I am unable to get good quality images when I use the Print then the PDF option. I need to use this feature since I want to order my book from a third party supplier.
I have spent several hours trying to export to all PDF options possible, at all settings possible, using Automator, etc. Same exact result: Bad image quality, espacially in the dark areas (looks like 8-bit in the dark colors only, weird)!
When the exact same Print to PDF service is used with another application, the quality of the images is perfect.
Thanks for your help.
Etienne
Hi Joseph,
thanks for your reply.
I’ve tried all settings, all the options in lower left PDF menu, and I’ve changed also automator settings to set maximum quality and lower compression but I’ve not solved. Aperture seems have some problem to export large image over the scale of 100%…
I must use InDesign for the page with artifacts… :-(((
ps. I’ve used 2 Macs for the test (1 Macbook pro 17” + iMac 24” + Aperture 3 up to date). Sorry for my bad english…
Bye for now.
Gabriele
Gabriele,
Hold on… you’re trying to export to PDF and scale the images from Aperture over 100%? Your layout is 33cm x 33cm, which is 13 x 13 inches… your source image is from a 1Ds Mk III and is 4992 x 3328 pixels. If you don’t crop, that’s 384 pixels per inch resolution. If you DO crop and fill the square page, then even there you have 256 ppi. Graphi probably doesn’t need more than 233 ppi.
I’m a little confused as to what you’re actually trying to achieve.
-Joseph @ApertureExpert
@PhotoJoseph
— Have you signed up for the mailing list?
Gabriel — a follow up…
If you can, why don’t you share the project with me that you’re trying to export. If you can make a duplicate book, reduce it to just one page with just the image(s) needed for that page, export that out as a project, open that project and delete the previews if needed (let’s make this as small as possible)… verify that the problem is happening still and then send that to me. You can send me files via the DROP BOX under the MORE menu above. Please be sure to add your name to the file, and post a message here when it’s up. I’ll try to reproduce the problem so I can fully understand what you’re seeing.
-Joseph @ApertureExpert
@PhotoJoseph
— Have you signed up for the mailing list?
Hi Joseph,
I’ve sent by drop box “Gabriele Fani.zip”, sorry for the space between Gabriele and Fani words.
One file zip with 2 pdf, one from InDesign and one from Aperture. Same image file. I’ve also included library for your test.
If the problem was in the image (cropping, resolution, etc…), why with InDesign pdf I don’t see the problem? Maybe is the codect software that works differently (Mac OS X 10.6.5 Quartz PDFContext for Aperture, Adobe PDF Library 9.9 for InDesign). Excuse me if I’m not so accurate…
ps. The image this time is from a Canon 7D, same problem with images from 1Ds MK3 and 5D.
Gabriele,
I downloaded the files. First off, I can’t see a difference between the two PDFs, except that one is slightly larger (cropped) over the other. Approximately 4%. But I really don’t see a quality difference between them. Here’s what I’m seeing in Preview, side-by-side. Of course it’s very hard to tell since the original photo has both motion blur and very high grain. But what am I missing?
http://screencast.com/t/FApbpT1IHl
Also the Library you sent is missing the master file, so I can’t export without that. Please add the raw file to the dropbox if you’d like me to continue looking.
Anyway I opened the two PDFs into Photoshop, scaled one to 104% to match the size as much as possible, and layered them with a difference mode applied. The two could be identical (but I can’t say for sure since they weren’t the same size to begin with). But I’m certainly not seeing any dramatic difference between them.
I’ll be traveling for the next 3 days and unlikely to be able to do any more tests until I’m back.
-Joseph @ApertureExpert
@PhotoJoseph
— Have you signed up for the mailing list?
Hi Joseph,
first of all thank you for your support.
Regarding pdfs, I see a lot of difference near right of the front car plate and in the cockpit (see the driver and the near area). The color isn’t so uniform and the “color depth” of image seems very low. I’ve noticed that the problem affects many others color image specially in blur area where the color tones blends together.
Sorry for the master file missing, is very large (jpeg edited externally from aperture in CS5 and returned to Aperture by “automatic” round-tripping) so I need to manage it in some way before to send to you.
Thanks for now and sorry for my english.
Gabriele
Gabriele,
Try using the “Save as Adobe PDF” option. The top “Save as PDF” is a simplified, compressed PDF not meant for printing. THe “Adobe PDF” is probably what you need.
-Joseph @ApertureExpert
@PhotoJoseph
— Have you signed up for the mailing list?
