Photoshop PDF not exporting correctly

[kmiller84]

I am having trouble exporting from Photoshop as a PDF

After I have exported the PDF from Photoshop and go to view it, there are elements missing from the file. The file looks fine in Photoshop with everything there, it's just after it's been exported as a PDF that things are missing. I have tried viewing it in Acrobat as well as a browser and they view the same. I have used the Save As option as well as the Export Artboards to PDF. The file prints correctly and it even exported with the same elements missing on someone else's computer. It saves as a JPG just fine. This issue also did not resolve when I installed past versions of Photoshop and I wasn't having this issue a little over a week ago.

If anyone knows any way to fix this please help!

[kmiller84]

I contacted support and they told me when there is too many layers to copy the file and in the copy merge the layers and then export as a pdf. While this is a good fix for now I would still like to know why this suddenly happening. Just last week I exported a file with even more layers than the ones that are giving me trouble now and it exported just fine. So still looking for fixes if anyone knows what is happening!

[Trevor.Dennis]

This is a guess without seeing the document and layers panel, but one thing that can happen is that the beginning and end of text layers can be cut off.  I asked Nigel French about that issue many years ago, and his fix was to add a space or two to the start and end of the problem type layer.

If you have merged all the layers, then you are probably exporting to a raster image file and losing the benefit of using a PDF file. 

There is also the question of what preset you are using?  

High Quality Print is safest, and the best option unless file size is crucial.

Turning off Preserve Photoshop Editing Capabilities will reduce file size, but if you do that and later save as a .psd, make sure that Layers is still checked.  I've fallen foul of that gotcha once, but the default is for it to stay checked now.  It's always safer to check though.

[Chris 486]

Hi @kmiller84 ,

In my experince, Some adjument layers and layer effects have not translated to PDF in the past and that was the core issue vs just too many layers. Adobe Support is right in that merging will sovle that and glad that worked for you. You should be able to pinpoint which layers/effects are not exporting correctly and modify those problematic layers directly or make a plan to use the "flatten image" tool as a step before exporting to ensure it exports as expected.

Are you using the "print to pdf" option or are you saving as an adobe pdf? I have had better experiences with saving the file as an adobe pdf vs printing for complex files and did not have to flatten for that.

[kmiller84]

Hi Chris,

Thanks for your response!

To your point about certain layers or effects not translating to pdf, part of the issue is that I have multiple elements that are the exact same, just different colors, and only about a third of them are exporting correctly even though they are the exact same shape with the exact same effects. Even the different colors don't seem to effect which ones export correctly and which ones don't. I'm not sure what the difference is between the ones that exported correctly and the ones that don't.

And I am using the Export Artboard to PDF or the Save As photoshop pdf options when saving my files. I just printed it to see if the layers printed correctly which they did.

[Natalie31256945jl3c]

I have the same issue!

[benjamin.a]

Same problem here.
I've been having this issue for years now without seeing a fix released.

[Aleke]

Hi @benjamin.a! Since this thread’s been quiet for a while, it might be a good idea to start a fresh one with all the details of your issue. That way, nothing gets overlooked and you’ll probably get help a bit faster. Really appreciate it!

Alek