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L
Lopezsi
Inspiring
June 30, 2020
Question

Problem when saving PDF's in Photoshop and not keeping transparent background on file.

  • June 30, 2020
  • 3 replies
  • 26216 views

Hey guys,

My issue is this, I go to save a Photoshop file into a PDF and I want it without a transparent background.  So, I the one layer remaining in my file has no background (I DO NOT flatten the image) and I go through the usual steps of saving the PDF with a transparent background that I've done plenty of times before.  I choose the "High Quality Print" preset setting in the pop-up PDF saving box, and I keep the "Preserve Editing Capabilities" option checked and the compatibility is set to Acrobat 5 (PDF 1.4).  I save the PDF.  The problem is whenever I go to place that PDF file in either Illustrator or InDesign, supposedly with a transparent background, it imports the file with a white background.  The funny thing is while I have the Photoshop file that I was working on open, I go ahead and place the PDF (with a transparent background) file I just created and it actually shows up with a transparent background in Photoshop; unlike when I try to do the same thing in Illustrator or InDesign.

 

What am I missing?  I have done these same steps plenty in the past to create the PDF file that I need and have gotten the results that I've needed in Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign when I go into place the file. Do you guys think there's a bug in the latest updates through the Creative Cloud (my programs are currently up to date as of (6/29/20), or am I just not choosing or clicking something that I should be?

 

I'm going nuts trying to figure this out.  Any help would go a long way.

 

Thank you guys in advance,

Sammy

    This topic has been closed for replies.

    3 replies

    jane-e
    Community Expert
    jane-eCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    July 8, 2020

    Hi Sammy,

     

    To create a PDF with transparency on a 16-bit image directly from Photoshop, try this:

    • Save As > Photoshop PDF
    • High Quality Print.joboptions (which you were using) 
    • Change compatibility to Acrobat 6 or higher (this will trigger "modified")
    • In the Compression tab, uncheck "Convert 16 Bit/Channel Image to 8 Bits/Channel"
      (this is what we didn't do before)

     

    Then, because it is risky to use a preset that is Modified, click "Save Preset" in the lower left and use that next time.

    On a Mac this will save the joboptions file to :

    [User] > Library > Application Support > Adobe > Adobe PDF > Settings

     

     

    I hope this helps,

    Jane

      stoymilk
      stoymilk
      Known Participant
      May 20, 2022

      This doesn't appear to work for me, is there anything else I can try? 

       

      davescm
      Community Expert
      davescmCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      May 20, 2022

      @stoymilk  In what way does it "not appear to work" and what have you tried so far?

       

      Dave

      jane-e
      Community Expert
      jane-eCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      July 3, 2020

      Hi Sammy,

       

      I succeeded in making a transparent PDF from your Photoshop file two ways:

      • Adobe InDesign: File > Place > [your image], then File > Export to PDF
      • Adobe Illustrator: File > Place > [your image], then File > Save as > PDF

      In both cases the joboptions I used was “High Quality Print” without modifications because that’s what you were using in Photoshop. I tested by placing the PDF into InDesign on tabloid size paper with text filling the page to confirm the transparency.

       

      One issue is that you have a white layer called Background. That layer needs to be hidden or deleted. Once it is, you will see the transparency grid in Photoshop. This will make the transparency work when the image is placed into Illustrator or InDesign.

       

      Photoshop to PDF with transparency (direct)

      • I hid your background layer, converted to PDF, and when I tested by placing the PDF into InDesign, it did not work, and I could not get it to work no matter what settings I fiddled with in the joboptions.
      • I also tried merging all selected layers to one layer (Background hidden) with Option + Merge Layers to create a new merged layer and keep all of the old. That didn't work either.
      • I tried a layered file from the Photoshop Classroom in a Book files, and got the same results. I could not achieve transparency.
      • I consulted with an esteemed colleague on the forums who tried a simple two layer file with brush strokes in Photoshop after I explained the issue, and doing that worked for me, too. This surprised me.

       

      I finally wondered what would happen if I placed the psd into Illustrator or InDesign, and as I said at the start, this works. But only when you hide (or delete) the Background layer. And (as mentioned earlier) when you place a PDF, you need to make sure the Transparency checkbox is enabled. (Yours is.)

       

      I still don’t know why a simple brush stroke works while the two more complex files don’t, and I’ll continue looking into that. I'll get back to you if I can find out more — this is what I have so far.

       

      In the meanwhile, I have PM’d you a transparent PDF of your file — which is amazingly beautiful, btw, and I love it!

       

      ~ Jane

      L
      LopezsiAuthor
      Inspiring
      July 3, 2020

      Jane,

      Thank you so much for going through all the work to try and figure this out.  It's odd as to why this is a problem.

       

      I also appreciate the explanation of everything you tried and you still being open to communicating with me in the future if you figure out the solution.  Now that I have another solution to the problem, it puts my mind at ease in both being able to finish the project as well as knowing that I'm not going crazy not finding an "easy" solution to this problem.  

       

      Lastly, thank you so much for the love on the illustration!  I had a lot of fun with it.  It's for a bigger graphic that I created for a client.  I'm attaching the final image with this message just to share since you liked the illustration part of it.  

       

      Thanks for all of your help Jane.  You're awesome!

       

      Sammy

       

      jane-e
      Community Expert
      jane-eCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      July 3, 2020

      You're welcome, Sammy, and thank you for the kind words. 😊

      ~ Jane

        jane-e
        Community Expert
        jane-eCommunity Expert
        Community Expert
        June 30, 2020

        "What am I missing?"

         

        Have you tried placing the psd files directly into InDesign and Illustrator? There is no need to make a PDF first.

        ~ Jane

          L
          LopezsiAuthor
          Inspiring
          June 30, 2020

          Hi Jane,

          No, I had never tried that before.  I didn't know you could do that in either program. 

           

          I just tried it and it worked.  You're awesome!!  Thank you so much.

           

          Odd about whatever else I had been trying, but this is an awesome solution to my problem!

            jane-e
            Community Expert
            jane-eCommunity Expert
            Community Expert
            June 30, 2020

            Hi Sammy,

            You're welcome, and I'm glad placing the native files is working for you.

             

            Since you have transparency enabled for placing the PDF, there must be another issue. We probably don't need to work about it now, but the next thing I would try is to use a newer version of Acrobat than 5, and to start without "modified" after the .joboptions to clear any errant settings. Acrobat 4 did not support transparency at all, and the newer versions have better support. Try at least Acrobat 6 or 7.

             

            ~ Jane

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