Rotated viewport with raster image is washed out

[Anonymous]

I have a raster image in the background. The raster image resides in another file, which in turn is xref-ed into the main drawing.

The image plots properly when the viewport is at 0 deg, or rotated by full 90 Deg. 

At any other rotation values, the image is washed out, when simply looking at the screen (rotated viewport looks darker, thus lighter when plotted).

There are no differences in viewport properties, other than the rotation. 

The rotated viewport is washed out when using dwg to pdf built in plotter. 

When plotting to Bluebeam, both viewports plot normally, but the file size increases 3.5 times. 

When plotting with Microsoft Print to PDF, both viewports plot normally, but the file size double.

I could probably adjust Bluebeam and/or Microsoft Print to PDF settings, to reduce the file size. However, I would prefer to use built in plotter for several reasons.

How can I make the raster image in rotated viewport to print properly with DWG to PDF? 

Thank you.

[Mike_Hurtado]

I've seen something similar with rotated viewports causing issues with images HERE

What file format is your raster? 

[Anonymous]

The image is a tiff. 

The other two suggested solutions are not good for my needs.

After the original post, I tried several pdf plotters. All of them are able to print the image properly. Not the built in dgw to pdf though. 

Some of them keep the same pdf size as dgw to pdf plotter, while other provided pdfs at very consistent file size of 3.5 times the original.

One PDF plotter produced a file size only 10% of the original, with no visible loss of quality when displayed on the screen.

Mostly a dpi setting in the printer properties. 

My workaround was with a very old copy of Acrobat, but I would prefer not having to get specialized software on every workstation. 

[Mike_Hurtado]

What version/updates do you have for Civil 3D?

I found this which matches what you're seeing for PDF size but doesn't explain the washed out raster:

PDF file size increases in AutoCAD after installing 2017.1.1 update

[Shubz26]

Hi. I'm having this exact same problem. Anyone have any solutions or workarounds?

[jroot]

Same problem here, anyone figure this out yet?

[Shubz26]

Hi

I couldn't solve this, so I used a workaround:

I downloaded QGIS, 
imported the TIF files into QGIS, 
created a shapefile of my required trimming boundary using AutoCAD, 
imported that into QGIS, 
used QGIS to trim the TIF file to the size I require, 
exported the trimmed image to TIF and JPG formats,
imported the clipped TIF file into Civil 3D,
X-ref'd the JPG file into Civil 3D and pasted it exactly over the TIF image,
deleted the TIF image,
adjusted brightness and contrast of the JPG in AutoCAD,
and it was done.

What I found really puzzling was that the clipped GEOTIFF image from QGIS had the exact same issues. I tried using PNG, and again, same issues. The only one that worked was JPG, but I had to adjust brightness and contrast because the conversion made the image very dark. I did some reading up online and found that it actually isn't an AutoCAD problem. People using all kinds of software where images are involved (Photoshop, MS Word, etc) have this exact problem with specific images, and it seems like nobody has a solution.

[jroot]

I guess our workaround is this:

-If the image is not rotated, use the DWG to PDF plotter

-If the image is rotated, use the Adobe PDF plotter

[Anonymous]

Another workaround if you are using TIFF images, is to rotate the viewport back to 0, then rotate it back to the angle you wanted it.  For instance, if you rotated it using mvsetup, do that first to put it back to 0.  Then back out of the view port, turn on VPROTATEASSOC (1), and use ROTATE to manually rotate the viewport to the angle.  That helped me, anyway.  Must be a glitch, or just a problem with how AutoCAD uses TIFF files.  I like SID files, personally, but not every client provides rasters in that format.

[trynders]

Hi, I'm running C3D 2017 and 2018.  Have the same issue.  My aerial TIFF images look good in world coordinates but when changing the UCS (in the viewport) they turn dark and plot like a reverse negative in paper space.

My fix was to attach the image, change the brightness to about 80 (your choice), click on the image frame, right click and select "convert to" - "Grid Layer".  it will probably zoom extents.  select the image again and "send to back".

the only issue I'm having is when I close and re-open the drawing, the image is on top again and I need to "send to back"

Hope this works for you all.

[nick.seman]

I still encounter this issue in 2019 and 2021.  Anyone figure out why it happens?

Using a TIF file and it is washed out for any rotation other than multiples of 90.

Nick

[nick.seman]

Figured it out, at least for TIF files.

The TIF file I am using had an alpha channel in it.  Once it was removed (via Photoshop, however any image editing application would do the job)  it worked file in a dview>twisted viewport.

Nick

[e.fromont]

Hi. I know this is resurrecting the thread but, I've found a fix for this, you need to change the background transparency colour to a dark grey like 253 and it seems to fix the issue. The way I found this out was I dragged the faded out image into my sheet background and it looked better than on the white sheet.

[sstanley7GAX9]

Ive been searching for solution for 5 years and this worked. Thanks!

[awhiteQ38RQ]

I found the solution to this. Using open source image editing software called GIMP (basically free photoshop). I was able to open my .TIF ( its a Denver Regional Aerial Photography project tiles) and export that in .TIF format with JPEG compression. This fixed the image and now when i print the rotated image isnt washed out/inverted

[St_Hu]

Was the tiff file georeferenced and if so, was the converted jpg file also georeferenced?