Transparency in placed files

[M***@adobeforums.com]

CS3. Driving me nuts this...

I accept that right now this just doesn't work but I can't understand why:

I have a photoshop file with two layers. Top layer is the image only on a transparent background layer set to normal. Bottom layer is the shadow for the image on a transparent background with this layer set to multiply. Save as a multilayer .ps file

Inport into InDesign and the Photoshop multiply layer no longer multiplies over objects in InDesign. If I swap over the layer in Photoshop so that the shadow is the top layer save as a multilayer .ps file and import into InDesign, the shdow layer multiplies over the other photoshop layer but not over objects in InDesign.

So far not so good but...

Import the first multi-layer .ps file into Illustrator. It behaves the same as in InDesign. Shaow layer does not multply over Illustrator objects. However embed the image with layers to objects option and all of a sudden the shadow is multiplying over the Illustrator objects.

Create an Illustrator file containing just the embedded image as above and place in InDesign and the shadow now multiplies correctly over other objects in InDesign.

So why does multiply work work between the place image and other objects in InDesign for Illustrator files but not for Phoshop files where the bottom-most layer is set to multiply?

Does the problem lie with how Photoshop handles multilayer files or is it with how the file is read by InDesign. The information is obviously there because when you embed the image in Illustrator, the multply layer becomes an object set to m ultiply automatically.

Can this be implemented for the next version of InDesign/Photoshop so that the blending mode of the layers in Photoshop interact correctly with objects in InDesign?

[unknown]

This has been discussed many times. IIRC, there's a big difference in
the graphics engines between Photoshop and that of InDesign and Illustrator.

"Fixing" this would require re-writing Photoshop from the ground up with
no backward compatibility. I wouldn't hold my breath on that happening.

Bob

[M***@adobeforums.com]

Thanks for the reply.

I did do a search but nothing obvious came up...

Maybe there could be an export layers with InDesign blending compatability function from a future version Photoshop?

[Scott Falkner]

You can get the file to work in InDesign by stacking two copies of the placed image on top of each other. for the top one set Object > Layer Options and show only the top layer. For the bottom image show only the shadow layer set the entire image's transparency mode to Multiply. You can also access Photoshop's Layer Comps in the Layer Options palette, which has given me a reason to use Layer Comps.

[M***@adobeforums.com]

Yes that's what I've been doing, but it's not as elegant as simply importing one instance of the file into InDesign and lettting the blending modes within the file itself sort out the transparency.

Since it works if I embed the image in Illustrator and then import that, I'm tempted to start going that route, or is it regarded as bad practice to have items nested through that many levels?

I haven't looked at layer comps yet. Maybe I should...

[Scott Falkner]

Layer Comps are more powerful than accessing layers through Layer Options because you can control more options that way. A Layer Comp can control a layer's opacity, not just whether it is visible. Layer Comps can even control a layer's position or which effects are visible. You cannot access effects through layer Options in InDesign, except by selecting Layer Comps prepared in Photoshop.

It's an acceptable work around. But it's pretty weak that after three versions of a "suite" of applications, such a work around is even necessary.