Drop shadow affects vectors inside placed image in InDesign CC

Report · Apr 02, 2019

I am currently adding drop shadows to placed pdf images of vectors in a new InDesign document. I just want a simple drop shadow around the bounding box of each image. For some images that were originally vectors created in Illustrator and then turned into a pdf before placed in InDesign this works as expected and desired. For other images when I apply a drop shadow, it applies to the bounding box, as well as all text and vectors inside the actual pdf image, so everything has a drop shadow rather than just the bounding box.

I am guessing it has something to do with the way I exported the pdfs. The one difference I've noted is the images I don't have a problem with were made and exported directly from Illustrator. The images I'm having problems with, have vectors in them, but the final design was laid out and exported from InDesign.

I have tried exporting the images as different file formats, different color conversions/destinations. If I try using a .tiff, jpeg, or png, rather than a drop shadow on every item inside the image, it changes the colors of the image if I try applying a drop shadow.

The only thing that made it stop was if I changed the document's transparency blend space to RGB, but that then changes the look of the rest of my images.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Report · Apr 02, 2019

If you place an AI or a PDF ist should not make any difference, therefore I place AI files.
When you place an AI, PDF or EPS you can choose if the background is transparent or not. If the background is transparent you see the shadows of the content instead of the frame. But see next point, I recommend to place files with transparency.
If you have files with transparency you can always apply any color to the frame. If it should be white, apply the color paper, so the content will not show its own transparency effects like drop shadow.
In the Panel Effects you can choose if you want to apply the effect like drop shadow to the area, the content, the whole object or the stroke. You can also define the color of object and stroke.
The setting of point 4 you can save in an Object Style in the Object Style Panel to apply it faster in the future. I would recommend that you do your settings once and apply it often.

Report · Apr 02, 2019

Thank you for the response!

I have tried with and without transparency. As well as with and without color to the frame. The drop shadow applies to everything regardless of settings. I have tried having the effect set to area, content, whole object, or stroke; the outcome is still same. I have tried using object styles as well as just applying a drop shadow directly.

I also tried just making a white shape with a drop shadow to simply place behind the problem image, but for whatever reason, when I apply the drop shadow to the white shape, it automatically applies it to any other images on the spread including the problem image. If I could at least get it to stop applying the style/effect to everything on the spread then I could just use the drop shadow on the white shape and move on.