Inverted colors in Preview

Zweihander · 01-25-2006, 05:20 PM

I'm not sure if anyone else is getting this problem, but when I open some PDFs in Preview, the images have their colors inverted. I've noticed this in a couple files, and it's getting to be too much.

For reference, check out this link to a PDF file. Opening it in Preview turns it inverted, but trying it in Acrobat leaves it fine.

Anyone know the cause to this, or a workaround that doesn't involve Acrobat?

trevor · 01-25-2006, 05:56 PM

Hmm. I don't get inverted colors with that file in Preview, I get blank white pages. Same result with GraphicConvertor. And Quicktime Player. JPEGDeux displays a blank black screen with that .pdf.

I'm inclined to suspect that this pdf file is broken in some way, and Acrobat is more forgiving of it's particular brand of brokenness than other pdf-viewers.

What did you use to create it?

Trevor

hayne · 01-25-2006, 06:07 PM

I see the inverted colours with Preview on my iBook running 10.4.4 (I don't have Acrobat to check with that). At least I assume that the colours are inverted - they look weird enough. Here's what I see:

frankko · 01-25-2006, 06:19 PM

I see the "inverting" in Preview and the correct colors in Adobe Reader (it's not called Acrobat Reader anymore).

I can't tell what's causing it, but here are some variables:

- it was created in InDesign;

- the PDF is "encrypted" to prevent certain actions on the document;

Maybe the last one is what's messing up Preview.

trevor · 01-25-2006, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankko


	I see the "inverting" in Preview and the correct colors in Adobe Reader (it's not called Acrobat Reader anymore).

I used Adobe Acrobat 6.04 to view it, not Adobe Reader. It looks correct in Acrobat.

I'm running OS X 10.3.9 on a PowerBook G4/1GHz (Aluminum).

The apps and versions that give blank (not inverted color) screens are: Preview 2.1.0 (v211), GraphicConvertor V4.6 (Apple bundle version), Quicktime Player 7.0.4, JPEGDeux v1.7b, and I just tried it in Safari with the Schubert.it PDF Browser Plugin 2.0.1. In all cases I get a blank screen.

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankko


	- the PDF is "encrypted" to prevent certain actions on the document;

Why don't you try to test this hypothesis by creating a non-encrypted version and viewing it in Preview? That way you'll have good data to make a decision regarding it.

Trevor

frankko · 01-25-2006, 07:34 PM

Interestingly enough, the release notes for OS 10.4.4 states the following:

Quote:


	Resolves an issue in which some PDF files could appear with inverted colors in Preview or other applications.

Maybe they didn't resolve the issue completely?

For what it's worth, the PDF in question appears with inverted colors on 10.4.4 & QuickTime 7.0.4, not black as it does in your case on 10.3.9.

And the encryption prevents the file from being opened in either Photoshop CS2 or Illustrator CS2.

solipsism · 01-25-2006, 10:06 PM

I am using Safari to display PDFs and it looks okay.

DriesK · 02-08-2006, 08:24 AM

I also had this problem, and I tracked it down to be a color space issue. The images in the pdf were defined in cmyk (I was preparing a tex document for printing). When I changed the color space to rgb and recompiled the pdf, Preview displayed the images correctly. However, I needed them to be cmyk, so I changed the color space back again, and again recompiled the pdf. This time, again, all images displayed as they should! So it seems that the person who created the images for me, did an incorrect rgb->cmyk conversion.

davidosus · 02-26-2006, 02:47 PM

DriesK, how did you recompile your PDF? What application did you use?

tbsingleton73 · 02-26-2006, 02:52 PM

You could always press Ctrl+Option+⌘+8 to invert the entire screen.
Not a fix but a minor workaround.

davidosus · 02-26-2006, 03:03 PM

That was fast - thanks for the reply, tbsingleton73!

I gave your suggestion a try (I forgot about this trick!) but my problem doesn't seem to be inversion but rather something else - the pages all have a red tint.

Funny but the PDF displays fine in Photoshop so it definitely is some sort of color issue.

01-25-2006, 05:56 PM	#2
trevor Moderator Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Boulder, CO USA Posts: 19,560	Hmm. I don't get inverted colors with that file in Preview, I get blank white pages. Same result with GraphicConvertor. And Quicktime Player. JPEGDeux displays a blank black screen with that .pdf. I'm inclined to suspect that this pdf file is broken in some way, and Acrobat is more forgiving of it's particular brand of brokenness than other pdf-viewers. What did you use to create it? Trevor __________________ How to ask questions the smart way

01-25-2006, 06:07 PM	#3
hayne Site Admin Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Montreal Posts: 31,956	I see the inverted colours with Preview on my iBook running 10.4.4 (I don't have Acrobat to check with that). At least I assume that the colours are inverted - they look weird enough. Here's what I see: Attached Thumbnails __________________ hayne.net/macosx.html

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01-25-2006, 05:20 PM	#1
Zweihander Prospect Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 12	I'm not sure if anyone else is getting this problem, but when I open some PDFs in Preview, the images have their colors inverted. I've noticed this in a couple files, and it's getting to be too much. For reference, check out this link to a PDF file. Opening it in Preview turns it inverted, but trying it in Acrobat leaves it fine. Anyone know the cause to this, or a workaround that doesn't involve Acrobat?

01-25-2006, 06:19 PM	#4
frankko All Star Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: New York, NY Posts: 587	I see the "inverting" in Preview and the correct colors in Adobe Reader (it's not called Acrobat Reader anymore). I can't tell what's causing it, but here are some variables: - it was created in InDesign; - the PDF is "encrypted" to prevent certain actions on the document; Maybe the last one is what's messing up Preview.

01-25-2006, 10:06 PM	#7
solipsism MVP Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 1,953	I am using Safari to display PDFs and it looks okay.

02-08-2006, 08:24 AM	#8
DriesK Registered User Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 1	I also had this problem, and I tracked it down to be a color space issue. The images in the pdf were defined in cmyk (I was preparing a tex document for printing). When I changed the color space to rgb and recompiled the pdf, Preview displayed the images correctly. However, I needed them to be cmyk, so I changed the color space back again, and again recompiled the pdf. This time, again, all images displayed as they should! So it seems that the person who created the images for me, did an incorrect rgb->cmyk conversion.

02-26-2006, 02:47 PM	#9
davidosus Prospect Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 13	DriesK, how did you recompile your PDF? What application did you use?

02-26-2006, 02:52 PM	#10
tbsingleton73 MVP Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Toronto Posts: 1,114	You could always press Ctrl+Option+⌘+8 to invert the entire screen. Not a fix but a minor workaround.

02-26-2006, 03:03 PM	#11
davidosus Prospect Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 13	That was fast - thanks for the reply, tbsingleton73! I gave your suggestion a try (I forgot about this trick!) but my problem doesn't seem to be inversion but rather something else - the pages all have a red tint. Funny but the PDF displays fine in Photoshop so it definitely is some sort of color issue.