Incorrect PNG format for PDF targets

[Carsten Pedersen]

It seems that my favorite program is generating "wrong" PNG files.

The PNGs are however perfectly displayed in HTML Help and all other application I uses, but when placing them in a topic
and generating a PDF output the images are gone from the output?

If I take the PNG image and open it in MS Paint and then resaving it, then it works.

See attachments.

Visat x64
Flare v5.0.1

-cpede

[LTinker68]

I don't see any difference in the PNGs.

[Carsten Pedersen]

No the visual contents of the two PNGs is excactly the same. The file sizes however are different, indicating that the two
PNGs contains either different compressions or a different number of RGB and Alpha channels?
If you try to use the two files in Flare as a PDF target only one of them works. This indcates that the PDF image compression
fails to understand one of the formats.

-cpede

[Andrew]

What program is generating the original PNGs? I use Capture (v4) for most of my PNGs for print (with a few cases of HyperSnap -- some ancient version). I have no problems with them in PDF output.

[Carsten Pedersen]

The question is not as much what program I use, but why the PDF conversion fails in Flare?
It is my own program that generates PNG files using the ImageGear library. If seems
that different kinds of PNG files exist, and I'm generating one that cannot be converted.
The funny thing is, that when using the well known PDF995 print tool, it works, and when
I'm using XML and XLT formatters it also works for PDF output.
Somehow Flare is using a PDF converter that fails for this particular PNG format?
If I knew what the difference is, then I could probably change the way ImageGear saves
the PNG file internally in my program. Or even better, Flare could support the PNG format
correctly.

-cpede

[Andrew]

I suggest reporting it as a bug, and sending MadCap samples of your PNGs. Let them know the PNGs work in other programs.

[Paul Griffiths]

FWIW, RoboHelp has, or at least used to have, a similar problem with handing differently-formatted PNGs.

[cbdebris]

We're noticing something similar as we use PNG files (built in Fireworks) as backgrounds on page layouts. Lots of problems in Flare 6 because it simply doesn't want to (1) render a PNG appropriately and (2) a PNG doesn't consistently display in the PDF output.

I'd be willing to bet that building a PNG in Photoshop would have the same effect. Gonna try that MSPaint workaround ...

[ccardimon]

What is "Fireworks?"

[Andrew]

What is "Fireworks?"

And Adobe product that helps build UIs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_Fireworks

[LTinker68]

What is "Fireworks?"

And Adobe product that helps build UIs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_Fireworks

It's similar to Illustrator in that you can create vector graphics, but it has a better method of taking a page of elements and transforming it into a web page, especially with mouseover effects. It used to be a Macromedia product.

[cbdebris]

Update: Only one graphic displayed on the page layout after tinkering in MSPaint. The rest had to be manipulated in Capture. I found that by entering Capture settings for the graphics they displayed appropriately on the Flare page layout.

However ... there is a white background on the overlying text that obscures the PNG.

Update 2: If you "reverse out" the text (that is, hope to have white text on the background of a PNG), Flare cannot render that either. It renders the entire line of text as a solid white block!