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dianeg_fetch
Participating Frequently
March 14, 2018
Answered

How do I get Acrobat to stop RESIZING images, when converting to PDF

  • March 14, 2018
  • 34 replies
  • 68340 views

I don't always like making a PDF straight from my Illustrator files because it can cause some weird things to happen with effects from time to time. Most times I save a high quality JPG and then drag that into Acrobat to convert it into a PDF.

EVERY TIME I do this, it makes my JPG a massive size. It will be an 8.5 x 11 jpg and as soon as I drop it into adobe it's like 32" x 52"!! WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?! I've been having to open my JPGS back up in Illustrator and then export the PDF from there to get them to be the correct size.

Can any one tell me why Acrobat is resizing my images at all and how can I fix this? It seems like a crazy bug to me!

    Correct answer Joey Yulis

    In case anyone is still trying to solve this issue, I've managed to fix this issue by changing the DPI in the metadata (Test Screen Name already mentioned this earlier in the post). And no, you can't remove this metadata using metadata/exif stripping tools. You have to change it to the correct DPI. There are online tools that let you batch change the DPI (note: this won't affect pixel resolution or quality, but it will save you disk space). Hope this helps :).

    34 replies

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    Luke Jennings
    Luke Jennings
    Inspiring
    April 19, 2018

    I can confirm a jpeg exported from Illustrator will show an incorrect size in Acrobat*. The higher the jpeg res, the larger the apparent Acrobat size. However, the same jpeg placed into InDesign or opened in Photoshop will be the correct (original Illustrator artboard) size. *A jpeg Exported from Illustrator at 72 ppi will show the correct size in Acrobat. If you edit the image in Acrobat (using Photoshop) the image is again the correct size.

    A jpeg created in Photoshop will show the correct size in Acrobat, regardless of res.

    I guess we can call it a bug.

    I'm curious about the occasional weird things that happens when you save a PDF from Illustrator, would you like to elaborate?

    It seems a tiff exported from Illustrator will display the correct size in Acrobat, that is probably your best option.

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      dianeg_fetchAuthor
      Participating Frequently
      November 19, 2018

      Thank you for confirming this. The issue with the Jpeg not only showing up as the wrong size it's that the reader believes it to be that size. This makes printing the PDF a huge problem because it tells the person it's too large for a standard printer. This has become an issues with even releasing files to printers that only do CMKY process!

      I can use the .tiff work around, though I'm not sure how helpful this is seeing as .tiffs are much larger than .jpgs.

      There are numerous issues with exporting PDFs from illustrator files. Live type (type that has not been expanded) often visually varies in character width making letters look inconsistent. Applied effects such as drop shadows, blurs, gradient maps can also appear oddly or glitched if not flatten first. There are also issues with how it visually represents placed .psd within an .ai file often giving it a hard black outline on clipped images with transparent backgrounds.

      These are just a few of the reasons I flatten artwork before exporting it to a PDF, but besides all this it's more important that the receiver cannot altered the received artwork. Exporting a PDF directly from Illustrator means the person can drag it back into Illustrator and move elements.

      Luke Jennings
      Luke Jennings
      Inspiring
      November 19, 2018

      There should be no issues saving a PDF from Illustrator using the Illustrator default settings.

      The PDF would need to be viewed in Acrobat or Reader (with the overprint preview preference set to Always).

      Any other PDF viewer may not be able to accurately display the PDF.

      You should not be seeing any issues with type that has not been outlined.

      There is rarely any need to flatten the effects.

      Placed .psd files can occasionally cause issues, particularly when spot colors are involved, but addressing these specific issues is a better solution than resorting to jpegs, which are less desirable, for many reasons, than a properly saved PDF, in my opinion.

      As for the incorrect size issue, I'm going to guess it has something to do with the creation of a "screen preview" applied to jpegs for quicker viewing, which somehow changes the apparent size?

      I forgot to mention you can add security to your PDF to prevent editing, although it's not too hard to get around it. You can also digitally sign your PDF, so if anybody tries to edit it, the signature will be broken and you have proof your design was altered.

      Adorobat
      Community Manager
      AdorobatCommunity Manager
      Community Manager
      April 12, 2018

      Hi Dianeg_fetch,

      Sorry for the delayed response.

      Could you let us know Acrobat dot version installed on the machine? To check the version: Identify the product and its version for Acrobat and Reader DC, And, the operating system installed on the machine?

      Does the same thing happen when you convert jpg file to pdf using Tools > Create PDF option in Acrobat?

      -Shivam

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      dianeg_fetchAuthor
      Participating Frequently
      April 17, 2018

      Hi Shivam,

      The Acrobat Dot version is 2018.011.20038 and my operating systems is MAC OS X EL CAPTAIN 10.11.16

      Yes this happens when i try to convert the jpeg file to pdf using tools & when i drag in a batch of jpegs to compile them all into 1 pdf.

      T
      Test Screen Name
      Brainiac
      March 14, 2018

      Are you able to share one of these jpg files? Not as an image in the forum, that will change it; preferably on a file sharing site.

        T
        Test Screen Name
        Brainiac
        March 14, 2018

        How do you verify that the JPEG is 8.5 x 11 inches?

        How do you verify that the PDF is 32 x 52 inches?

        Since I think Acrobat doesn't resize images, one of your tests is probably wrong, but we have to find out which one is letting you down.

          D
          dianeg_fetchAuthor
          Participating Frequently
          March 14, 2018

          I know because of my artboard sizes in illustrator. If it is set to 8.5 x 11 and i save out all my jpg to the size of the art board. I can open them in Photoshop and they come in at 8.5 x 11, even if I sent it to print it would be that size. If I save the document as a PDF within illustrator it is the same size, but if i just drag and drop the jpg into acrobat it changes all the sizing.

          In the bottom corner of all PDFs are the dimensions of the document. I can pull in a 8.5 x 11 image and it massively changes it.

          This is a bug of some sort. I've been using adobe products for over 15 years. I'm not some novice at any of these programs.

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