PDF Export from InDesign flashing layers when you scroll through on PC

[Sarah5C94]

Hello! I am having trouble with a PDF export from an InDesign document.  The document contains a fair few layers of images / text / backgrounds etc.  This is for online viewing only, so exporting Smallest File Size PDF.  When we test and open the PDF on a PC, each page's individual elements/layers seem to laboriously open separately.  Overall file size not unreasonably large (3mb).  Have tried various 'flattening' exercises on both the InDesign file itself, and the output PDF via Acrobat, but no joy.  Please can anyone help?  Thank you!! 

[Ian Sayers]

Happy to help - can you share the pdf file or record a clip of it ? Even a screen shot of your settings when making the pdf file.

First suggestion would be to make the pdf file as an interactive pdf file as this will help reduce the file size while flattening the layer and objects.

Let's see the settings please.

[Sarah5C94]

Hi!  Thank you so much for getting back to me.  Attaching a screen shot of setting when I export to PDF from InDesign.  Also attached is a short video of the PDF showing what happens as I scroll through the pages.  The background flashes up first, and then the top layer image second.  Hope this shows the issue OK?  

Would welcome some expert knowledge as I am quite new to InDesign!  Many thanks!!

[Sarah5C94]

Bumping my message to see if anyone can help? Is it possible to 'Flatten' all the images in an inDesign doc so that when you export to PDF, it doesn't 'layer' the images separately when viewing?  Thanks!

[Ian Sayers · Accepted solution]

So sorry - i didn't see your reply. Missed the email notification on this one.

Ok - so question - why do you have the main image that appears and then is replaced with the page content on the master page ? remove it from the master page and place it on a page directly - also what are the dimensions of the images and file size ?

It looks like two things - (1) the mast page items need to load before the on page items - hence the page flicking from one image to the other and (2) could be...the initial file size of the images placed on the page. Try to make the images 100% at the size you need them and reduce the dpi to 150 if it is only for display and not print.

Let me know how this goes and i will check in on this thread later today.

[Your Software Is Broken!]

Has anybody been able to fix the issues Sarah has been having?

I have very similar issues when scrolling through a multi page PDF. Even a very simple file, with no fonts etc will glitch when clicking to the next page. Its almost as if it is flashing another random page in the doc very quickly before scrolling to the desired next page. We keep all CC software up to date and Im running 10.14.6. I have regretted updating to CC since day one. I can put up with the many issues Adobe have created in CC, but glitchy PDF scrolling is a diffiuclt one to ignore.  PDFs handle INCREDIBLY POORLY in Acrobat CC. I also use a second mac sitting next to me, running CS6 and the same file scrolls perfectly fine.... it will scroll as fast as I can click the next page button. No layer loading. No image pop in. I have reverted back to this old mac using CS6 for my day to day designing as its so much faster and certainly more stable but Id love to be able to run CC more, due to the fact that its a very high, and ongoing expensive subscription. Adobe and Apple.... the race to the bottom.