RGB colors become dull in Acrobat PDFs

[R. Sinclair]

I'm using CS6 and when I create a PDF, the RGB colors appear much duller than the original source file. The shift is about (if not exactly) what you would see if you converted an RGB document with bright colors to CMYK.

I'm on a Mac using the latest update to OS X. My typical process for creating a PDF is by starting with Photoshop JPEGs and using the "Combine Files in a Single PDF" function, or by exporting an InDesign document (with RGB art) directly to a PDF.

If I open the exported PDF in either Adobe Acrobat Pro (10.1.4) or the latest version of Adobe Reader, the bright, saturated RGB colors in the original document appears noticeably dull in the PDF.

I've experimented with several different Color Settings to no avail, including different RGB settings (sRGB, Adobe RGB (1998), etc.). Currently my settings are using Bridge to Synchronize my Color Settings across my CS6 apps (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat) and have confirmed they are all reporting a Synchronized state.

My overall Color Setting is "Monitor Color" (though I've also tried others, including the default North American General Purpose). My RGB Workspace for all apps is set to the Profile of my Dell monitor, which was created with Apple's built-in calibration tool (not the best, I know, but wouldn't account for a difference as dramatic as this.) And my Color Management Policies under these Syncronized settings are all automatically set to "Off".

As a test, if I export my RGB InDesign document to a JPEG and open that file back in Photoshop, the colors are fine—unchanged from the original look as they originally appeared in Photoshop. It's only when I go to Acrobat that the colors shift to a duller version.

I keep looking in Acrobat preferences for a "Display PDF with Embedded Profile" or something along those lines, but Acrobat Color Management settings are the same as all my other CS6 apps.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

R

[lrosenth]

Can you please post the actual PDF?

[lrosenth]

When you created the Illustrator document did you say it was an RGB or CMYK document? Can you post the PDF?

[scottw52594029]

Trying to insert the PDF here, but I get this msg:  That image type is forbidden.

[scottw52594029]

The Illustrator was RGB.

[lrosenth]

And what is your working space profile? Remember that all colors in Adobe applications are color managed…

(put the PDF on your choice of file sharing/storage site and post a URL…)

[scottw52594029]

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1kmoo1LSpFva7GVtwVGy0hrV9NTjQsTQ8

[scottw52594029]

So now I'm afraid to send PDFs to my customers as I can't trust how they'll appear on their platforms. So I've resorted to sending .png screen captures, which is a big hassle when sending multiple page InDesign docs.

[lrosenth]

This is one of the unfortunate results of there being multiple tools that can view PDFs – not all of them follow the spec correctly.

In general, we recommend the use of standard PDF formats such as PDF/X-4.

[pkazmercyk]

I have been running Lion (10.7) since the summer and have not experienced any bad color PDFs in Acrobat until I switched to Mountain Lion (10.8.2) 2 days ago. There are no other software variables, but I did also switch from an old Apple Cinema display to a new NEC PA271W-BK display. However, since the original InDesign files, as well as PDFs opened in Preview (and viewed in bodies of emails) look correct, I can't attribute it to the monitor unless something in the monitor calibration (using NEC MultiProfiler as a short term solution) is somehow interfering with Acrobat or Reader and/or ML.

[LarsMerkur]

pkazmercyk:

This has nothing to do with your monitor.

Its very hard to understand that this issue still has not got attention. We downgraded to Acro9. Our fresh new AcroX and Enfocus Pitstop is waiting for us.

[2bike]

This issue finally seems to be getting some Adobe attention. Hooray

See this parallel thread...

http://forums.adobe.com/message/4665966

[Sandeep_V_]

Hi All,

We have logged a bug for this issue. Please find more details on http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1059137?start=40&tstart=0

~Sandeep V.

[Thomas Geist]

Just so you all don't have to try: version 11.0.1 of Acrobat and Adobe Reader, released today, does not yet fix the issue.

