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• • January 27, 2013 at 7:45 am #64015
    Bob Rubey

    Member

    One of the tasks I'm charged with is creating low- or medium-res FPO images for customers or customers' designers.
    Until recently the indicator of a low-res file was in its naming: filename_lr.eps or filename.e (the .e was a holdover from Scitex/APR days). This required a list of who-got-what, which was a pain.

    The worst scenario, due to client request, was no indication at all. Only the folder containing the images was named appropriately. Very scary, and indeed, they once printed a book cover with a low-res image. Fortunately it was caught at the printer and before binding had begun.

    The problem: We aren't always given the task of final assembly/PDF exports of various publications. In many cases we're just asked to supply high-res images so that the chosen printer can do the work. And we'd get complaints because the files wouldn't automatically update due to the file name differences.

    To alleviate some of these issues, I created some Photoshop actions that took a cue from the FPOs of Shutterstock, iStockphoto, and their ilk, just using our company logo and a big X. No need to adjust file names, auto update should work when swapping images.

    One would think that was a wonderful solution, and at least one customer liked it a lot. We've received push-back from some others, however. One of them, in fact, is the same customer who requested no change to the file names. The designers and production people always understand the reasoning, but to their customers or museum curators it's distracting.

    I began wishing Photoshop had a non-printing layer option or that there was an InDesign script that could turn the FPO layers on or off assuming a PSD workflow. In that manner a designer could do their proofing without the FPO elements. I also realized that that may defeat their purpose should a designer forget to turn the layers back on before passing the final document to the printer unless the same script disabled Save and Save As.

    Is there a solution in here somewhere? I suspect not. Under my circumstances, there are probably too many variables. Our customers are mostly U.S., but the printers they use are scattered worldwide.

    Fortunately, InDesign tends to be the constant.

    Any thoughts?

  • February 7, 2013 at 9:09 pm #64095
    Bob Rubey

    Member

    What, we have all these wonderful, intelligent, creative InDesignSecrets members and no ideas?

    Yeah, I wasn't coming up with anything either.

    Let's alter course and take a “something's better than nothing” approach and put aside any potential problems for now.

    So the next question is for the scripters (I'll link this post to the InDesign Add-ons forum): Is it even possible to create a script that executes a global search for PSD files within INDD files and then hides or shows layers (Object Layer Options…) with a unique and constant name?

    Thanks, Bob

  • February 7, 2013 at 9:28 pm #64097
    David Blatner

    Keymaster

    There are options for swapping one folder of images with another, but the names have to be the same.

    Teacup used to make a plug-in called Image Swapper which was also very helpful for some of this kind of thing https://teacupsoftware.com/prod…..apper.html

  • February 8, 2013 at 5:48 am #64101
    Bob Rubey

    Member

    Thanks David.

    I was aware of some InDesign's image swapping options (folder, file extension) as well as a few techniques using Bridge.

    But, I think you've jumped ahead to final document assembly while I'm back at my customers' design stages.

    I'd like to provide my customers' designers–who understand the reasoning behind a visual FPO indicator–an option to hide the FPO layers so that they might export/print design PDFs/proofs without the visual indicator for their customers who find such things distracting. When they pass along the document to whomever does the final assembly, they'd be able make the FPO layers show again.

    I'm aware that it's probably a big ask, but it'd be an on-screen visual indicator for any prepress tech and it would show on any hard copies for QC. And with a little luck there's also a preflight of the final print files as well.

    Bob

  • February 8, 2013 at 9:14 am #64103
    David Blatner

    Keymaster

    I do recall seeing something in the forums or blog a long time ago a script that would let you show/hide the same layer across all the images in a document, but I don't remember where, sorry.

  • February 10, 2013 at 7:54 pm #64114
    Bob Rubey

    Member

    Is the post you refer to? https://forums.adobe.com/thread…..7?tstart=0

    After reading it, I'm a bit unclear as to whether the visibility of PSDs with LayerComps can be scripted at all. My current FPO workflow doesn't actually use Photoshop's LayerComps feature, but once I began my quest for a solution, that possibility piqued my interest.

    I did install the tryout for DTP Tools Layer Comps plug-in, and it would do the job for some workflows, but for my purposes it has problems:

    1) The visibility options for each PSD would need to be set individually, i.e., no global find/change, and 2) I cannot force a customer to purchase a plug-in.

