[OS X TeX] converting to eps using /usr/local/bin/convert (slightly OT)

[Luis Sequeira]

For years, I have used the convert program from ImageMagick (as installed by mactex - I haven't installed ImageMagick by itself since the venerand i-installer became unsupported).
The most common use is to create eps versions of graphic files, to be included in LaTeX documents - such as powerdot presentations or other documents that also include pstricks code - processed using dvi+ghostscript.

 

It has been a while since I last did this. I have a nice little service created with Automator, so I went to do it calmly today and, to my surprise, I always got black eps's - it appeared that the white background of the original picture turns black in the eps, making everything invisible (the pictures involved are black drawings on a white background).

As I was writing this, with the intention of asking for help, I found a way to make it work, so I thought I'd share.

Here is (essentially) what I used to do (and now gets me a black eps): 

	/usr/local/bin/convert file.pdf eps2:file.eps

(omitting the eps2: prefix also gets a black eps)

Here is a version that works for me:

	/usr/local/bin/convert file.pdf eps3:file.eps

I don't know why, but I'm glad it works.

HTH

Luis Sequeira