Well what do you know! 1

[Nohjekim]

As you have probably figured out I recently switched to PM7 from 6, which I have used for a long time, and before that 5.

Well today I was creating an outlined file in Photoshop with a clipping path and when I saved it I saved it as a tif file by mistake. I realized what I had done because I didn't get the dialog about 1 or 8 bit for the preview.

So I saved it again as an eps.

When I went to PM I placed the eps image into the background picture and then just for the heck of it I tried placing the tif.

What a surprise, the tif appeared looking perfect with a nice transparent background.

I suppose that everyone else already knows this but I was shocked since I'm sure you couldn't do this with PM6.

Mike

 

[Eggles]

I always save photoshop files with clipping paths as TIFs. Until my current job (3+months) I had never had access to a postscript printer, so if I wanted to print proofs, I had to use TIFs. Then just never got out of the habit, since they always worked fine.

 

[artdirectoreric]

I can't stand the lo-res image preview of an .eps file either. Another advantage to .tif files - in the Links Manager you can tell if something is in CMYK or RGB format, you can tell if there's something "extra" in the file with the + sign next to it (which is usually a channel you forgot to delete.) I'm all about .tifs. Love 'em. I try to never use an .eps file if I can get away with.

 

[Eggles]

I must admit, I don't understand when you would use EPS except for duotones from Photoshop. I can place AIs straight into PM if I have a vector format, and surely that is the only other time you would use EPS? What is the point of using EPS versions of Photoshop files (which I know a number of people do) since they are raster format?

 

[jimoblak]

Using EPS files for raster images is taught to production folk so they don't have to think (just like they are told everything must be 300 dpi).

The only time EPS files are essential is when you want to package a specific ink color (like duotones) in the image. It is much easier and efficient to use TIFF with LZW compression on any other raster images.

...And if you use InDesign or Quark (with the $100 PSD import XTension), you can forget about clipping paths and enjoy Photoshop layers and transparency in PSD files.

 

[Nohjekim]

I'm pretty sure that until recently only EPS files could include clipping paths that would Work in PageMaker.

I remember trying to make Tiff files and you could never get a transparent background.

I just didn't know when it became an option.

I suppose that if I ever read the instructions that come with the upgrades I might have figured it out sooner.

I started out with PageMaker when it was still Aldus.

Mike

 

[Eggles]

jimoblak

You said: "...easier and efficient to use TIFF with LZW compression..."

Why would you use any sort of compression?

Nohjekim

I only started using PM in V6.5 (so I am a relative newbie) and now use V7 at work. I really don't know if PM will accept TIFs with clipping paths in V6.5 as I haven't tried. I only very recently did it for the first time (place a TIF with a clipping path over another image in PM and was blown away by the fact that it worked!!) and that was in V7.

 

[viol8ion]

PM6.5 accepts TIF's with clipping paths (and even JPG with a clipping path, but WHY?) and also EPS with paths.

If you are using a vector image, then by all means use EPS or you will end up with bloated files using TIF or with lower quality on the press end. If the image is raster,(and EPS can contain raster info) then go with TIF.

PM7 has allowed the inclusion of AI files as well as PSD.. IMO one should stick with flattened TIF or EPS with anything packaged to go to press unless you have special reasons or your prepress people have special requirements. When in doubt, deny all terms and defnitions.

http://www.wuli.com

 

[Eggles]

I discovered by accident today that you can now place native photoshop files in Pagemaker. Not sure what advantage this is - no doubt there will come a time when I do.

viol8ion - any comment on using the LZW compression when saving TIFs? And let me show my ignorance yet again... what is LZW compression?

 

[viol8ion]

I try not to use compression on graphics since CD-R's are so cheap these days, there is rarely any need. However LZW compression can reduce a 50M file down to 5M or smaller as it takes entire sequences of bits of information and replaces it with a code, and does a fairly decent job of not losing too much information in the compress/decompress process. If you have to email a large graphic file, then use it... otherwise don't. CD-Rs are too cheap and easy to use to worry about messing up a good graphic. When in doubt, deny all terms and defnitions.

http://www.wuli.com

 

[viol8ion]

>>what is LZW compression? <<

Here is a good site that describes it in fairly generic layman's terms.

http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci214337,00.html

When in doubt, deny all terms and defnitions.

http://www.wuli.com

 

[jimoblak]

Let me jump back in...

viol8ion is wise but off a bit...

LZW compression is lossless, meaning there is absolutely no detriment to your image. You cannot mess up your graphic with LZW compression.

Some other lossless compressions are: RLE, CCITT, and ZIP

Yes, CDs are cheap but who wants to fumble through a handful of CDs to find some images when you can smack more on a single disk with LZW compression? I am working on a 300-page catalog that would take up several CDs if I had not used LZW compression.

Even PageMaker uses LZW compression with its images. Check out your PageMaker and PhotoShop manuals for more info on LZW compression. It can be a life-saver.

 

[Eggles]

Point taken jimoblak.

However, I guess if you are dealing with a limited number of images within a project, then any sort of compression for storage purposes are not really necessary.

 

[artdirectoreric]

I imagine that using LZW compression CAN cause a longer RIP time for the imagesetter, but is it a significant amount? I use LZW by default, since I'd rather use one CD-R for submitting a publication than many.

I've seen that many service bureaus request that LZW should never, ever be used. However, I'm sure this is due to the OLD way of thinking. Surely imagesetters have increased in speed and this is no longer an issue.

Right?

 

[jimoblak]

Yes, I started out with an imagesetter with a 20 Mb hard drive buffer - - sending files from a MacIIcx with a 40 Mb HD. Asking such a computer to compress/decompress a file would be silly. Any computer/imagesetter made in the past 5 years should not even blink at a LZW compression / decompression task.

 

[viol8ion]

jimoblak

Thanx, I didn't know it was lossless, but I should have. And, yesterday I ran into a case where I needed to use it, I had 8 graphics files that were all 80M or larger and needed to fit them onto one CD.. guess what I used? When in doubt, deny all terms and defnitions.

http://www.wuli.com