Scribus Forums

Scribus => Beginner Talk => Topic started by: MOsMemoir on September 13, 2020, 02:47:49 PM

Title: How do I find the transparent element?
Post by: MOsMemoir on September 13, 2020, 02:47:49 PM
I am doing the layout for my dad's memoir. I am hoping to get it printed with Lulu.com. Now that I upload the pdf, Lulu gives me this warning:

Transparency: We detected an element that may be transparent within your file. We strongly recommend flattening or removing any transparencies in your file.

What should I do now? How do I find out which "element" is causing this warning? How do I remove the transparency?

[attachment deleted by admin]
Title: Re: How do I find the transparent element?
Post by: RodneyLee on September 13, 2020, 03:16:25 PM
if it's just a warning it may be fine to keep, .png most likely 
Title: Re: How do I find the transparent element?
Post by: utnik on September 13, 2020, 05:02:27 PM
there is no .png in this file – and no transparency at all, as far as i can see.
if you export it as a .pdf1.3 and it still looks good, you're on the safe side.

utnik
Title: Re: How do I find the transparent element?
Post by: a.l.e on September 14, 2020, 09:35:45 AM
euh, utnik, i'm not sure that exporting to pdf 1.3 and having a look at the output will really help.

if you export to pdf 1.3 you might get a warning that a specific element does contain a transparency, which indeed could help MOsMemoir track her issue.
but if you ignore the warning (or scribus does not detect the issue), as far as i know look at the pdf output will not help in any way...

or am i missing something?
Title: Re: How do I find the transparent element?
Post by: utnik on September 14, 2020, 12:20:26 PM
hi ale

in my experience scribus doesn't flatten transparencies in a sane way, but if you export to .pdf 1.3, real transparencies will be set to full opacity – and that should be visible in the .pdf-file.

utnik
Title: Re: How do I find the transparent element?
Post by: a.l.e on September 14, 2020, 02:24:52 PM
ok, i did a quick test:

- a shape with opacity < 100 % wills show up with 100% opacity
- a gradient with a transparent part will show up as full black (probably the other color)
- a png with transparent background will still be transparent.

... so you seem to be mostly right!
Title: Re: How do I find the transparent element?
Post by: utnik on September 14, 2020, 06:00:45 PM
Quote from: a.l.e on September 14, 2020, 02:24:52 PM...a png with transparent background will still be transparent.

yes, but technically spoken, this isn't a transparency any more. the partly transparent areas of the .png file will be cut somewhere around 10% opacity (with a sharp edge between full opacity and full transparency) – the .pdf file will really be flat.

utnik