GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 781604
Please make GIMP by default set original resolution for scanned PDF when import/export it
Last modified: 2018-05-24 17:45:21 UTC
Hi. I noticed that when I import a scanned PDF (or any PDF with image(s) ), then resolution of image(s) will not set to their original default in "import dialog" BY DEFAULT, so that some time if I did not change this resolution then the resulted output PDF will be of bad quality, & I need to many trails & errors before cache original resolution ! My suggestion is that: make GIMP has "resolution: automatic" option & BE LOADED BY DEFAULT when user import a scanned PDF (or PDF containing image(s) ), so that each (please notice EACH) image will loaded by it's original dpi (image of 300 dpi will remain 300 dpi, image with 600 dpi will remain 600 dpi, ...... ). User should be allow either to maintain this default choice (so will be applicable on export) or change it to custom value if she/he like for change. This will be great helpful feature.
By the way, which is better for manipulation of scanned PDF: "open pages as layers" or "open pages as images" ?
Inkscape is better for manipulating PDF files.
@Andre Klapper Thank you very much for marking this bug as "enhancement", though most my other bugs that marked as "enhancement" did not find any one work on them till now ! However, marking them as "enhancement" give them a hope .... . @Michael Natterer: There is 2 factors make GIMP better than Inkscape in manipulation PDF: 1) major issue: GIMP able to import ALL pages of a multi-page PDF. Then user can edit as much page as she/he like, then export changes into single multi-pages PDF. There is - at present a bug interfere with this but it is a bug that will finally fixed if not in 2.10 then it will be fixed in version 3 or 3.2 ...... but it will fixed finally. Inkscape can not manipulate more than a page ! This mean that user need to import pages that like to edit page after pages, then export them individually. And what after that ? User need to use a 3rd application to delete old pages & replace them by new pages ! This is a pain ! 2) minor issue: GIMP has eraser that user can change it's shape & size ! Inkscape has not. To delete a text by Inkscape user need to draw a rectangle (white in color) over it. There is many great Windows programs, reduction function of PDF-XChange editor plus, do same for deletion as Inkscape. It is individual preference, some like eraser other accept white rectangle. So, it is minor issue, but point (1) is a major limitation in Inkscape. Best.
By the way, you did not answer my question: which is better to import scanned PDF by GIMP: "open pages as layers" or "open pages as images" ?
I would guess it's "open pages as layers", because then you don't have to deal with multiple images as you re-export. But I haven't tried PDF export in a long time myself.
GIMP uses poppler to read PDF files. I don't see anything about resolution in the poppler API, but maybe I'm missing something.
As I saw there are progression in PDF support in version 2.9.6 Please do not forget this bug. Moreover, I would like to mention that there are many PDF contained pages at different resolutions. For example, a PDF of 150 pages, 10 of them scanned at 600 dpi while other 140 are of 300 dpi. Best & thank you for your very hard efforts !
This is going towards a decision whether GIMP should render the PDF pages, or behave like the pdfimages tool and extract image instead, I guess. It could probably offer both.
-- GitLab Migration Automatic Message -- This bug has been migrated to GNOME's GitLab instance and has been closed from further activity. You can subscribe and participate further through the new bug through this link to our GitLab instance: https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gimp/issues/1090.