Map Extraction Problem.. 'The Wounded Wisp'

[Blackfoot]

I'm prepping my game for FG Con VI and I've run into an issue that I haven't really had before...
I can extra the pictures from the PDF normally, (click the image, CTRL-C, paste into photoshop, save), but when I try this method with the maps it gives me a grayscale 'black' image... no map. Has anyone else run into this issue with this PDF? Are they creating these in some new way that prevents map extraction?
As I said.. the normal pictures (monsters and the like) work just fine... it's only the maps that are tweaking.

[darrenan]

Try extractpdf.com or one of the free image extractor apps like Nitro reader. Many times Paizo will use two-layer images, the raw image and a mask, and you might be running into something like this and only getting the mask when you try to copy. I use extractpdf.com all the time to extract images and it works pretty well, although it does have a maximum file size limitation.

[GM BK]

ya, I've been using that extractpdf.com site... works awesome :)

[darrenan]

And if nothing else, Snipping Tool is your buddy. Make the map as big as possible on your screen then copy.

[HoloGnome]

BF - I will send them to you.

[Trenloe]

Around the beginning of Season 6 Paizo upgraded their Adobe system that creates the PDFs. It is at this point that the issue you describe occurred. Apparently (based off Paizo responses on some threads on Paizo.com) this is something to do with the way the newer version puts the image layers in the PDF and how Adobe Reader (and other Adobe PDF products) read those layers. Apps like NitroPDF and others read them correctly (probably because they're aware of the issue and code for it - whereas Adobe don't want to/aren't will to code for it).

[Blackfoot]

Thanks Darren, that solution worked and made it simple.. gave me some solutions for other image problems as well.

[HoloGnome]

With all due respect, I think there are risks to using extractpdf.com. You're sending copyrighted material stamped with your paizo username/ID to be stored on remote servers in Switzerland (Amsterdam? France?) with no guarantee of where it will end up, despite whatever they put in their privacy policy. After you upload the file, you have absolutely no ability to enforce anything and no expectation of privacy. In the best case, they're on the level, in the worst case, ???

[Andraax]

I just use GIMP.

[Trenloe]

I just use GIMP.
To extract the images from the PDF or take screenshots and edit in GIMP?

[Andraax]

To extract the images from the PDF or take screenshots and edit in GIMP?

Extract the images. Before converting a PDF to a module for use in FG, I load up the PDF in GIMP and dump out all the images as PNG. Then I use GIMP to tidy up the maps. Last, I put all of those in a new campaign, and start setting up the stories, encounters, and parcels.

[Trenloe]

Extract the images. Before converting a PDF to a module for use in FG, I load up the PDF in GIMP and dump out all the images as PNG. Then I use GIMP to tidy up the maps. Last, I put all of those in a new campaign, and start setting up the stories, encounters, and parcels.
That gets around the black layer issue for maps, but this still includes all of the map labels (numbers, secret doors, etc). This will work with some of the Pathfinder Society later season 6 scenarios where they've included "player friendly" maps at the end of the scenario without labels, so using GIMP is a good tip in this case. For those PDFs that don't have the player friendly maps there is still a lot of "clone" work to do to make the maps player friendly. There are still some apps that do the map layer extraction without the black layer and labels - some are mentioned earlier in this thread.

[HoloGnome]

Or if you own Acrobat, use Advanced -> Document Processing -> Export All Images.

[xazil]

Since it hasn't been mentioned yet and this applies for Windows/Mac/Linux is the XPDF open source project at https://www.foolabs.com/xpdf/download.html

I have thrown Season 6 PDFs at it successfully.