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js21229673
js21229673
Participating Frequently
January 22, 2019
Question

Photoshop + Acrobat: "Export As Optimized PDF" distorts / garbles all vector data

  • January 22, 2019
  • 2 replies
  • 5310 views

Hello All,

I have been optimizing PDFs in Acrobat for a very long time with no issues. Today, the process I use no longer works. I have spent several hours troubleshooting. I called customer service for 2 hours, just to be bounced around from Acrobat to Photoshop as one rep cannot help you with both programs. I searched the internet high and low. I am at a loss here. Please help!

Here is the usual workflow:

PHOTOSHOP

- Created a graphic in photoshop. All text with one raster image as background
- Converted all text to shapes
- All that is left in the file is layers of shapes (formerly text) and one background raster image- Save As PDF

Result: A 30mb PDF file, perfect vector shapes, print-ready CMYK 300dpi.

The above could be just fine but there is a lot of bloat when Photoshop makes a PDF so I like to optimize the file.

ACROBAT (Optimize To Minimize File Size)
- Open PDF in Acrobat
- Review file, Zoom to 1200%, confirm all shapes/converted text/vectors look great
- Save As Other... Optimized PDF


Usual Result: A ~2mb file, all shapes / vector in tact.

Current Results / Issue:  Creates a PDF, completely distorts, garbles, and misinterprets the vector shapes, shapes are still vector, but all messed up. The vector characters seem to be completely retracted or as if the program is trying to scan for text then do it's best to give you some kind of terrible estimate of how it should look.

This process has been working for months without a hiccup. I tried every combination of options under "Optimized PDF". I even tried clicking no options. I uninstalled Acrobat and reinstalled. I used "Reduce File Size". Same issue persists. It's starting to feel like a software issue. Windows 10 and CC Suite are fully updated.
Thanks for reading and thanks in advance.

CASE Number / ID: ADB5468478W5P6

Message was edited by: J S

This topic has been closed for replies.

2 replies

jane-e
Community Expert
jane-eCommunity Expert
Community Expert
January 22, 2019

js21229673  wrote

I have been optimizing PDFs in Acrobat for a very long time with no issues. Today, the process I use no longer works.

 

This process has been working for months without a hiccup.

Hi JS,

Can you try doing File > Save as Photoshop PDF with live text instead of shapes? Live text is the best workflow from PS to PDF.

In the Acrobat dialog that comes up, what named setting are you using, and does it say “modified” after the name? If the named preset was modified, how was it modified in each tab?

In Acrobat, Save as Other > Optimized is usually only used if you do not have the original file and only the PDF and you need to compress it further. Again, what is the named setting or does it say “custom”? If it says “custom”, how was each tab modified?

You should be able to minimize the file size using the correct settings the first time since you have the source document.

Also, if you click Edit in Acrobat DC, it does OCR without asking and does try to convert it back to text with whatever setting you have in the OCR tool. To check to see if it did that, go to File > Properties and look at the Font tab. Are any typefaces listed there?

When it worked for you before, which versions did you have of PS and Acrobat? And which (exact) versions now?

Jane

Abambo
Community Expert
AbamboCommunity Expert
Community Expert
January 22, 2019

This certainly does not look correct. But your workflow is quite strange too.

Why converting all text to shapes? That's by far no more necessary.

Why not doing the optimization in Photoshop? You can save a perfectly optimized Photoshop PDF file (with all Photoshop content stripped) from Photoshop.

Why using Photoshop? Why not using Illustrator or Indesign for doing that job and creating a highly optimized PDF? (Well answer is probably because Photoshop is accessible and Illustrator or Indesign are not).

Moving this to Photoshop​, as it is basically a Photoshop question that can be handled in Photoshop. Original location was Adobe Creative Cloud​.

ABAMBO | Hard- and Software Engineer | Photographer
js21229673
js21229673Author
Participating Frequently
January 22, 2019

Hello,

Thank for your reply.

I only have knowledge and access to PS & DC. I cannot embed fonts in this case.


Goals: To have the smallest possible PDF, ready for press, without embedding fonts, rasterizing vectors, or compressing the raster background image quality.

- I convert all text to shapes so there is no need to deal with missing fonts or embedding when sending to press. Serves same function as "Create Outlines" in Illustrator. Presses prefer this.


- jane-e​ There are no fonts in the PDF. Also never use the EDIT feature since I only use Acrobat for the Optimization export. The "Recognize Text" box is clicked off.

So the question is I have a great looking, accurate PDF. Why is Acrobat optimizing it, taking the vector data and distorting it?

Are there major differences between a Photoshop PDF and an Acrobat PDF?

This has always worked flawlessly. I believe this is an Acrobat problem since that's where the issue is occuring, not Photoshop. Acrobat should not be reinterpreting vector items. It's doing this even when NO BOXES are checked in the "Optimize" function.

Thank you. Abambo​ jane-e​

Dov Isaacs
Dov Isaacs
Legend
January 28, 2019

Good idea to call Dov Isaacs​, Lucien, so I am tagging him.


Since my name has been brought up, a few comments on behalf of Adobe …

(1)     For PDF print publishing workflows, there is no good technical reason for not embedding fonts in the PDF file. Outlining text only results in larger PDF file sizes, degraded text rendering quality, and inability to do any text searches or touch-up in Acrobat. We know of no reliable and responsible print service provider who believes in this utter nonsense about fonts (embedded in a PDF file) behaving “oddly from machine to machine.” If you are dealing with a “printer” that tells you otherwise, you are dealing with someone who is clearly out-of-touch with modern, reliable, end-to-end PDF print publishing workflows or perhaps is mucking around with your PDF files in a dubious manner such as routinely opening PDF files in Adobe Illustrator to “check them out” – Adobe Illustrator is not, repeat is not, repeat yet again is not a general purpose PDF file editor. (Note that having a font embedded in a PDF file by itself does not allow someone to edit such text. The font in question must also be installed on the system of the person attempting to edit the text in Acrobat!)

(2)     Adobe most strongly recommends the PDF/X-4 PDF creation presets, with modifications only for specifying the target CMYK color space output intent profile. You should absolutely not flatten layers in the Photoshop file prior to saving as PDF to avoid any conversion of text to either outlines or raster as well as avoiding any flattening of transparency. Choose the PDF raster image compression format, quality, and resolution appropriate to your needs. If you use JPEG compression (which is lossy), avoid anything other than maximal quality; don't use JPEG is your Photoshop content is more “vector-like” than “photographic” in nature to avoid compression artifacts.

(3)     With PDF saved from either Photoshop, Illustrator, or InDesign with appropriate settings (such as the recommended PDF/X-4 settings), other that to view or produce a locally-printed copy of the PDF file in question, there should be no reason whatsoever to muck with the PDF file in Acrobat. The file is already print-ready!

(4)     If you have a particular issue with Acrobat and how it processes one or a class of PDF files, those of us on the forums as well as Adobe employees who monitor these forums can't really assist unless you are willing and able to provide actual minimal-sized samples that exhibit the problem with the original source files, the PDF settings, and the resultant PDF files including prior to Acrobat processing and following said processing.

          - Dov

- Dov Isaacs, former Adobe Principal Scientist (April 30, 1990 - May 30, 2021)
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