Thomas

[Norbert Heyl]

I have noticed the same issue. OS X 10.8.2 - NEC LCD3090WQXi - Acrobat 10.1.6.

PDFs are previewing well in InDesign, Photoshop and Apple Preview. Acrobat shows dull colors. I proofed the PDF (PDF X-3:2002) with EFI xPress. The printed proof was inside the tolerance of the fogra standard. The proof was exactly the same as the preview in photoshop and indesign.

Proof was made on another system: OS X 10.7.5. Preview in EFI xPress and Acrobat 9 on this system was o.k - no dull colors. Same colors as the certified proof.

[lrosenth]

Apple made a stupid change to their OS concerning color management with 10.8 and Acrobat X is not aware of that change, at this time.

[2bike]

Not trying to exonerate Apple but it is funny how the earlier Adobe product (9) managed to cope with the change to the OS but the later one doesn't. Suggests that the Adobe code changed at some point too.

[lrosenth]

Yes, the Adobe code got smarter about color management with Apple devices – and then Apple changed the ballgame .

[Thomas Geist]

And Adobe has NO idea and cannot fix that? Since two versions (Acrobat X and XI)??

[lrosenth]

We know exactly what the problem is and expect to have a solution in a future update.

However, as our users not only value quality but also performance, we needed to ensure that we could provide Apple with the data in the correct format w/o impacting the visual representation of the data OR the time it takes to display that data. This is especially true when working with PDF/X or PDF/A compliant files, where high fidelity color is of utmost importance.

[Phillip_M_Jones]

I notice everyone loves to beat up on Apple, Or Microsoft or Mozilla or whomever, And Adobe never wants to take responsibility for fixing things.

The Adobe Pdfviewer Plugins are part of the actobat install yet for years hasn't worked with Mozilla Products (Firefox, SeaMonkey, Camino, anything with the Gecko based Browser. and in no certain terems have been told that Adobe is uninterested in Fixing the problem (curios though, it only affect Affect Mac's). This has been going on for about the better part of ten years. Ever since the switch to OSX and Mozilla's Gecko engine.

When Microsoft Word or Excel file have URL's created where  a word is selected then inser URL/Mailto is inserted. Or if just a Plain URL or Mailto unless Word Excel's autocorrect feature made it a URL/mailto won't work Acrobat PDF's  after 15 years there has been a Partial fix. where if you save the word or excel document and drop it on Acrobat and its processed that way those specific types are active. IF  you open the same documents in OpenOffice or Apple Pages, or numbers do nothing to it then export back to Word/Excel any URLs/Mailto however they are Made do convert.  Yet the same word File if taken to a PC opened anda PDF create there it opens. Yet this Microsoft's fault and has been for about 15 years. 

I don't know about Microsoft But Apple supplies or allow Softwares vendor to get/use the latest OS that comes out often a Year or 6 months before its official.

It sounds like that Adobe just has a Bunch of people that are uninterested in resolving Problems and placing Blame. Regardless of who's at fault.  It behooves a Major software vendor to fix problems rather than telling it’s the fault of the other guy or their customers go fly a kite.

[George_Johnson]

Phil,

Did you see where Leonard said they are working on a fix and that it should appear in a future update?

[R. Sinclair]

Let's just hope the fix is made available to all users at the same time, and isn't made available to just Creative Cloud subscribers first.

</bitter>

-R

[lrosenth]

Updates to Adobe Acrobat and Reader have nothing to do with the Creative Cloud.

[Magnus Petersson]

Hi, new to the thread but I've experienced the same problems with 10.8/CS6/Acrobat. Any idea when the bug fix might be released?

[Sandeep_V_]

Hi Magnus et al.

We have found the root cause of this issue and are in process of providing a fix. Once this is done, we will test it to make sure that it works as expected and will release an update patch for all our users.

I am pretty hopeful that it will be done very soon. Stay connected!!!