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latviankid
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Saving PDF issues on Macs CS6 Illustrator

May 21, 2012 7:50 PM

Tags: #save #image #pdf #black #bug #cs6

I have four Macs and just upgraded to CS6.  After saving as a PDF on any of the macs, the preview icon shows the objects in the PDF as black.  When we upload to our system and then open through Safari, it also changes the colors of all of the objects in the image to greys and blacks.  When I open in Preview, same thing.  When customers who are also on Macs get the same results in those instances.  When I open in Acrobat Pro X it displays in full color just fine, also in Illustrator, Firefox, Chrome, and all PCs seem to display fine.  I've tried various PDF save settings but nothing seems to work.

 

Here are some pics so you can see what I'm talking about.  Never had this problem until CS6

 

Here's the original file in Illustrator

screen.jpg

Here's what the logo looks like to a customer when opening in Safari, Preview, and the way it looks ont he desktop.

Screen Shot 2012-05-21 at 8.42.42 PM.png

 

Here's of screen shot of the icon on my desktop:

Screen Shot 2012-05-21 at 8.43.10 PM.png

4860 Views   22 Replies   Latest reply: Neeraj N-LscgRS, May 25, 2012 1:40 AM
 
Replies
  • Jesseham
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    1. Jesseham,
    May 21, 2012 8:40 PM   in reply to latviankid
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    Does this file save correctly out of CS5? Is it only a problem with this file? Is there more to this art than meets the eye?  Is there a mask of some sort involved?

     

    When I create a simple shape (as yours appears to be) and save with "Illustrator Default" .pdf settings, it looks correct in Safari and Preview and in the icon preview.

     

    Any chance of attaching the file for us to poke at?

     
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  • Monika Gause
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    2. Monika Gause,
    May 22, 2012 12:14 AM   in reply to latviankid
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    Preview (or Safari) is not capable of doint prepress stuff. So in case you applied overprints or transparency or any other advanced stuff, you probably won't see that in the desktop icon (or in preview or in Safari). Use Acrobat to check your stuff.

     
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  • ClozChicago
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    3. ClozChicago,
    May 22, 2012 1:00 PM   in reply to latviankid
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    I am having the same issues. I am also having another issue today saving to a pdf from illustrator CS6 where the outlined text dissappeared in the white version of the logo but the blue version the outlined text showed fine. Exact same file, but one is white and one is navy. I am guessing it i just an issue with the new version of Illustrator... hopefully they update it soon and fix the issue.

     

    Screen Shot 2012-05-22 at 2.55.39 PM.jpg

     
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  • Wade_Zimmerman
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    4. Wade_Zimmerman,
    May 22, 2012 1:18 PM   in reply to ClozChicago
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    Are these all spot colors?

     
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  • ClozChicago
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    5. ClozChicago,
    May 22, 2012 1:31 PM   in reply to Wade_Zimmerman
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    I have tried both pantone and spot, both cause the same issue. Same with the original post issue.

     
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  • [scott w]
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    6. [scott w],
    May 22, 2012 2:21 PM   in reply to ClozChicago
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    Ermm.. Pantone IS spot.

     

    Monika makes a VERY valid point in her post above.


    Safari and Preview are never proper tools to proof press-oriented PDFs.

     
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  • Monika Gause
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    7. Monika Gause,
    May 22, 2012 2:27 PM   in reply to ClozChicago
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    ClozChicago wrote:

     

    I am having the same issues.

     

    no, you don't. Your issue is called overprinting. Check the overprinting settings for the white version of the logo.

     
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  • latviankid
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    8. latviankid,
    May 22, 2012 2:27 PM   in reply to Jesseham
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    It's happening on all files from multiple computers.  I would attach the image, but the forum is not allowing PDFs or AIs.  I don't beleive there are any transparencies or any other crazy things going on like that, and it's only happing on the new CS6 from all of the comps that we are saving. 

     
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  • ClozChicago
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    9. ClozChicago,
    May 22, 2012 2:29 PM   in reply to [scott w]
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    [scott w] wrote:

     

    Ermm.. Pantone IS spot.

     

    Monika makes a VERY valid point in her post above.


    Safari and Preview are never proper tools to proof press-oriented PDFs.

     

    Noted.  I am using Adobe Acrobat Pro to open and view the PDFs... or is that considered "Preview"?

     
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  • ClozChicago
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    10. ClozChicago,
    May 22, 2012 2:31 PM   in reply to Monika Gause
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    Monika Gause wrote:

     

    ClozChicago wrote:

     

    I am having the same issues.

     

    no, you don't. Your issue is called overprinting. Check the overprinting settings for the white version of the logo.

    I am having the same issue as the original poster along with the issue I posted.

     
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  • [scott w]
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    11. [scott w],
    May 22, 2012 2:32 PM   in reply to ClozChicago
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    No Preview is a Macintosh Application.

     

    You simply need to (as Monika posted) check yoru overprint settings in both Illustrator and Acrobat. By Default white may be set to overprint in Illustrator. This can cause issues.

     
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  • [scott w]
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    12. [scott w],
    May 22, 2012 2:33 PM   in reply to ClozChicago
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    ClozChicago wrote:

     

    I am having the same issue as the original poster along with the issue I posted.

    Not to split hairs, but if you aren't using Safari and Preview to view the PDFs then your issue is NOT the same as the original poster in this thread.

