Acrobat PRO X, export antialiased images...?

[gsucci]

Hello,

I clearly remember Acrobat PRO used to be able to export anti-aliased images of any PDF documents. The raster exports looked like the PDF on screen, at 100%: nice, smooth, and anti-aliased.

Then, from 3 to 6 years ago, this feature simple broke, and Acrobat PRO now does not anti-alias raster exports any longer.

Is this function being fixed? Is this issue even being acknowledged?

Please do not suggest:

• increasing export resolution
• changing raster format
• debugging the original PDF document
• using Photoshop
• using Bluebeam or other third party software

because I already know how to get anti-aliased images from PDF files, and any of these suggestions will only indicate that you do not understand or do not want to acknowledge the issue.

All I need is an answer to these two questions:

1. Is this issue being fixed?
2. Does anyone else remember the time when exporting raster files from PDF files would result in smooth, anti-aliased images?

Actually I also have another question (which might explain the overall bitterness of my post):

does anyone else believe that this is a designed obsolescence, implemented into the product in order to maximize future profits? You know, something like when some executive genius thought that turning anti-aliasing off for raster export in Acrobat PRO would have increased Photoshop sales...?

I start to believe this because this issue has been discussed for a few years (just google it) and yet Adobe seems to simply ignore such an elementary feature request, nor do they seem to acknowledge that it used to work just fine, at some point in the past.

Thank you

regards

Giovanni

[Tariq Dar]

Hello Giovanni,

Sorry for the delay in response.

We’ve reviewed the functions available from Acrobat from the current version back to version 4 (1999) and do not see any options to specify that images be anti-aliased during export. From reviewing feature documents, we don’t believe it existed in any version.

Can you provide an example of Acrobat version and steps to show where an anti-aliasing option was available?

If you can provide steps and versions, we may be able to determine a product change that affected your workflow.

If you have a sample PDF and/or some resulting images that show good and bad results, we might be able to investigate further.

-Tariq Dar

[manageDC8]

Tariq. Talk about a NON ANSWER and a bad way to approach this. Who cares if it was there or not.

OP clearly stated the issue and the workarounds that have bad workflows.

The fact acrobat can not antialias an exported to jpeg format is bad.

As time goes on acrobat PRO (laughable at this point) becomes more and more irrelevant in the world.

How about adobe actually acknowledges the crap output export to raster is and fix it.

you should be able to export a PDF to a screen size JPG and have text readable. Even powerpoint does that, and that is saying something.

Maybe chat to the indesign team, they don't seem to have an issue making antialiased JPGs from their content.

I want to know if it is being fixed/implemented because if not we will start using a third party PDF handler that does this.

Jacob

[manageDC8]

rather than waste any more time googling a solution to fix adobe software that does crap output

found this that works. (i tried about 10 different programs but this worked the best)

FM-PDF  PDF to image converter.

PDF to Image Converter | Batch Convert PDF to Image

this works a charm, yes its something you have to buy. (free for low res)

but look it anti aliases text at any output resolution.

Drag and drop pdf files, batch export. Job done.

If they added watched folders it would be perfect.

You never know, maybe Adobe will update acrobat and i will of wasted my $40.......................

I wasted more than that trying to find a solution in adobe world.

[Dov Isaacs · Accepted solution]

Jacob,

It is regrettable that you chose to attack Tariq Dar as providing a “non answer.” The fact is that he did respond to the original message which in fact was complaining that somehow the feature for anti-aliased text was “lost” going to Acrobat 10. He alerted a number of us internally to this query and internal research was done to ascertain whether we lost an option or quality along the way.

The result of this was that (1) we ascertained that a feature was not lost along the way and that we never did have an text antialiasing option for any of the image export capabilities of Acrobat - image export was very simple and nothing special was done for text (unlike similar options in other Adobe applications) and (2) support for antialiasing of text was added to a list of features to be considered for implementation in a future Acrobat update.

In terms of Adobe solutions for image creation from PDF files, even the original poster to this thread, Giovanni, acknowledges that this functionality (converting PDF page) to raster image with an antialiasing option does in fact exist in an Adobe product that specializes in image handling, Photoshop!

BTW, if and when PDF export to raster image adds antialiasing support, it will be an option. For many applications, you don't want or need such antialiasing!

          - Dov