Prepression

Batch Convert Camera Raw Files to Smart Objects

2010-05-03T05:38:00.000-07:00

Some photographers would like to have the ability to batch convert raw camera files into Photoshop Smart Object layer PSD files, without resorting to learning scripting.

Various users have attempted and failed to record a workable Photoshop Action for this task. Ideally this task would be performed via scripting, rather than using an Action, Batch and Adobe Bridge. There are some Adobe Bridge/Photoshop scripts available that may be of help for CS2 users (Russell Brown, Ben Willmore).

It is not impossible to create an Action for use with the Automate/Batch command - it just takes a little trial and error. There may be a simpler way to do this using actions and batching, however the following method is the first that worked correctly for me when I was researching this task.

Stage 1 - Create the Action

The action has three steps:

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1) File/Open as Smart Object (navigate to a raw camera file). One could also simply use a standard Open command, as the Smart Object option only appears to work from inside the Camera Raw Workflow Options. Once the file is open in Adobe Camera Raw, use the "Workflow Options" text link at the foot of the ACR interface to Open in Photoshop as Smart Objects.

Note: it may be best to disable cropping and other ACR options, only using basic settings as the action will record and apply these attributes to the various raw files batched using this action, the original individual image settings are ignored (after the Smart Object has been created, the ACR settings need to be re-adjusted). This is a major drawback to batching raw camera files to Smart Objects using batch actions.

2) File/Save the file as a Photoshop or other document format that supports Smart Object layers.

3) File/Close

[stop recording]

Stage 2 - Automate/Batch Command

The key options are to use the Override Action "Open" Commands and the Override Action "Save As" Commands options to override the file name recorded in the action open and save steps.

Stage 3 - Adobe Bridge CS4> Batch Renaming

After the Batch Action has run, select the output files using Adobe Bridge and then use the Tools/Batch Rename command to clean up the file names. One may elect to remove the text " as smart object-1" that is automatically appended to the original raw camera file name.

The following combined screen capture illustrates the key points from the Action and Automate/Batch commands.

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Free PDF Imposition (Offer expires August 31st 2009)

2009-07-15T04:02:00.000-07:00

There are a number of commercial products for imposing PDF files, such as PDF Snake; ARTS PDF Crackerjack; Quite Imposing; Imposal; Speedflow Impose; Callas PDF Toolbox and Absolutely Imposing. Features and prices vary, with the common price range of $340-899 USD for a single user licence.

Until August 31st 2009, Dynagram is running a promotion where they are giving away a FREE copy of their inpO2 Wizard software to owners of any other imposition software (click on the monthly promotion link on the home page and then jump through the hoops).

If you are in need of imposition software and your imposition requirements are not too challenging, then this promotion may just be what you are looking for. The inpO2 software offers many features and can create PDF files for saddle stitch, perfect bound, step and repeat, N-Up, and cut and stack impositions. There is no limit on the number of pages, page size, sheet size, or colors.

The inpO2 Wizard is the first of six software modules, Dynagram are obviously hoping to gain customers of the other five modules when they outgrow the workable yet limited assistant based approach.

View the screencast here:

http://www.dynagram.com/movies/?m=Dynagram-inpO2-Wizard_Module

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Scripting Adobe InDesign

2009-02-20T01:29:00.000-08:00

There are four Adobe InDesign scripts that I find indispensable. These scripts increase productivity and remove human error caused by tedious repetition. I would like to thank the script writers for freely sharing their code and the various sites for hosting the code.

Script #1: Raster Images to 100%

As a prepress operator, I have handled one or two layouts over the last two decades. In the past, it was more common for artists to build layouts with images at or close to final reproduction size (give or take say +/- 20%), with appropriate output sharpening applied for the image content and output/viewing conditions. Today, in my experience this is rarely the case, many layouts contain unsharpened images that have been scaled in the layout to either high or low extremes, rather than being sized and placed at the final 100% magnification.

A while back I read a blog post on scripting from Steve Nichols:

"I have seen some amazing uses of scripting including Shane Stanleys' AppleScript that would take all the Photoshop images in an InDesign document, crop, rotate (if necessary), resize, rename and replace, optimised for the layout. Brilliant!"

I have never been able to find that AppleScript from Shane, however after digging around the Adobe InDesign Exchange, I found another option in a cross platform JavaScript.

