Creating Pdf in Photoshop CS6 - blurry at maximum quality setting

[Pacific_29]

Hi,

I just tried to create Pdf.

I used high quality jpegs and chose a 100% quality setting and at 300 dpi.

I also chose the same pixel dimensions as the original documents.

But the outcome is blurry - as if the original had been highly compressed. The sum of the sizes of all files is about 40% larger than the final pdf file.

How can I get rid of this compression and create a pdf document whose pages are as sharp and high quality as the original?

[Guest]

What program and workflow are you using? 

[Pacific_29]

The original document is a TIFF file, created in Photoshop CS 6.

There is also text, created with the type tool in Photoshop CS6.

I create a flattened TIFF file, then a JPEG from this file, using "image processor" in Bridge CS6.

Then I go to "output options" and create the Pdf.

[Guest]

Bridge only creates a PDF of the previews in Bridge and this functions to create a contact sheet. So the quality is not best.

If you save the files in PS as a PDF you can create a multipage PDF document using Acrobat Pro or other PDF viewers. The simple application Preview on a Mac has the option to drag and drop pages to a document and change the order. Don't know if Acrobat Reader also can do so.

And if you use text on images in the PDF the fonts also should be included and the color profile should also be looked at.

Here is one person's workflow.  I use PS for the layout of 1 page (a spread) and add all images and other to this file as a smart object in layered PSD files. When finished and satisfied about the whole project I flatten and save as jpeg with filename 1, 2 etc as per order of the pages and add this pages to the album software which then is a piece of cake.

[Paul Riggott]

Another alternative is to use File - Automate - PDF Presentation (Photoshop CS6)

With this multi page pdf's can be created.

[Pacific_29]

Thanks, Curt and Paul!

Curt, I'm really surprised about the pdf creation in Bridge. How could such a thing be implemented? There is no warning that the pdf will not match the quality of the source document. And I must say that the quality of the pdf doesn't even match the quality of the Bridge preview.

Howdo you actually include fonts?

Paul, it looks like the File-automate command that was dropped in CS4 is back!

I will keep my fingers from Bridge's output panel from now on.

[Pacific_29]

I just tried it and found one puzzling information in the file info (Command + I from the pdf's thumbnail).

Resolution: 1080 x 612.

Resolution?

Those are dimensions. Does this mean the pdf Creation in "High Quality Print" has reduced the document to this size? It doesn't look like it...

The original files are each 2250 x 1275.

I'd like to preserve that size, but can't find a tab with "resolution" on it.

Puzzling...

[gator soup]

compression (center box)

[Pacific_29]

Gator Soup, are you using Adobe Acrobat for pdf creation?

Because in Photoshop CS6 I only have four check boxes for options, and not the two sections below (including tagging).

[conroy]

Pacific 29 wrote:

Gator Soup, are you using Adobe Acrobat for pdf creation?

[gator soup]

actually, that was InDesign> Export PDF

but the secret word is: COMPRESSION

CS6 Screenshot, Save As: Photoshop PDF

[Pacific_29]

Thanks for the update, gator.

The most beautiful pdf inflated the orginal file size by the factor 10.

But I managed to play with the settings so I could get a good compromise with a pdf that could still be emailed and didn't look as bad as the one made in Bridge.

[gator soup]

> pdf inflated the orginal file size by the factor 10

I should have warned you about that, Uncheck "Preserve Photoshop editing capabilities"

this extra step should look pretty good and make the doc even smaller:

Do not Downsample

Compression: JPG

Image Quality: High or Max