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Portfolio issues: can anyone help with PDF loading issues?
Hey guys,
I am in the midst of submitting M. Arch I applications, and there is this one issue with my portfolio that is driving me insane.
When I open my PDF in Acrobat, the images don't all load/draw at the same time. Some vector images load layer-by-layer as well. It's not a huge delay (less than a second per page, and it doesn't happen on every page), but it's just enough time to see a big blank spot on a page and wonder why it's there before it gets filled in. I know admissions committees don't spend much time on each portfolio, so I'm concerned about each page's first impression.
Here is how I have everything set up:
- My images (some .AI files, some .PSD, and a handful of regular image files) are all placed into my InDesign document as linked files
- I have been exporting for Adobe PDF (Interactive)
- I do NOT have "Create Acrobat Layers" selected
I have also tried exporting with "Create Acrobat Layers" selected and then flattening in Acrobat, but it has not fixed the problem. I tried exporting for print with no luck as well.
This issue doesn't occur in Mac's Preview PDF viewer, or when viewing on Dropbox or Box. Sometimes the first time I open a file it will work fine, and the next time I open it I have the problem.
My specific questions are:
- Does anyone know how to ensure that my PDF pages load all at once?
- Would rasterizing all my vector files be worthwhile? I hate raster, tbh...
- Does this actually matter or am I being paranoid?
- Do adcoms use Acrobat, or are they viewing through application-specific software?
Any help is appreciated. Happy Christmas Eve to those who are celebrating. Or, if you were looking for a reason to avoid your family, you can help me instead :)
Yeah you can't place raw AI/PS files and expect good performance. Print those files to PDF (don't export/save from AI/PS) and then place into ID.
fwiw the people reviewing your portfolio probably don't know how to make PDF's themselves.
you also shouldn’t leave your lineweights at the mercy of whatever PDF viewer the admissions committee uses. regardless of how much you “hate raster tbh,” if you want to be confident that the committee sees what you do, you should convert your vector drawings to high-res PNG files before exporting the portfolio to PDF.
no one is going to be zooming in on your drawings. vector files aren’t universally superior to raster images, and the sooner you learn that basic lesson the better.
yup, each pdf-viewer can have different ways of displaying vectors/lineweights. If you want more control over what you show <i> and</i> have everything load at the same time use high res raster images.
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