Hi all!
My planned workflow is this: create my layouts in Photoshop (CC/fully updated), move them over to InDesign into a template generated by the Blurb plugin that will assemble my book, then upload for printing.
I've only ever made one photo book with Blurb's InDesign template and then Blurb itself, and that book was created from the ground up in InDesign. I'm wondering if I lose anything in the translation from PS to InDy? Or is everything good to go?
Thanks for any tips!
I don't know about InDesign, I use Lightroom, the bookmodule here also works with Blurb, the book I made came out just as I wanted..
So I would think because they are both apps by Adobe working with Blurb.. they should give the same results...
A follow-up to my question...I had a layout I'd completed in Photoshop that I'd based off of a Project Life 12x12 template. Did not at ALL translate well to the Blurb template once I'd moved it over (positionally and size-wise, not quality-wise).
I feel very frustrated trying to get this to work with that to work with that, so I started building my layout all over again from InDesign directly on the Blurb template. Components that need a little extra love that InDy can't provide (such as detailed layer masks, adjustment layers, etc.) I will simply create separately in Photoshop, save as a separate file with a transparent background, and place into InDy.
Hope this junky "workflow" helps someone else in a similar situation, or if anyone has any ideas on how to streamline, I'm all ears!
When I use Blurb in LR, I have no problem with position or size... for my book I first choose the right book size (12x12) and then I choose the template '1 photo filling the whole page' for every page and just fill the book.
If your collection (you need to make a collection to use the bookmodule! here you can change the order of your photo's or layouts) is already in the right order, you can use autofill, and change the size of the book and template of the pages afterwards.
I did not have to adjust position or size.
I used finished layouts 12x12, saved as jpgs in PS and then imported into Lightroom Classic.
Zoe, if you have such a hard time making a book in In Design, why don't you try to make one in LR?
Since you have PSCC and InDesign, I suppose your subscription gives you access to all the apps by Adobe?
So you could DL Lightroom Classic and try the book module!
Zoe - i do everything in InDesign (i love it). then export the book to jpgs and place those individually
i'm not sure what your specific question is, but PS to ID to Blurb via jpgs is exactly what i do and it's as streamlined as you can get if you want the the benefits of InDesign. you can also upload a pdf to Blurb, but i've never tried that -- i suppose that would eliminate the need to place jpgs and would be more streamlined, but you'd have to make sure your pdf settings were exactly to their specs.
let me know if you have more specific questions. (i'm using ancient CS3 so i can only help with that version and prior)
You are right Patricia, I do have the subscription. I've never used Lightroom before, though. I was hoping to get away with diving into this whole hobby without having to learn it but I've got a Lynda subscription too, so maybe that's in order!
That said, I'm thinking my problem lies with the layout given to me by the Blurb template in InDy...it's just kinda different from a straight, no-frills 12x12 from a Project Life template or one I made on my own, I think. I have to account for gutter/asymmetrical margins, bleed, and trim sizes that don't seem to correlate, so I suspect it's not InDesign's fault but that you have to do your work a certain way to use the Blurb template.
I'll keep futzing around. I finished my InDy spread yesterday and am actually pretty happy with how it came out. It was extra work using PS as a complement rather than the main event, but the outcome is still more than workable.
I think uploading a JPG to whatever printing company you want to use will be easiest. I often have to dig around to find the "blank" template, but once you find it you can just upload your finished pages and set them as an image for the whole page.
Thanks Maude. May I ask if you're using the Blurb plugin for InDesign as well? It sounds like you do what I was thinking of doing, except I wasn't exporting to JPGs, but actually placing the PSD directly into InDy. Perhaps that was my issue. I didn't want to export to JPG and then place, because if I wind up changing the PS layout even slightly, now I have to export and update instead of having it update automatically.
I'll give that method a try though, thanks for the idea! It would certainly be nice if InDesign was only my "last stop" before publication!
Sigh. No dice on the JPG to InDy. The proportions were kinda off. I really think it's the fault of the template I was using now. I'll look into Blurb's info and see if I can't find EXACT dimensions, including bleed, suggested margins, and all of that to try again originating in PS. If I have to keep using my current workflow, though, it's not the end of the universe.
Zoe,
No, I'm not using the ID plug-in.
Don't know if this helps, but: I set my ID books to 12.25" sq and I add .5" to the gutter. So my finished jpgs are slightly too large (in the form of extra bleed/margins). Then when I place the finished jpg on the Blurb page (or sometimes I use Costco or Shutterfly) I let it hang off the page if it needs to -- this way, no matter which vendor i'm using I can fill their page. i know what you mean about proportions, but with a half-inch gutter, i'm usually good with my content being fairly proportional to the page size.
-- typically, just try and give your full bleeds ¼" extra and keep vital design elements (text or faces) ½" away from trim lines.
yes, if you change a page, it's a pain to re-export and replace.
you should check out the PDF option if you want to make ID your last stop. it would save a whole step.
let me know if you have more questions about size and dimensions, i'm not very good at explaining things, but i'll try to answer as specifically as possible
Thanks, Maude! Your suggestions line up with the info I was able to locate from Blurb! (Link here if it'll be useful to others...just put in your book's specifications and it will calculate what you need to do: http://www.blurb.com/pdf_to_book/booksize_calculator)
I'm very happy to have all of this information. I think it'll help me correctly take a Project Life or other pocket scrapping template I come across in PS and set it up accordingly, then I can make my layout and import to InDesign to use the Blurb plugin, which was the workflow I most wanted in the first place.
Your offer of further assistance is most appreciated Maude and I may very well take you up on that when I encounter my next brick wall.
If either of you need inDesign help, hit me up. I scrapbook in inDesign, and I teach it in a trade school to aspiring graphic designers. I know the program pretty well at this point, and I'm always happy to answer questions!