Effect not showing in PDF

[markeeeee]

I'm working on a print project. The image is CMYK and all the colors in InDesign are CMYK. So to is the Transparancy Blend Space.

I have an object (text made into outlines), with the 'difference' effect applied to it. It looks great in InDesign, but when I make a PDF using the Press Quality preset, the effect disappears leaving what looks like a transparancy. I've done a screengrab of the PDF output options.

How do I make a PDF and keep the effect?

[BobLevine]

Use RGB and export using PDF/X-4. I'd also be way more inclined to do that in Photoshop, save as Photoshop PDF and place that in InDesign.

[markeeeee]

Is  this something to do with flattening?

[Willi Adelberger]

Why did you outline the text? That should be avoided in InDesign?

What color did your text have before you outlined it? If it was black it was overprinting and this property might be inherited from the outlined and later colored text object. This would have an influence of the final appearance.

[markeeeee]

I created outlines, making the text into an object (so it could be made an exact width). The object is black and then I applied the Effect.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

I created outlines, making the text into an object (so it could be made an exact width). The object is black and then I applied the Effect.

By @markeeeee

You can still make editable text to the required width - either playing with PointSize directly - or by scaling TextFrame.

[Laubender]

Hi @markeeeee ,

turn on Overprint Preview and you might see the same as in your exported PDF.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Expert )

[Laubender · Accepted solution]

Hi @markeeeee ,

don't know how you did it, but try the following:

[1] Use a normal text frame with editable text colored in [Black]

[2] Stack the image ABOVE the text frame.

[3] Use the effect Difference on the graphic frame that holds the image

Turn ON Overprint Preview.

Exactly that did I do with my sample below. From my German InDesign where you see the stacking order of objects and the effect applied to the frame of the image:

The exported PDF is attached.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Expert )

[markeeeee]

Hi Uwe

Many thanks. 

I kept the outlined text 

Made it black

Put it behind the image

Applied the effect to the image

Made the PDF

And viola it displays as it should in Acrobat (but not in Apple Preview) and when opened in Photoshop.

As you said changing the order of stacking and apply the effect to the image and not the object works.

[rob day]

Hi @markeeeee , Are you viewing the PDF in Acrobat or some other PDF reader or browser?

[Scott Falkner]

How are you viewing the PDF? Not all programs display transparency effects accurately. Does it look right in Acrobat or does it render properly if you rasterize it in Photoshop?

[markeeeee]

Yeah, it now displays fine in Acrobat and Photoshop, but Apple Preview doesn't display the effect.

[Willi Adelberger]

Apple Preview is not a valid PDF viewer. Onlx Acrobat can show correctly all kind of PDFs.

[rob day]

but Apple Preview doesn't display the effect.

If you want InDesign’s Blending Effects to diisplay correctly in lower end browsers and PDF readers, flatten the transparency on Export by setting the Compatibility to Acrobat 4 (PDF 1.3).

Here the Difference Blending Mode flattened on the top right in Apple’s Preview