Insert transparent pdf into LayOut

LayOut
1

Some pdfs when inserted into LayOut are transparent. I think this is only ones that are created as vector files like from ACAD. I have an old site plan that I made in ACAD and now need to update this, but want to do it in SketchUp and LayOut. So, I made an SU file showing the property lines and the various objects on the site. Buildings, driveway, patio, grass areas. I want the SU file in LayOut to behind the transparent PDF. I inserted both files into LO and this if great. Works like a charm, but then I realized that I needed to change some of the text and lines in the pdf. A walkway was removed and the area numbers had changed. No problem. I open the pdf in PhotoShop. It comes in as transparent, this is good. I erase the stuff I no longer want. Save a copy of the file and reinsert the pdf into LO. Oops, now it is not transparent. I re-open the pdf in PS and it is still transparent. I delete and re-insert into LO, still not transparent. I then decide to make a copy of the pdf as a GIF. I insert this and it is transparent. Yea!, but the gif slows down my beautiful and really fast iMac to a crawl, really less than a crawl.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Below is a dropbox link to a zip file with the LO file with the gif and pdf inserted, also both image files.

2

Above my pay grade really but does this have anything to do with it do you think?: Photoshop Vector Output | Tiny Tutorials' Adobe Classroom

3

Well your first problem is that your PDF file is over 900 DPI. That’s waaaaaaay bigger than it needs to be given that screen resolution is 72 DPI and print resolution is 150 DPI.

So step one is to change DPI in Photoshop. Then save as .PNG (now 2.5 mb!) as the PDF has been converted so there’s no vector linework in there anymore so no reason it link PDF.

See gif showing that if you change your background paper color, it’s easier to see that the PNG is transparent and when zoomed in…still holds up well re: pixelation.

PNG_size
PNG_size1425×789 893 KB

4

Thank you. That works very well, and the png was only 1.7mb at 150 dpi

5

Can you export from Photoshop as a PNG file without a background, I use SimLab to render my Sketchup models then export as a PNG without a background and then insert in Layout to add my text, that seems to work well for me.

6

Yes. Just make sure to delete the ‘background’ layer in photoshop before saving to PNG. You can double click on the background layer if it’s lock (which is default), then delete or move to trash.