What gets converted and what the badges mean
Scry Sync converts files to pictures on your computer. Your original files are never sent. Every file in the folder ends in exactly one of three states, and none is dropped silently.
| Verdict | What happened | What you see |
|---|---|---|
| Faithful | The picture is a true copy of the file. | Sent, no badge. |
| Approximate | Sent, but the picture may not look exactly like the file. | Sent with an approximate badge in Scry, and a card in the app that says why. |
| Not sent | Scry Sync cannot make a correct picture, or does not support the file. | Not sent. The row says why and how to fix it. |
Scry never shows an approximate picture as if it were exact: the badge stays on it until you fix the file and it is sent again.
What "approximate" means
The picture was made, but something in the file could not be reproduced exactly. The card in the app names the reason:
| Reason | What it means | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| No full preview (PSD, PSB) | Photoshop saved the file without a full flattened preview, so the picture may be blank or wrong. | In Photoshop, turn on Preferences → File Handling → Maximize PSD and PSB File Compatibility, then save the file again. |
| Fonts not embedded (PDF, AI) | Some fonts are not inside the file, so text was drawn with a stand-in font. | Export the PDF again with fonts embedded. |
| CMYK without a colour profile | Colours are close but not exact. | Export a PNG or JPEG into the folder for an exact picture. |
| 32-bit picture | Brightness was mapped to a normal range, so it can look different from Photoshop. | Export a PNG or JPEG into the folder for an exact picture. |
| Very large page | A page is over 200 inches wide or tall, so it was drawn small. | Export a PNG or JPEG into the folder for an exact picture. |
| Only the first pages | The file has more pages than the page limit; only the first pages were converted. | Export a PNG or JPEG into the folder for an exact picture. |
| More than one picture in the file | Only the first picture was used. | Export a PNG or JPEG into the folder for an exact picture. |
| Duotone | Shown in grey, without its ink colours. | Export a PNG or JPEG into the folder for an exact picture. |
Exporting a PNG or JPEG of the design into the folder always gives an exact picture.
What is not sent, and why
A file is not sent when it cannot be made into a correct picture, when Scry Sync does not support it, or when it cannot be read safely: a shortcut, a file outside the synced folder, a folder nested too deeply, an unusual file name, or a folder the app cannot open. Each reason has a fix, and the app shows it on the row.
| Reason | Why | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| InDesign file | InDesign files cannot be read outside InDesign. | Export a PDF or PNG into the folder. |
| Illustrator file without PDF compatibility | The file can only be read inside Illustrator. | Save it again with Create PDF Compatible File on, or export a PNG. |
| Could not be read | The file may be damaged, or not really the type its name says. | Open it in the app that made it and save it again. |
| Empty file | There is nothing in it. | Save it again from the app that made it. |
| Too large | The picture is over 16,384 px on a side or over 200 megapixels. | Export a smaller copy. |
| Colour mode not supported (Lab, Multichannel) | It cannot be converted faithfully. | In Photoshop, change Image → Mode to RGB Color and save again. |
| Preview compression not supported | The preview saved inside the file uses a compression Scry Sync cannot read. | Save the file again from Photoshop. |
| HEIC photo | HEIC photos aren't supported yet. This is the same on Mac and Windows. | Export it as a JPEG or PNG and put that in the folder. |
| Password-protected PDF | It cannot be opened. | Save a copy without a password into the folder. |
| No pages | The document has none. | Export it again with at least one page. |
| Cannot be made small enough | The converted picture would still be over 4 MB or 2048 px. | Export a simpler or smaller copy. |
| A shortcut or link | Links are never followed. | Put the file itself in the folder. |
| Outside the folder | The file resolves to a place outside the synced folder, so it is not read. | Put the file itself in the folder. |
| Nested too deeply | The folder is too deep to be read. | Move the files closer to the top of the synced folder. |
| Unusual file name | The name has a character, such as a backslash, that Scry Sync cannot use. | Rename it with plain letters and numbers. |
| Folder could not be opened | The pictures inside were not synced. | Allow the app to read the folder, or move the pictures somewhere it can open. |
| Changed while being read | The file was being saved. | It is read again at the next sync. Save once and leave it alone. |
| Other kinds of file | Not a type Scry Sync converts. | Export a PNG, JPEG or PDF into the folder. |
Fix the file, or put the export in the folder, and the next sync picks it up. You do not need to do anything in the app.
Turn on Maximize PSD and PSB File Compatibility
A Photoshop file only carries a full flattened picture if Photoshop was told to save one. Scry Sync reads that picture, so the setting matters:
- Mac: Photoshop → Settings → File Handling → Maximize PSD and PSB File Compatibility → Always
- Windows: Edit → Preferences → File Handling → Maximize PSD and PSB File Compatibility → Always
Then open each affected file and save it again. Files saved before you changed the setting stay approximate until you do.