Etienne,
Which commands are you using? The subject of your post says “PDF to Folder as JPG”, but in the body you’re saying you’re using the PDF option.
Please clarify exactly which options you’re using (please copy the name exactly from the application), and we’ll go from there.
Incidentally, those commands are simply Automator scripts. If you go to the folder Macintosh HD > Library > PDF Services you’ll find the scripts in use. You can duplicate them, open them in Automator, and modify as needed.
-Joseph @ApertureExpert
@PhotoJoseph
— Have you signed up for the mailing list?
Hi,
I don’t see “Save as Adobe PDF” on my system. Do I need Adobe Pro or CS to have this option?
Andrew
Andrew,
Not at all. From the print dialog, select the “PDF” menu (lower left), and the PDF options should all be there.
-Joseph @ApertureExpert
@PhotoJoseph
— Have you signed up for the mailing list?
Gabriele,
I’m in my office for a couple of days and can look at this file if you can get it to me. It doesn’t matter how big it is; let it upload overnight if you need to. Just put it in the dropbox so I can see this for real.
-Joseph @ApertureExpert
@PhotoJoseph
— Have you signed up for the mailing list?
Hi Again!
How about Save PDF to Folder as TIFF? Will that give a better quality prints?
THanks,
Andrew
Andrew,
What are you trying to print? Books, or just images? Are you getting a quality that’s not good enough, that you think is because of too-low resolution?
You can modify the scripts as described above, or as described in your other post, here.
-Joseph @ApertureExpert
@PhotoJoseph
— Have you signed up for the mailing list?
Hi Joseph,
I have done and printed (through a printing company) 2 Aperture Photobooks. The printed image quality is.. OK, but not that great. And I’m just thinking if it has something to do with the PDF output file.
Do you think if I Save PDF as TIFF each photobook page will give better print quality?
Thanks,
Andrew
Andrew,
You ordered the books through a company other than Apple, you mean?
Hard to say why they are only “OK”. Could be a ton of reasons, and without seeing them it’s impossible to know why. Are the images jaggy? Then yes, you need more resolution. If the problem is more to do with colors, saturation, blacks, etc then that’s the printer and you should work with them directly. If you’re using a major online service, they probably have loads of instructions on their site on optimizing the book before sending it in.
-Joseph @ApertureExpert
@PhotoJoseph
— Have you signed up for the mailing list?
Hi Joseph, I’m Gabriele Fani from Italy. I’ve the same problem to export (print to pdf file) images from custom books (33cm x 33cm) to print with GraphiStudio. The source jpg (1Ds Mark III) 4992 x 3328 is perfect when I export it from my library project, but, if I try to print the same image from a page of custom book with “Save as PDF…” function, the depth of color is very bad/low…
Do you have any suggestion to correct the problem?
Thanks,
Gabriele
In the same issue, I tried having a good quality image resolution and in psd format.
http://www.digiteksf.com/canvas-prints-2/
Hi, I created a book on Aperture on my Mac, which is 200 pages in XL size. I created a PDF to upload to Blurb for printing, however Blurb’s required dimensions for the XL book are slightly larger. Is there a way to create a proportionally larger PDF file from the photo book created in Apple i.e. one which proportionally fits all the pictures on the pages of the existing book into the slightly larger pages of the PDF? I spent a huge amount of time creating this photobook and cant bear the thought of re-doing it with the custom sizes as required by blurb. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks very much.
I thought I'd add a couple of cents to this. What I've done in the past, very successfully, is create a book in Aperture (which I find clean and easy) and then – OK with a tad of new work, but better more work than a problematic result – copy paste all of the fancy formatting into MyPublisher app template and order the book there. The quality is fantastic and prices half that of Apple if ordered with one of their sales. And the lay-flat format is better and slimmer than anyone's. The only problem with MuPublisher is that the controls in their app are terrible, especially for text. (Also, MyPublisher is the printer for the Apple books – to different specs, paper, etc.)
I still use MyPublisher but they are moving to also accepting InDesign pdf files in 2016. That will be the best of both worlds, with the added benefit of being able to use the same app to create reader optimized pdf books from the file.
jcraig
Hi, I am searching for a place to print books now that apple no longer will. Is it possible to print a geo tag map from aperture in my publisher?
Never having included a geotag map in one of my books: if you can put it into an Aperture book, it will go in as a jpg, so it can be placed in a MP book easily. IF there is an issue opening the geotag map in an Aperture book file - one could simply take a large screen shot for the MP book.
jcraig
thank you
convert PDF files to images like JPG, JPEG, PNG
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F67uHRaNvJc