Images are blurry

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codythe1st
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Images are blurry

Post by codythe1st »

I am reposting this because my other post doesn't exist anymore... I was not able to read the response and I still have the same issue. When I output to PDF my images are blurry. I am using the trial version.
codythe1st
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Re: Images are blurry

Post by codythe1st »

I am under the impression this issue is intentional because I am using the trial version. Can someone please confirm this?
Nita Beck
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Re: Images are blurry

Post by Nita Beck »

I don't believe this has anything to do with the trial version of Flare. The only thing the trial version does is to insert random characters into text. To the best of my knowledge, it doesn't do a thing with images (UNLESS one is creating the images using Capture, in which case I think some kind of "trial" watermark gets placed on them).

In the prior forum discussion that you posted about this issue (which, for some mysterious reason, no longer exists), others explained that it most likely has to do with the combination of the DPI of the images and how Flare might be enlarging or reducing said images via CSS (including inline formatting). I don't have anything to add about why else the images might be blurry. As I recall, you're having this issue only with PDF output, which is why DPI is suspected.
Nita
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RETIRED, but still fond of all the Flare friends I've made. See you around now and then!
codythe1st
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Re: Images are blurry

Post by codythe1st »

Here is more info for my issue:
[*]I am using Adobe Illustrator to draw my image
[*]I save it as a PNG
[*]I insert the image into my layout page using an image frame
[*]The image looks perfectly fine in the page layout editor
[*]I preview the build of the PDF and It looks perfectly fine
[*]I build the PDF and check the output, my image is extremely blurry and unprofessional looking, making it unusable

I don't know how to fix this, I have tried suggestions in previous posts but nothing seems to work. I tried converting the image to a vector but flare is blocking me from using vector images :(
Nita Beck
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Re: Images are blurry

Post by Nita Beck »

What is the DPI of the image? Check to see in Adobe Illustrator if it is 96 or 300. If it's 300, try changing it to 96 and save again as PNG. Does that give you better results in the PDF?

As someone had posted in your original discussion (that somehow the forum lost), the issue could be that the image is set to 300dpi, which would result in a small(er than a 96dpi) image in the PDF, and then your CSS (whether in your stylesheet or via inline formatting) is telling Flare to enlarge the image in the PDF to an explicit width or height. So Flare "stretches" the image to that explicit width or height, but it can't do anything to make it sharper.

So try changing the dpi to 96 and see if that helps.

p.s. I hope whoever it was who responded to your original discussion responds again here, too. His explanation was MUCH better than mine.
Nita
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RETIRED, but still fond of all the Flare friends I've made. See you around now and then!
codythe1st
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Joined: Thu Mar 02, 2023 3:36 pm

Re: Images are blurry

Post by codythe1st »

ok, After following your suggestion I was finally able to resolve the issue. Adobe Illustrator was saving my files as 300ppi, but when I collected my objects as an asset it would export them as 72ppi. I had to change the export resolution to 96ppi in adobe to fix the issue. keep in mind there were two different export settings I changed, the 72 to 96 when collecting as an asset is what did the fix.

Thank you for the help!
codythe1st
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Re: Images are blurry

Post by codythe1st »

Nita Beck wrote:What is the DPI of the image? Check to see in Adobe Illustrator if it is 96 or 300. If it's 300, try changing it to 96 and save again as PNG. Does that give you better results in the PDF?

As someone had posted in your original discussion (that somehow the forum lost), the issue could be that the image is set to 300dpi, which would result in a small(er than a 96dpi) image in the PDF, and then your CSS (whether in your stylesheet or via inline formatting) is telling Flare to enlarge the image in the PDF to an explicit width or height. So Flare "stretches" the image to that explicit width or height, but it can't do anything to make it sharper.

So try changing the dpi to 96 and see if that helps.

p.s. I hope whoever it was who responded to your original discussion responds again here, too. His explanation was MUCH better than mine.

looks like I spoke too soon. I was able to fix my image by changing the export from adobe illustrator to 96ppi. However after tinkering with the image one more time to make it perfect, Flare has somehow decided 96ppi is no longer a suitable format and it is once again scrambling my images... I really have no idea what to do at this point...
ChoccieMuffin
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Re: Images are blurry

Post by ChoccieMuffin »

If you're using the trial version with a view to buying, then I suggest speaking directly to Madcap. They're going to want to make a sale here, so if this is a showstopper for you buying it, they're going to work very hard to find you a solution so they can make a sale.

Give them a call, they're very nice and very willing to help.
Started as a newbie with Flare 6.1, now using Flare 2023.
Report bugs at http://www.madcapsoftware.com/bugs/submit.aspx.
Request features at https://www.madcapsoftware.com/feedback ... quest.aspx
codythe1st
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Re: Images are blurry

Post by codythe1st »

I fixed the issue by using the "Snipping Tool" on windows. I created the image on adobe illustrator and then took a snip of it and saved it as a PNG. I set the PDF target output to JPEG and maximum.
robdocsmith
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Re: Images are blurry

Post by robdocsmith »

I work solely in PDFs at the moment and include a whole range of illustrations and photos in my books. My advice:
  • Make sure when working in Illustrator or Photoshop to match your canvas or artboard to the destination size and resolution. For example, if outputting at 300dpi (as I do to a high-quality printer), note the required dimensions in the document (height/width of the image in the layout), and set the canvas/artboard to the same dimensions at the desired output resolution.
  • Make sure your drawing uses the desired CMYK or RGB mode of the printer you'll be using (and make all images use the same mode) - avoids colour conversions in Acrobat or printer.
  • If in Illustrator, export the image at the same resolution as that required by your PDF target output (mine is 300pdi).
  • I only use PNGs for my line art and photos. JPG introduces artifacts around line edges and I'm not concerned with PDF file size. If this is an issue for you, try to keep JPG resolution at maximum/high levels.
  • Insert the image into the document with no scaling - since you've set the dimensions already, it should fit your document at 100%.
  • You can insert vector art into the document importing it as EPS. I've a vague recollection you need to install Ghostscipt to do this. This can look a little odd if screen viewing the output PDF (line thicknesses can display oddly - the vector art isn't rendered as raster so you can zoom in using Acrobat) but will print as drawn.
  • In your target make sure that images aren't Downsampled - you've already set the resolution of each image to your desired output.
  • I set quality to Maximum and Compression to Automatic - though these settings should be ignored as you've turned off Downsampling.
  • If outputting to online as well, you may need to insert two images conditionalised to PDF or Online, with the online version at a larger size and thumbnail view as appropriate.
Any time an image is rescaled or resized, in Photoshop, on export from Illustrator, in Flare upon insertion, upon output by downsampling, or upon printing to a printer that doesn't use your design resolution, you stand a chance of introducing fuzziness in line art.

Hope that helps,
Rob
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