     
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  • latviankid
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    13. latviankid,
    May 22, 2012 3:44 PM   in reply to Wade_Zimmerman
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    Yes, all spot colors

     
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  • latviankid
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    14. latviankid,
    May 22, 2012 3:46 PM   in reply to [scott w]
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    All Safari is doing is using acrobat within it's browser if I understand it correctly.  The wierd part is that it's never done this before and even the icons on the desktop aren't displaying properly... very strange.

     
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  • [scott w]
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    15. [scott w],
    May 22, 2012 3:46 PM   in reply to Monika Gause
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    Monika Gause wrote:

     

    Preview (or Safari) is not capable of doint prepress stuff. So in case you applied overprints or transparency or any other advanced stuff, you probably won't see that in the desktop icon (or in preview or in Safari). Use Acrobat to check your stuff.

     

     

    ...... She knows her stuff.

     
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  • latviankid
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    16. latviankid,
    May 22, 2012 4:37 PM   in reply to latviankid
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    OK, so I tried the overprint setting in the Attributes pane, and that didn't do anything.  I checked Overprint Preview under view which I didn't think would make any difference, and that didn't do anything either.  Is there another area that I'm not remembering for overprint settings?  Don't use that ever really....

     

    Also, I have no problem viewing in Acrobat, but I'm not the only one trying to view this stuff.  My customers who have variying levels of technical savvy have been using the two programs for a long time, and I'd really like to just fix it if I can.  Save a lot of explaining.

     
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  • latviankid
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    17. latviankid,
    May 22, 2012 4:49 PM   in reply to latviankid
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    Here's a link to one of the files I've been using:

     

    http://wikisend.com/download/783144/1337619599.ai

     
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  • [scott w]
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    18. [scott w],
    May 22, 2012 8:00 PM   in reply to latviankid
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    latviankid wrote:

     

    Here's a link to one of the files I've been using:

     

    http://wikisend.com/download/783144/1337619599.ai

     

    Saved as PDF from AICS6.. Safari shows the PDF fine.

     

    Preview shows it as one color (lik eyour original post).

     

    It's an issue with Preview. See if you can get Apple to fix it. Preview is not a valid application to use for a great many PDFs.

     
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  • Larry G. Schneider
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    19. Larry G. Schneider,
    May 22, 2012 10:15 PM   in reply to latviankid
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    It also views properly in the free Adobe Reader which is available for both Mac and Windows.

     
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  • Neeraj N-LscgRS
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    20. Neeraj N-LscgRS,
    May 24, 2012 3:02 AM   in reply to [scott w]
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    Spot colors in Ai can be of different color modes. If the spot color comprises of LAB color definitions, some applications cannot preview these colors. In the attached file above, all spot colors have values in LAB.

     

    As I see spot colors from Pantone colors in the file, it is worth mentioning here that in CS6, latest color libraries from Pantone have been integerated which have color definitions in LAB. You may want to read the details: http://helpx.adobe.com/content/help/en/illustrator/kb/pantone-plus.htm l

     

    Thanks!

     

    Neeraj

     
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  • latviankid
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    21. latviankid,
    May 24, 2012 2:06 PM   in reply to Neeraj N-LscgRS
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    Neeraj, Thank you you put me on the right path.  So the new Pantone swatches are all LAB colors now instead of CMYK.  Since I don't care about LAB colors, I tried taking the old Pantone Solid Coated chart from an older version of illustrator, but it just displays all of the as LAB colors as well...  I could change the new swatches individually, but that is a pain to have to do that on every single color in there.  Anyone know of a way to change the default on that from LAB to CMYK?  I am posting a couple of pics that show the difference in swatches. 

     

    Here it is as the default swatch straight out of the book.

    Screen Shot 2012-05-24 at 3.04.38 PM.png

     

    Here it is after I change it:

     

    Screen Shot 2012-05-24 at 3.04.51 PM.png

     
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  • Neeraj N-LscgRS
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    22. Neeraj N-LscgRS,
    May 25, 2012 1:40 AM   in reply to latviankid
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    In older versions, spot colors from Pantone had different libraries with LAB and CMYK values. With CMYK being the default. And unless the Pantone spot color did not have the CMYK counterparts, you would always get spot colors with LAB values (e.g. some colors in Pantone Metallic Coated library).

     

    The second point comes, if there are both LAB and CMYK values, how does one decide to pick which value. The answer is located in a small dialog called Spot Colors... (from the flyout of Swatches panel). From this dialog it is possible to set the document (and not the app) to pick which of the two values of spot colors from Pantone (and others, if present) to be picked.

     

    The third point: In the example that you've shown above, it seems you've applied Pantone 138 C to an object in older version of Ai and then copy pasted that object in AiCS6. Or have accessed the Pantone library of an older version of Ai from AiCS6. In this case you would get the LAB values for this color in AiCS6 as the default option of the Spot Color... dialog for all Startup documents are set to pick LAB values. Further, in AiCS6, there are no CMYK libraries for spot colors from Pantone.

     

    If you really wish to get back to the older way of working, as in earlier versions, it is advised that you go through the document http://helpx.adobe.com/content/help/en/illustrator/kb/pantone-plus.htm l in detail, which has the workaround.

     

    BUT, it is highly recommended that you use LAB values for spot colors from manufacturers like Pantone, as there are update, accurate, and close to their real colors. The older CMYK values may give whole numbers when broken down, but these are different from actual colors. And if you convert spot colors with LAB values to CMYK, there is a generation loss happening there.

     
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