    I did try editing the InDesign's standard Select Objects script to find only PSDs. Unfortunately, my understanding of scripts is marginal at best, and I just used Find/Replace to substitute the PDF variables with PSD. I didn't get any errors, and PSD was listed in the search dialog, but it didn't select any files either. Even if it had worked, we're back to the problem of Object Layer Options not working with multiple selections. The need for “looping” through the images is mentioned in the forum post.

    Perhaps I'm tilting at windmills.

  • February 12, 2013 at 12:47 pm #64135
    Matt Mayerchak

    Participant

    Bob,

    This probably won't solve your problem, because it sounds like you have files that are being prepared for output by people who are not reliable at preflighting. Such a shame, because there are so many easy ways to preflight inside Indesign. So, I'm just thinking about ways you could try to “idiot proof” the files so that perhaps someone would notice that they have low-res images before making the final PDFs.

    I fight these battles all the time with trying to protect designers from their own refusal to learn anything about production. They want Indesign to just “know” what they want, & they refuse to work smart. For instance, they don't add bleeds while designing because it's too cumbersome to switch to preview mode to see the document trim; so they wait until the end and then realize there isn't enough image to bleed with.

    What if you made a new layer in Indesign with a live-caption tag showing the effective resolution of the image (or even FPO)? These would have to be turned off for the curators' proofs, so the problem still persists that if it can be turned off, it can be ignored. At least if it's a live caption layer, it will update when they replace the image. But then they need to know what a high-enough resolution is . . . so ultimately, I think the real solution here is for them to train their production people, or hire someone who knows what they're doing.

  • February 12, 2013 at 4:35 pm #64138
    Bob Rubey

    Member

    @mchak

    I understand your suggestions, but I never see most of the InDesign documents for which I'm creating FPOs. The designers could be in Chicago, New York, LA, or elsewhere. The production people could be U.S., Hong Kong, Italy, or elsewhere.

    So, even if I could come up with a script to pass along to the designers so that would they be able to use FPOs with visible markings yet print or export without them, I can't even guarantee that they would use it–although, ahem, not providing unmarked FPOs might be the little nudge needed. ;D

    re: Designers. I do have a degree in design and some background in same, but I've spent most of my professional life in the production trenches, so I feel your pain.

    Bob

  • February 14, 2013 at 9:43 pm #64164
    Bob Rubey

    Member

    Perhaps this isn't such a conundrum after all. Whether it's elegant or not is in the eye of the beholder. As I was trying to figure out how to edit a Jongware script–more about that shortly–I realized I had the cart before the horse.

    Instead of providing reluctant designers FPO images with FPO watermark layer visible, provide the FPOs with the watermark hiding and provide them with the tool to make it visible at the appropriate time. They can do their design work and create approval PDFs/proofs without the watermark visible. When it comes time to pass the job off to production, run a script to make the watermarks visible.

    Of course I'm relying on the designer to run the script, but that's as much as I can do.

    The script: After far too many Google searches, I finally hit upon the right combination of search words and located a Object Layers Options script on, of all places, the InDesignSecrets.com website. Imagine that. Mr. Blatner, clearly you're a busy gentleman with a lot on your plate or you would have remembered that Mr. de Jong wrote the script for you just a little over a year ago. https://creativepro.com/for…..-scripting

    I needed only to make the necessary fix noted in the thread and change two lines, one of which wasn't strictly necessary.

    The line that reads
    var layernames = [ “English”, “French”, “Dutch”, Russian ];
    I changed to
    var layernames = [ Watermark_ProFPO ];
    to accomodate my single, hidden layer name

    I also changed
    staticTexts.add ({staticLabel:”Check to show, uncheck to hide”});
    to
    staticTexts.add ({staticLabel:”Check to show, leave unchecked to hide”});
    but that's clearly a case of semantics

    So, now it's time to run it up the flagpole and see who salutes.

    David, mchak, thanks for the input.

    oops… forgot to thank someone for continuing to share their wonderful scripting abilities with so many. Thank you Theunis.

    And I hope I haven't used too many American idioms for the audience at large. ;D

    Bob

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