Expert: Glen Demers - 5/1/2010

Question
Hi, I have been asked to do the layout for a 36 page catalog that has 100-150 pictures in it. The previous graphic designer basically did the picture layout in photoshop (10-15 pictures to a page), brought the page into InDesign and set the coordinating text over each item. I'm trying to see the advantages of doing this rather then bring each individual picture into InDesign were I can easily move pictures from here to there. Would it be file size? Better looking pictures? Thanks for any help you can send my way.

Answer
Hi Shelly,

The only reason I can think of for doing the entire page in Photoshop is if each page is a photo collage with pictures blending into each other. These effects may be difficult or impossible to reproduce in InDesign. By placing all images on one page in Photoshop the quality of each image is brought down to that of the lowest resolution image on the page and any white space on the page is now being seen as "image" by the rip and that could slow down processing.

The advantages to having all the pictures placed individually in InDesign are numerous as you can size, rotate and position them as the design dictates. InDesign offers so many tools for shaping images, adding transparency, drop shadows, glows etc as well as layer blending options that are the same as those in Photoshop, I can see no convincing reason to create pages in Photoshop.

For maximum flexibility your best bet is to use Photoshop to adjust your images but do all the layout in InDesign. You'll thank me later, especially if the client starts "tweaking" the pictures positions. Before going to print, please check out our instant pricing page for a competitive quote: http://www.bestprintingonline.com/catalogs.htm

Hope this helps,
Glen Demers
Prepress Technician, Best Printing Online
www.bestprintingonline.com

For more InDesign tips please visit our help pages here: http://www.bestprintingonline.com/indesign.htm