Images to 100% by Dmitriy Lapayev (Mac/Win):
www.adobe.com/cfusion/exchange/index.cfm?event=extensionDetail&extid=1509025

Resample Project Images to 100% by Dmitriy Lapayev (Mac/Win):
www.adobe.com/cfusion/exchange/index.cfm?event=extensionDetail&loc=en_us&extid=1612518

Thank you Dmitriy, great stuff! Now, all that service providers need is for their customers to run this script before submitting their files for output (I can dream). Although smaller file sizes are of benefit to the service provider, print customers also benefit from having their images optimised for the final print size. Image transforms such as large scaling factors and rotations may provide better quality when done in Photoshop, rather than relying on page layout transforms and an unknown RIP. Appropriate output sharpening can also be applied to the resized images, improving the appearance of the final output.

After running the script, one should open up the processed images in Photoshop to inspect their quality and perform sharpening as required. If the script's results are unsatisfactory with some images, one can copy/paste from the original layout to restore the transforms and links.

Script #2: Automated Multi-Page PDF Placement

PDF Multipage Import by Jimmy Shen (Mac/Win):
www.adobe.com/cfusion/exchange/index.cfm?event=extensionDetail&loc=en_us&extid=1046534

PDF Multipage Import OSX by Martin Sretr (Mac):
www.adobe.com/cfusion/exchange/index.cfm?event=extensionDetail&loc=en_us&extid=1046385

PDF Placer by Scott Zanelli (Mac/Win):
www.adobe.com/cfusion/exchange/index.cfm?event=extensionDetail&loc=en_us&extid=1379019

This is not about manually placing a multiple page PDF file into an InDesign file, which can be handled by later versions of InDesign in the Place dialog box - it is all about automatically placing the multiple PDF pages in a specific position on each InDesign page. Page after page after page. Before running the script, ensure that the InDesign file has the same amount of pages as the PDF pages being placed. I often run this script before creating simple impositions using the built in InDesign imposition feature.

Thank you Jimmy, Martin and Scott!

Script #3: Split Facing Pages

Separate Pages by "Harbs" (Mac/Win):
www.printisrael.com/indesign/scripts/freeware/SeparatePages.jsx

Thanks to "Harbs" from In-Tools.com and PrintIsrael.com for hosting the script.

Script #4: Relink Image Paths to Folder

AppleScript Code by Shane Stanley (Mac):
http://desktoppublishingforum.com/bb/archive/index.php?t-406.html

Shane Stanley wrote:

"Open your file, then run the script (paste into Script Editor window, save as script in Scripts folder in ID's Presets folder, run from ID's Scripts menu); it will ask you to choose the folder containg the pics. It will then search that folder and its subfolders looking for the pics, and update them where found."

Thanks Shane!

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Retaining Outlined Font Metadata in Adobe Illustrator via Scripting

2008-12-11T20:24:00.000-08:00

Keeping text live and editable in Adobe Illustrator is a worthy goal, however there are valid reasons why a person may wish to outline an editable font to vector paths. One problem with this practice is that the font information is lost, making it hard to know which exact font was used. This is not much of an issue for files created in-house, where a duped file or layer may be used to keep a back-up copy of the live text. However for supplied files, this can be a major problem - even more so when a client wishes you to match an uncommon font and all they have is an outlined version of the file.

Ideally, when one selects the Type/Create Outlines command, the font information would be tagged to the outlined text. It is possible to use the Notes section of the Attributes Window (palette) to manually enter the font family name after converting the live text to outlines, however these manual steps are far from ideal even for disciplined users with time to spare.

The good news is that with Scripting, this tedius manual process can be automated. Instead of selecting the text object and using the Create Outlines command, one simply runs the script on the selected text. By referencing the installed script in an Illustrator Action file, one can bind the script to an F-Key or mouse click in order to further facilitate the task, making this process just as - if not more convenient than using the default command.

AppleScript Code:
__________

tell application "Adobe Illustrator"
tell document 1
set storyText to text of story of selection
set fontName to name of text font of text of story of selection
tell selection
tell storyText
set propList to {fontName, return, size, return, leading, return, tracking, return}
end tell
set convertedText to convert to paths
set note of convertedText to propList as text
end tell
end tell
end tell

__________

My sincere thanks and appreciation to Rick Gordon for writing this AppleScript at my request. Simply copy and paste the above code into the AppleScript Script Editor.app application; compile and save in script format. Next place the resulting AppleScript script file in the Illustrator Scripts folder and relaunch Illustrator to access the script (File/Scripts).

