Remove CMYK icc tags in a PDF

[Magnus]

I got Pitstop Pro 12 and I would like to create an Action List that removes all CMYK ICC tags on images and graphics in a PDF. I want to keep RGB tags.

I've been trying to use 'Select by color space' but it doesn't work for all objects. Can someone please give me a hand?

Here is my testfile, if you would like to give it a try:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/opibsbwhp85zc0y/test_file.pdf.zip?dl=0

Thanks!

 

[Stephen Marsh]

Hi Magnus, try the attached .eal:

Select by ICC tag subtype (ICC tagged RGB, all three checkboxes)
NOT
Remove ICC Tag (both checkboxes)​

In other words, select everything tagged with an ICC profile, except RGB - then remove profile.

This will also strip ICC grayscale profiles, so be careful, one would have to add an OR operator and selection in there to bypass any grayscale ICC tagged elements.

NOTE: CMYK profiles are still retained for blending spaces, not sure if this is OK or not?


Stephen Marsh

 

[Magnus]

Thank you Stephen! I think that will do it!

I need to grasp around this NOT option any day soon

 

[Stephen Marsh]

Thank you Stephen! I think that will do it!

I need to grasp around this NOT option any day soon

I think of the NOT logical operator as simply an inverse/opposite/exclusion modifier to a previous selection.

More from Enfocus below:

________

AND is a logical operator. This means it is used to select a single object with more than one attribute. For example, selecting text that was Helvetica AND size 12 pt would be written:

Select Font Helvetica
Select Text if PointSize = 12.00 pt
AND​

You do NOT use AND to select two different objects. For example, the following is incorrect because a font cannot be both Helvetica and Arial:

Select Font Helvetica
Select Font Arial
AND
​

________


NOT is a logical operator. It is used to exclude objects according to their attributes. For example, if you wanted to select all the text in a document that was not Arial you would need to exclude Arial from your selection. This could be written as folows:

Select Text
Select Font Arial
NOT​

NOT only applies to the immediately preceeding item in the list of selections

________

OR is a logical operator. It is used to select objects that share attributes. For example, selecting all text that is either Helvetica OR Arial would be written:

Select Font Helvetica
Select Font Arial
OR​

You do NOT use OR to exclude objects. For example, the following will not only choose 14pt fonts if there are no 12pt fonts. Rather it will select all 12pt and 14pt fonts:

Select Text if PointSize = 12.00 pt
Select Text if PointSize = 14.00 pt
OR​

________

If you want to select times Roman and Times roman Italic, you have to use 'OR'. Not 'AND'; as they can't be both. But you could use AND if you were looking for Times New Roman which was also 100C fill. They can be both, in that instance,

'NOT' can only apply to one item.

'AND' and 'OR' can apply to 1 or 2 preceding items, but not 3 or more.

The operators apply to preceding items, not following items.

________


Stephen Marsh

 

[DCurry]

This is one area where Pitstop needs improvement, IMO. Stephen did an excellent job explaining it, but unless you write new actions every day it's very confusing and counter-intuitive.

 

[abc]

Check out the free monthly PitStop workshops we are doing online. We covered Action Lists in the last two sessions.
I agree we can definitely make the process a bit simpler, but we are seeing more people using them and spending the time to understand them so that's great.

 

[mattbeals]

Try this. I select all ICC profiles that are CMYK, then remove them. That leaves behind all profiles that are NOT CMYK.

 

[Stephen Marsh]

Thanks Matt, I tried to simply select CMYK ICC to begin with, however RGB were also removed.

I see that you have two separate select by ICC commands, one explicitly for fills, the other for strokes. I did not do this and I think that this is why my action did not work as intended and I went with a more complex select RGB/Not approach, which was less than ideal.

Thanks for sharing! Now I have to keep in mind not to include both fills/strokes in the same selection as that appears to have problems.


Stephen Marsh

 

[Stephen Marsh]

OK, I can see where I originally went wrong.

The “Select by ICC tag subtype” command is very specific in how it operates, depending on which checkboxes are ticked.

This is why Matt used two different combinations of this command with an OR operator, rather than a single command with all options ticked (which would only select objects with both fills and strokes only).


Stephen Marsh

 

[mattbeals]

;D

Matt Beals

 

[Magnus]

Thank's Matt! That one was even better

 

[mattbeals]

Any time. I'm easy to find.

 

[mwessman]

Thanks, that helped me to!