How to Auto Flow Objects into the document

[Optimusdinkus2]

Hey guys I have a 300 page textbook that Im putting together, Im curious if there is a method in auto-flowing images into the textbook like you do text, same with the steps and procedures as well, instead of having to manually place each step with photo. Got the styles all set-up this is the last part really.

 

[eugenetyson]

Manual text flow -

Adds text one frame at a time. You must reload the text icon to continue flowing text.


Semi-autoflow by holding down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) when you click.


Works like manual text flow, except that the pointer becomes a loaded text icon each time the end of a frame is reached, until all text is flowed into your document.



Autoflow by Shift-clicking.

Adds pages and frames until all text is flowed into your document.



Fixed-page autoflow by holding down Shift+Alt (Windows) or Shift+Option (Mac OS) when you click.

Flows all text into the document without adding frames or pages. Any remaining text is overset.

http://livedocs.adobe.com/en_US/InD...Sa285fff53dea4f8617383751001ea8cb3f-6f91.html

 

[Optimusdinkus2]

I know thats for text, but how do I do it for images?

 

[eugenetyson]

Oh my bad.

Well let's see. InDesign can auto flow text because

a) the document is large
b) You can link text boxes

Images are more or less standalone. They aren't linked to anything else outside of it's own boundaries. Ther is no flow box in or out of a picture frame.

How would InDesign know which image was to go where? You cannot link image frames. In CS3 you can load your cursor with all the images you need by selecting all the images when placing. You can place them down one at a time, or you can Ctrl(Cmd)Shift click to place all the images, but they are stepped down and to the right of each other, no placement.

You still need to click in each approrpriate place, as InDesign won't know what image is for what image frame.

However, if you are really stuck, you can do an automation in photoshop.That is of course if all your images are going to be the same size and placed exactly the same place on each page. Sort of the way a contact sheet would work.

You would then of course have 300 pages to place images on, so it's still a lot of work.

The only way to do this with the text and the graphics together, where the images are inline.

If you have a document premade with all your images in with the text then you place that file in InDesign with InLine Graphics. Then you can use the links pallete/panel to update your images.

But somewhere along the line, someone, somewhere has to tell InDesign where the image is to go. Unfortunately, as of yet, I don't know of anyway to link Picture Frames so the content is automatically loaded. That would be awesome though.

 

[eugenetyson]

Stop the Presses...

Check this out

http://indesignsecrets.com/better-indesign-contact-sheets.php#comments

It utilises Bridges Contact Sheets, with the ability to place ID CS3 files inside ID CS3

Might work?