Work with PDFs

Last update: May 16, 2024

CREATED FOR:

  • Experienced
  • User

PDF (Portable Document Format) files are most often used in Adobe Dynamic Media Classic to create eCatalogs. When you upload a PDF file, Adobe Dynamic Media Classic rasterizes, or rips, the pages by default so that the pages can be used to build rich media.

When you upload a PDF for page extraction, Adobe enforces the following limit:

Limit typeLimit imposedChange to limit on December 31, 2022
Maximum number of pages for a PDF to be considered for extraction5000 (for new uploads)100 (for all PDFs)

See also Dynamic Media limitations.

PDF upload options

When you upload a PDF file, you can format it in various ways. You crop its pages, extract search words, enter a pixels-per-inch resolution, and choose a color space. PDF files often contain a trim margin, crop marks, registration marks, and other printer’s marks. You can crop these marks from the sides of pages as you upload a PDF file.

Options for uploading PDF files are on the Upload page under PDF Options.

Processing options

Rasterize: (Default) Rips the pages in the PDF file and converts vector graphics to bitmap images. To create an eCatalog, choose this option.

Extract Search Words: Extracts words from the PDF file so that keywords in the file can be searched in an eCatalog Viewer.

Extract Links: Extracts links from the PDF files and coverts them to Image Maps that are used in an eCatalog Viewer.

Auto-Generate eCatalog With Multi-page PDF: Automatically creates an eCatalog from the PDF file. The eCatalog is named after the PDF file you uploaded. (This option is only available if you rasterize the PDF file as you upload it.)

Resolution

Determines the resolution setting. This setting determines how many pixels are displayed per inch in the PDF file. The default is 150.

Color Space options

Select the Color Space menu and choose a color space for the PDF file. Most PDF files have both RGB and CMYK color images. The RGB color space is preferable for online viewing.

  • Detect Automatically: Retains the color space of the PDF file.

  • Force As RGB: Converts to the RGB color space.

  • Force As CMYK: Converts to the CMYK color space.

  • Force As Grayscale: Converts to the Grayscale color space.

Color Profile options

  • Convert To sRGB: Converts to sRGB (Standard Red Green Blue). sRGB is the recommended color space for displaying images on a Web page.

  • Keep Original Color Space: Retains the original color space.

  • Custom From > To: Opens menus so you can choose a Convert From and Convert To color space. You can choose a standard Photoshop color space or a color space you uploaded to Adobe Dynamic Media Classic.

See also ICC profiles.

Crop white space from a PDF file

You can automatically crop white-space pixels from a PDF file as you upload it.

  1. Select the Crop menu and choose Trim.

  2. Specify the following options:

    • Trim Away Based On: Choose whether to crop based on color or transparency:

      • Color: Choose the Color option. Then select the Corner menu and choose the corner of the PDF with the color that best represents the white-space color you want to crop.

      • Transparency: Choose the Transparency option.

    • Tolerance: Drag the slider to specify a tolerance from 0 through 1.

    • Trimming based on color: Specify 0 to crop pixels only if they exactly match the color you selected in the corner of the PDF. Numbers closer to 1 allow for more color difference.

    • Trimming based on transparency: Specify 0 to crop pixels only if they are transparent; numbers closer to 1 allow for more transparency.