Copying image using acroread from pdf file
 

Hi,

I've been searching the LQ archive for it, but didn't find the answer. The closest on is titled "How to copy a selected content from a .PDF file" posted in this forum. Sorry I can't post the directy url because:

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Anyway, here is my question:

I know how to copy images in the acroread, but I need to know what
tools that will accept the image content copied from the acroread.

From acroread' manual:

,-----
| To copy an image or text in image format using the Snapshot tool:
| Select the Snapshot tool , and do one of the following:
|
| Click in the page to capture the content displayed on-screen.
| Drag a box around the text, images, or a combination of both.
| Drag a box within an image to copy just a portion of the image.
|
| Colors in the selected area are inverted momentarily to highlight
| the selection. You can open a file in another application and
| paste the copied selection directly into the target document.
`-----

The problem is that I'm yet to find this "another application" that will
accept the image content copied from the acroread.

My first guess is gimp, but it won't work. All that I got is the following
in the log (no images shown):

- - - - >8 - - - -
offered type: TIMESTAMP
offered type: TARGETS
offered type: MULTIPLE
offered type: UTF8_STRING
offered type: STRING
offered type: TEXT
offered type: COMPOUND_TEXT
offered type: text/rtf
offered type: PIXMAP

checking pixbuf format 'png'
- checking mime type 'image/png'
checking pixbuf format 'wbmp'
- checking mime type 'image/vnd.wap.wbmp'
checking pixbuf format 'wmf'
- checking mime type 'image/x-wmf'
checking pixbuf format 'ani'
- checking mime type 'application/x-navi-animation'
checking pixbuf format 'bmp'
- checking mime type 'image/bmp'
- checking mime type 'image/x-bmp'
- checking mime type 'image/x-MS-bmp'
checking pixbuf format 'ico'
- checking mime type 'image/x-icon'
checking pixbuf format 'pcx'
- checking mime type 'image/x-pcx'
checking pixbuf format 'pnm'
- checking mime type 'image/x-portable-anymap'
- checking mime type 'image/x-portable-bitmap'
- checking mime type 'image/x-portable-graymap'
- checking mime type 'image/x-portable-pixmap'
checking pixbuf format 'ras'
- checking mime type 'image/x-cmu-raster'
- checking mime type 'image/x-sun-raster'
checking pixbuf format 'tga'
- checking mime type 'image/x-tga'
checking pixbuf format 'xbm'
- checking mime type 'image/x-xbitmap'
checking pixbuf format 'tiff'
- checking mime type 'image/tiff'
checking pixbuf format 'xpm'
- checking mime type 'image/x-xpixmap'
checking pixbuf format 'svg'
- checking mime type 'image/svg'
- checking mime type 'image/svg+xml'
checking pixbuf format 'gif'
- checking mime type 'image/gif'
checking pixbuf format 'jpeg'
- checking mime type 'image/jpeg'
- - - - >8 - - - -

Please help.

thanks a lot

taking a snapshot should definitely work....

if you are using kde theres a program called ksnapshot and it makes a .png file of your current screen.

save this file anywhere you would like. now open up the gimp or any other picture editor, crop it and save it as any file format you want.

i cant imagine that not working, i have done it before....

Sure it works, but...

Screenshots are not quite the same, however, because they are limited by the screen size and resolution. I.e., if you copy graphics from Acrobat Reader the bitmap will only be in the resolution you are viewing it. Whereas an image-capture tool in the PDF viewer can use a higher resolution and color depth.

How about trying the Gimp? I know that most openoffice.org programs will allow you to paste copied sections of acroread documents. Kword probably does as well, and I'd bet the Gimp would do it too. Unless I'm missing your question, I think you can paste it into these programs.

text or image?

still bet even after I've said it won't work?

Didn't find anyting in the "Adobe User to User Forums"

http://www.adobeforums.com/cgi-bin/webx?126@@

either will work

My apologies, I didn't see that in your original post, but I see it now.

Well I was curious so I tried it for myself. I was able to copy images from a pdf in acroread into the following programs:
Kword
OpenOffice.org 2.0 (Writer and Impress)
And, yes, The Gimp does work for me. Not sure why it doesn't work for you.

Thanks for trying. Glad that it works for you. Hmm... now wondering why it doesn't work for me.

My system is:

Debian Stable.

$ uname -rm
2.6.11-1-k7 i686

ii acroread_7.0.1-0.0
ii gimp_2.2.6-1
ii xfree86-common_6.8.2.dfsg.1-6
ii xserver-xfree86_4.3.0.dfsg.1-14sarge1

doing further testing...

Maybe because of the pdf files that I tried? Did you try some file that is availble from the web? The url? ... Thanks a lot.

It is better to get the original images out
 

There is a much better route than copying stuff with acroread.

For bitmap images, use pdfimages. Often available in your distribution. It will extract all bitmaps (you may have to search a little for which bitmap you wanted) in the original resolution.

For vector images (illustrator, inkscape output, etc) use pstoedit. pstoedit has some quirks, so you might have to correct its output. For example to get an svg file that you can edit with inkscape:

pstoedit -page <page number> -f "plot-svg" document.pdf figure.svg

The resulting file will slightly confuse inkscape. My tactic to resolve that is to copy the part you want to use, and past that into a new inkscape document.