Note: This solution is far from ideal and can fail with text styled with multiple fonts. The second screen capture image above only uses the propList fontName attribute, rather than multiple attributes such as point size, leading and tracking as shown in the complete script code.

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The typeface is similar, but different to...

2008-10-02T17:17:00.000-07:00

When creating new artwork for clients, I am often asked to match a font used in a previously printed job that was created by a different studio or printer. The client usually does not know what the particular typeface is and they may not have a PDF or a native file where the font name will be listed - all they have is a print sample or a file with text that has been outlined to paths. With over 6000 fonts in our collection, it can take some time to match a font.

A couple of good web resources for matching fonts include the Identifont and the MyFonts WhatTheFont websites.

Sometimes the required typeface is similar to another typeface, however it is slightly different. Often a single upper or lowercase character in two similar but different fonts may make or break the font selection choice - particularly so for logo and or headline type.

I may look at a typeface and think "it is similar, but different to typeface X". I have found that the unknown typeface selection process can be made more productive if I know other similar typefaces to the required typeface.

On this page I will list some common typeface families that I have been asked to match and the other comparable choices that I have found in our library that evoke a similar feeling. Check back from time to time as I will be updating this page as I find new fonts. Please feel free to add a comment if you know of another similar typeface to one listed here.

SERIF

Souvenir: Windsor, Cooper Black, Ozzie Black

SANS SERIF

Avant Garde (Gothic): Avenir, Cirkulus, Century Gothic, Kabel, Litera
Bauhaus: Blippo, Pump, Revue
Eurostile: Bank Gothic, Euroteknik, Handel Ghothic, Metrostyle, Microgramma, Morganna, Minima, Sui Generis
Gill Sans (Italic): Charlotte Sans, Ergo, Flora, Highlander, Legacy Sans, Lucida Sans, Myriad, Stone Sans
Lithos: Skia, Pompeia Inline, Rusticana, Kaffeesatz, Boulder, Lithograph, Gomorrah
Optima: Britannic, Castle, Imperial, Luna, Norma, Odense, Saga, Opus, Barmeno BQ, CG Omega, Zapf Humanist 601

SCRIPT

Zapf Chancery: Ariande, Arioso, Cataneo BT, Apple Chancery, Centaur, Exchequer Script, Le Griffe, Lucida Caligraphy, Medici Script, Monotype Corsiva, Poetica, Minion Italic Swash, Michaelmas, Adobe Garamond Italic Alternate

BLACKLETTER

Mariage: Linotext

Last Updated: June 1, 2010

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Apple Preview: Fast Transparent PDF Output

2008-07-17T06:29:00.000-07:00

I usually use the latest version of Acrobat Reader for printing PDF files, however the humble Preview application that leverages the underlying power of the Mac OS X graphics and print architecture unexpectedly came to my rescue today.

A client supplied a 200 page PDF file created direct from MS PowerPoint. Many pages contained transparency - where raster "3D embossed" text was rendered over the background image. MS PowerPoint did not flatten the PDF, therefore the transparency would require flattening before or during printing. As this was a digital print job, the RGB PDF did not present CMYK colour separation issues.

The printing/flattening process was unacceptably slow on MS Windows XP or Mac OS X Tiger using Adobe Acrobat (Reader or Pro). There is also the option to print as image (raster) rather than PostScript, which I was reserving as my last resort due to the speed and print quality issues associated with this option.

Before using Acrobat Pro's transparency flattener option, I launched Preview to see if printing would be faster than with Acrobat. I was amazed at how fast Preview processed the pages which contained transparency.

Test Results - G5 2 Ghz Dual PPC Processors, 2 Ghz RAM, Mac OS X Tiger:

Adobe Acrobat: 10 pages - 7 min. 20 sec. print time, 179 mb PostScript file
Apple Preview: 10 pages - 0 min. 11 sec. print time, 74 mb PostScript file

I will continue to use the latest version of Acrobat Reader as my default for PDF file output, in order to avoid possible feature compatibility issues (Preview can have issues with more complex transparency from Adobe products). That being said, I will now make a point to try Preview when the print flattening in Acrobat becomes a productivity issue.

Even though the .ps file from Preview printed significantly faster and is smaller in file size than the same pages printed from Acrobat, the quality of the final print was slightly better quality than with Acrobat and the colour was the same from both applications, which was not expected.

Preview and the underlying Mac OS X graphics and print architecture can be very fast when it comes to printing PDF files that contain transparency. If Adobe Acrobat becomes a productivity issue - Apple Preview may save the day.

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