Replacing low rez images

[BobNP]

We are considering replacing Quark with InDesign at our weekly magazine. Besides a load of other issues, we have one extension in Quark that our prepress operators love and I can't find a replacement for it in ID. It was formerly a Scitex extension called Two-point, and what it did was allow you to replace a low rez image scanned by the art department with a low rez OPI image the prepress people made from the hi-rez they scanned. (There are workflow/deadline reasons why two scans are done).

In Quark, a dialog box would be launched and you would select two reference points on the old low rez, and then browse and select the OPI low rez and click on two reference points there. Hit replace and it would do an outstanding job, quick and easy. (It would give you tolerance settings to keep scaling and rotation within a certain limit).

We could use guide lines as reference points in ID, but it would slow down replacement of images considerably. Does anyone know of a solution to replace this extension?

Thanks in advance.

-Bob

 

[jimoblak]

Supposing that your low and high resolution images are scanned at the same physical dimensions (only the ppi vary), you can do this with a simple 'update links' option in the links palette.

Otherwise, I have not heard of a similar plugin. You might check with Scitex to see if they have an InDesign version in development.

- - picklefish - -
Why is everyone in this forum responding to me as picklefish?

 

[BobNP]

Thanks. The issue is that there is a low rez image scanned by the art department on a desktop scanner so they can do their layouts...meanwhile the prepress department makes a drum scan and create a low rez OPI file to replace the one done at the art department. So no matter how careful they scan, there is little chance the two low rez scans would match...hence the need for a replacement tool.

Scitex (or Creo) stop supporting this plug in about 4 or 5 years ago. In fact, it only works with Quark 4.1 or earlier right now which so happens is the version of Quark we are on (it's a long story...having to do with QPS and the sluggishness of corporate bureaucracy....)

Anyway, it seems like we are one of the very few who use it I guess. Thanks for the reply though. Does anyone know any programmers for InDesign plug-ins that we might contract to make this?

-Bob

 

[jmgalvin]

I'm not quite sure I understand your question, but if you want to replace one graphic with another, ID can do it sort of automatically. When you click on a graphic in ID and go to Place (Command D on OSX), ID replaces the current image with the new - retaining the size of the original. That seems to match the description of your Q4 plugin.

OPI info can be maintained or not, based on the dialog that appears in the Place dialogue with Shoe Import Options checked.

Again, I think that's wahat your question was, but I'm not sure.

 

[BobNP]

I guess I'm not explaining it right.

The art department scans a photograph at what ever size/orientation they deem necessary using a desktop scanner. They hand the prepress department a layout showing the image in the layout but also giving them the original photograph to rescan with a drum scanner. The prepress department uses the layout to scan the original image close to the scale and rotation desired, but it is never exactly the same scale or the same x,y coordinate (they scan full crop in case of revises) or the exact rotation, that a simple replacement of the one low rez for the drum scanned low rez could be achieved accurately.

The Two-point extension allows an operator to bring up a picture dialog box where the art department low rez can be toggled between the prepress department's OPI low rez. It has a tool where you can select two points on the art department low rez (say the corner of an eye and the tip of a finger) and do the same on the prepress low rez. Then it interpolates how to get those two registered points on the two different scans of the same image, to be exactly the same when replaced in the quark picture box.

Anyway, its a one-trick pony, but it does the trick very well. As we head more into digital photography, it will not be needed as much, but it is still needed for the forseeable future.

-Bob

 

[jmgalvin]

Simple solution. Hire a hit man. Any photog who submits prints gets whacked. The word will get out and you'll receive only digital pics - no longer needing the plugin.

See! That was easy.

 

[BobNP]

Ahhh if it was only that simple but I think accounting will question my Amex charges relating to the outside "contractors". I can see it now..."What's this charge for landfill disposals..."

 

[texasjoe]

Why not teach the art department how to use the drum scanner?

 

[BobNP]

Many reasons why it would be difficult but the most compelling reason is that it just takes longer to scan a hi rez on a drum scanner than a low rez on a desktop scanner. Our process is very deadline driven...minutes will count in the end. The other reason is there would be about 50% overscanning since the art department often has to scan many more photos than used in the magazine just for initial design purposes. This all adds up.

Hopefully everything will go digital some day.