I saved a Photoshop EPS CYMK image with a clipping path. It imports into Adobe
InDesign CS, but not into Freehand. All I get is a white box.
I just read here that Freehand will not accept EPS files. How else to get the
PS clipping path file into a FH document?

> I saved a Photoshop EPS CYMK image with a clipping path. It imports into Adobe
> InDesign CS, but not into Freehand. All I get is a white box.
> I just read here that Freehand will not accept EPS files. How else to get the
> PS clipping path file into a FH document?

FreeHand will import eps images but while ID can read the file and show it on screen FH can only use preview image i.e. low resolution version of the image embedded in eps file. Otherwise FH will show only the white box. It can be printed with PS printer or exported as pdf but placing is of course difficult.

So you must save the eps with preview. But, the preview is not necessarily 'clipped' and all the transparend areas have opaque color. As memory serves FH support clipping paths in tiff files and clipping is visible but there may be problems in printing.

You can also export the clipping path as Illustrator file, import into FreeHand and paste a non clipped tiff image into it.

***

Using clipping paths is somewhat outdated now just as FreeHand is.

I just finnished a book project which included removing background from about 150 images. I used Photoshop mask layers and imported images into InDesign as cmyk photoshop files. Since the layer mask is a grayscale image edges can be fathered and the result is way better than with a clipping path. In fact some of the images had cliping paths but I converted them all into selections and feathered layer masks.

Also some of the objects had quite shallow depth of field and some areas were blurred. Removing background with clipping path would have looked awful but I just used more feathering in these areas the result was in fact very good.

***

Ability to use layered psd files is one of the reasons why I quit using FreeHand and use Illustrator (and InDesign) now.

Jukka

> I saved a Photoshop EPS CYMK image with a clipping path. It imports into Adobe
> InDesign CS, but not into Freehand. All I get is a white box.
> I just read here that Freehand will not accept EPS files. How else to get the
> PS clipping path file into a FH document?

FreeHand will import eps images but while ID can read the file and show it on screen FH can only use preview image i.e. low resolution version of the image embedded in eps file. Otherwise FH will show only the white box. It can be printed with PS printer or exported as pdf but placing is of course difficult.

So you must save the eps with preview. But, the preview is not necessarily 'clipped' and all the transparend areas have opaque color. As memory serves FH support clipping paths in tiff files and clipping is visible but there may be problems in printing.

You can also export the clipping path as Illustrator file, import into FreeHand and paste a non clipped tiff image into it.

***

Using clipping paths is somewhat outdated now just as FreeHand is.

I just finnished a book project which included removing background from about 150 images. I used Photoshop mask layers and imported images into InDesign as cmyk photoshop files. Since the layer mask is a grayscale image edges can be fathered and the result is way better than with a clipping path. In fact some of the images had cliping paths but I converted them all into selections and feathered layer masks.

Also some of the objects had quite shallow depth of field and some areas were blurred. Removing background with clipping path would have looked awful but I just used more feathering in these areas the result was in fact very good.

***

Ability to use layered psd files is one of the reasons why I quit using FreeHand and use Illustrator (and InDesign) now.

Jukka

Thanks Armadillo for the explanation. Not sure if I understand it yet. I will
try that and report back in a few days.

I'm comfortable with FH and dread the thought of switching to Illustrator at
some point.

Thanks Armadillo for the explanation. Not sure if I understand it yet. I will
try that and report back in a few days.

I'm comfortable with FH and dread the thought of switching to Illustrator at
some point.