image-traced file pixelating in inDesign

[PG in LA]

I am using 2 photographic images in an inDesign document. Both have been Image Traced as high quality photos in Illustrator.

The main image I've placed in InDesign has been enlarged 200 percent and looks great.

The second image had the background removed in Photoshop with a clipping mask that was smoothed and expanded into the foreground figure.

It was also Image Traced as a high quality photo, with ignore white. In Illustrator, the result looks great. When placed into the InDesign file, and reduced to about 50 percent, it looks awful and pixelated.

I rarely use Illustrator, but wonder if this problem originates with my selecting process in Photoshop.

For comparison, when I place the original TIFF file (how I saved it, flattened, in Photoshop), into the InDesign document, it actually looks better than the Image Trace/vector version.

Hope this makes sense. Thanks.

[jane-e]

Go to the View menu and choose Display settings > High Quality. Does it look okay now?

If so, there are a couple of other ways to change the view setting, but first: does this work?

[PG in LA]

Thanks.

No difference. Plus I keep viewing it in presentation mode.

And the other image-traced photo-based image looks fine, they're in the same document.

That's why I'm confused, both images were treated the same way in Illustrator.

[Bill Silbert]

Can you post a screen shot of what the image looks like in Illustrator and what it looks like in the InDesign file?

[PG in LA]

Thanks. Here is the presentation view of the InDesign doc, showing both photos:

Here is screen shot from Illustrator of hand/mouth image, at 100 percent:

Thanks!

[macpawel]

Maybe one of original picture was small? and enlarge in Illustrator before tracing? It would create jagged edges

[PG in LA]

The original crowd image is 8.5 x 11.5 inches @300 ppi, and after image trace I enlarged it 200 percent in InDesign.

The original hand/mouth image is 11 x 14 inches @ 300 ppi, and after image trace I REDUCED it 50 percent in InDesign!

I am stumped.

Thanks.

[Bill Silbert]

In your links panel is there either a a yellow triangle or a red circle with a question mark in it next to the name of the pixelated graphic? If there is a yellow triangle then you will have to update the graphic in InDesign by clicking in the Links panel on the name of the graphic and then clicking on the double-arrow icon on the bottom of the Links panel. If there is a red circle then you will have to reimport the graphic or refresh the link using the chain icon in the bottom of the Links panel.

[PG in LA]

nope, the link seems fine:

Do you see anything else that looks funny?

(Besides, before you say it, that I'm using CS6.)

[Bill Silbert]

Can you put the two image-traced images together in Illustrator and then bring them in together to your InDesign layout? If the hand/mouth image is looking good in Illustrator (it is now vector after all) putting them together there should be a good workaround to this problem.

[PG in LA]

Thanks, Bill.

Maybe I will try that...will it become a new Illustrator document?

I know very little about using ai. Will it maintain layers? Though it may not matter, my text goes on top.

Any idea why this is happening? I saw an old post that was never answered, where someone had place 4 illustrator images in InDesign, and one was pixelated...

Thanks for all your time with this.

[Bill Silbert]

If you add one image to the other then the file you're putting the image into will remain as the same Illustrator document it already was unless you do a Save-As and retitle it. It will retain its layers either way.

From what you've presented I can't see a really good reason that it is happening which is why I'm suggesting this workaround.

[PG in LA]

Thanks, Bill.

I'll try this tomorrow and keep you posted!

[PG in LA · Accepted solution]

Hi Bill.

I feel a bit stupid, because the one thing I did not try was simply exporting my InDesign file as a high-quality print PDF.

It looks great.

I've never been so mislead by presentation view...I suppose this is telling me it's time to update?

I will try the combination ai file you suggested to see if it changes the appearance of my InDesign doc, just to see.

Thanks for all your help with this.

[Bill Silbert]

Happy to help.