PDF Format in Photoshop, the Universal Donor

PDF is the acronym for Portable Document Format, which is the native format of Adobe Acrobat. This format, developed by Adobe, can contain editable text, vector, and raster data. PDF files are often used for electronic documentation that will be downloaded from the Web.

You’ve probably noticed that every Adobe Help document is in PDF format, and if you’re a Web user, you’ve probably downloaded more than a few PDFs. Even the government, notoriously slow to catch on to new technology, has embraced PDF. The military uses PDFs for technical documentation. And all your tax forms are available as downloadable PDFs.

You might be thinking, “So what. I’m into images, not documents.” Well, hold on a second. PDFs can be extremely useful in the imaging world as well. Anyone with a computer running Windows, Mac OS, or Unix can read a PDF. All you need to view a PDF file is Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available as a free download from the Adobe Web site. If you save your image as a PDF and e-mail it (or post it on the Web as a downloadable file) to a colleague, manager, client, or friend, that person can see your image — colors, fonts, and all — exactly like you see it. The other nice thing about PDFs is that they have an automatic compression process that makes the files small and manageable for mail transfer or loading on the Web.

When you save a file as a Photoshop PDF, you have all the same save options of the native Photoshop format. PDF supports layers and annotations, so select these options if you have either one. It also supports the same image modes as the native Photoshop format. In addition, you can now save 16-bit images as PDF. Here is a description of the other options found in the PDF Options dialog box:

-->Encoding: Choose Zip compression if optimum print quality is an issue. Otherwise, select JPEG at the maximum setting.

-->Save Transparency: When selected, this option preserves any transparent areas in your file. This option is grayed out if your file doesn’t contain transparency or has a spot color channel.

-->Image Interpolation: This option anti-aliases, or slightly softens the edges, of lowresolution images when they are printed. Keep this option selected.

-->Downgrade Color Profile: If you selected ICC Profile (Windows) or Embed Color Profile (Mac) in the Save dialog box in Photoshop Version 4, selecting this option downgrades the profile to Version 2. Select this option if you need to open the file in a program that doesn’t support Photoshop Version 4 profiles.

-->PDF Security: Click the Security Settings button to access the PDF Security dialog box. You can assign a password for opening the file in Acrobat Reader. You can also assign a master password that is required to open the file in Photoshop, which then allows for full access, enabling you to make changes to the image and to the passwords themselves. On the Compatibility pop-up menu, choose the type of encryption — 40-bit RC4, a low encryption level, is fine if you just want to prevent opening the file. Choose a higher level 128-bit RC4 encryption if you want more specific options regarding accessibility (for disabled persons), level of content changes allowed, and allowable printing resolutions. Finally, choose whether you want your user to be able to print or change the document, copy it or extract content, or add or change comments and form fields.

Note that Acrobat 3 and Acrobat 4 users cannot open PDFs with 128-bit RC4 (Acrobat 5) encryption. And similarly, Acrobat 3, Acrobat 4, and Acrobat 5 users cannot open PDFs with 128-bit RC4 (Acrobat 6) encryption.

-->Include Vector Data: Select this option to preserve vector paths. If you have text in your file, select the Embed Fonts option, which ensures that your fonts display correctly on any computer, even if those fonts aren’t installed. But be sure not to use any faux styles or warped text. Embedding fonts increases file size, but it is well worth it. If you select the Use Outlines for Text option, Photoshop converts all your text to paths.

This can be helpful if your fonts aren’t displaying or printing properly, but you won’t be able to select the text or use the Search command in Acrobat. Your text does remain editable in Photoshop, however.

You can now save multiple images into a single, multi-paged PDF document or slide show. This is a great way to e-mail images to coworkers, family, and friends. Choose File➪Automate➪PDF Presentation.