An inserted TIFF graphic image is the wrong color or displayed as a red "X" in Publisher (289119)



The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Publisher 2002

This article was previously published under Q289119

SYMPTOMS

When you insert a TIFF graphic into your publication, you may notice that the colors that are displayed for that image are the wrong hue, too light, too dark, or represented by a red "X".

When you print the TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) graphic, it is printed the same way that it is displayed.

CAUSE

Publisher 2002 is not capable of rendering any 16-bit/channel TIFF files (64-bit CMYK TIFF files or 48-bit RGB TIFF files). Publisher 2002 and Office XP currently do not support the insertion of 16-bit/channel TIFF files (64-bit CMYK TIFF files or 48-bit RGB TIFF files).

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, you can insert an 8-bit/channel TIFF image (32-bit CMYK TIFF or 24-bit RGB TIFF).

To insert the image into Publisher 2002 or Office XP, you must use a separate photo-editing program to convert the image from a 16-bit/channel (64-bit CMYK TIFF or 48-bit RGB TIFF) to an 8-bit/channel (32-bit CMYK TIFF or 24-bit RGB TIFF).

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

MORE INFORMATION

The visible changes in 16-bit/channel images that are inserted into Publisher 2002 or Office XP are based on the following properties of the graphic:
  • A 16-bit/channel RGB TIFF (48-bit RGB TIFF) graphic is displayed as a whitened or washed-out picture.
  • A 16-bit CMYK TIFF (64-bit CMYK TIFF) graphic displays colors that are too dark and are the wrong hues.
  • A 16-bit Grayscale TIFF (16-bit Grayscale) graphic is displayed as a red "X" in the corner of the frame with no picture.
The visual difference between a 16-bit TIFF graphic and an 8-bit TIFF graphic is not noticeable when the graphic is printed on an RGB printer.

REFERENCES

X-bit/channel determines the bit depth (also called pixel depth or color depth) for each channel property of the graphic.
  • Example 1: A CMYK graphic contains four separate channels (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black). If the graphic is formatted as an 8-bit/channel graphic, the graphic can also be identified as a 32-bit CMYK graphic.
  • Example 2: An RGB graphic contains three separate channels (Red, Green, and Blue). If the graphic is formatted as an 8-bit/channel graphic, the graphic can also be identified as a 24-bit RGB graphic.
Pixel depth or color depth measures how much color information is in the image to display or print pixels. Greater bit depth (more bits of information per pixel) means more available colors and more accurate color representation in the digital image.

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:10/29/2004
Keywords:kbtshoot kbprb kbgraphic kbColor kbdisplay KB289119