New images did work. The answer finally dawned on me when right clicking the image to look for other settings - Transparency!! (under effects) those images were in "screen" mode vs "regular" mode. How they got switched I have no idea but Adone should do something to similar to some of the other export warnings to let you know some images are set to 100% transparency over white! easy to miss especially if you have a large publication you're working on! The issue does not show up when viewing in Reader itself, only through chrome !

Report · Aug 29, 2022

Just curious if the flattener preview can help with that:

https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/transparency-flattening-acrobat-pro.html#transparency_flatteni...

And what happens if you save copy of the original PDF as PDF/X-3 standard and see how it behaves in Chrome (just guessing ).

Report · Oct 06, 2022

My case is opposite. Find the attached PDF. The blue color text in first page is visible in Chrome or Firefox readers, but not in Adobe reader.

Report · Oct 07, 2022

When I open this PDF in Reader I get a clear error message:

Report · Oct 07, 2022

I got the same alert.

I guess answer is here, the lack of metadata is typical of low-end PDF creators: