InDesign and Embedding Images

Submitted by DoghouseMedia on Fri, 2007-07-06 12:41.

Member's Forum

I work for a landscape architect firm that only uses Windows.
Our IT guy and other managers also are always changing the filing system.
Documents created in InDesign, etc., that my department uses over and over again are constantly losing its links.
The IT guy told us to embed the images so they won't lose quality and they won't lose their links. But I've noticed that embedding doesn't necessarily preserve an image's quality. I've noticed several embedded images that had pixelated over time (but this could be because they insist on using jpegs).
I've worked for a variety of places and the information I've received on embedding images has run the gamut - from "You won't lost quality. Embed is GOOD" to "Never, NEVER embed images. It messes with the system."
Can anyone tell me the pros and cons to embedding images? Because I'm not getting a straight answer.

Several months ago I did

Submitted by stephanie on Fri, 2007-07-06 17:29.

Several months ago I did some work with a rather large company who only worked with InDesign for their layouts. I worked with thousands of stock photos and company logos, and they told me to link -everything-. One of the reasons I left is because I was spending half my time re-linking images that people had linked 6 months prior before server changes.

My point is, if you have a changing file system, links don't work very well in my experience. If you change the name of a folder or server, all of your links break and you're going to have to relink. I've not found a way around this.

Embedding, however; makes a drastic file size difference. If your company is low on file storage space, it's not a good idea. I'm honestly not sure about quality, I haven't found any difference, but I'm not an InDesign expert, either.

I hope that helps. From what I know, there isn't a "better" solution, it is just what fits best with your filing system and company tendencies.

------------
Perfectly Lost Designs

PACKAGE IT!

Submitted by Triple One on Fri, 2007-07-06 18:22.

I work in a small commercial print shop, and links occasionally disappear, get modified for one job and not another, etc.

to solve it, without embedding everything (to me, embedded images eventually lead to a nightmare somewhere along the line) I package every file i send to print, without the fonts of course, so that all links are always with my file and always update automatically from where ever i open it.

Package?

Submitted by stephanie on Fri, 2007-07-06 19:47.

I'm assuming by packaging you mean put into zip-like files? Keeping all the images and fonts in each package will lead to big file sizes as well. Maybe I'm misunderstanding your post. . .

------------
Perfectly Lost Designs

there is a command under the

Submitted by Triple One on Fri, 2007-07-06 22:25.

there is a command under the file menu, that grabs everything in the indesign file (with an option to include fonts or not, etc) and creates a folder with a text file and your links, keeping the indesign file's size down, and updates links automatically everytime it is opened. im thinking that would be a reasonable solution if files are getting lost from being moved around if they being stored seperately on a server for example.

Embedding is a bad idea

Submitted by JimD on Fri, 2007-07-06 23:06.

Embedding is great when you're sending a file off to print, but for archival purposes, and when you're going to re-use the files it's a bad idea.

Tell your idiot coworkers to create a main artwork folder and subset it with a "photo" folder and a "logo" folder. Then drop the files in there and leave them the hell alone - don't delete, don't rename, don't move anything in those folders.

Sheesh. This ain't rocket science. Typical Windows IT department... always fucking with things for no reason as a "solution" to all problems.

-----------
Visit Creative Guy for graphics and Mac OS tips, tricks, tutorials and commentary

IT Department

Submitted by ireid on Sat, 2007-07-07 12:25.

Listen to this: We don't have a 'dedicated' IT manager so our Puerto Rico Office sends down IT persons every quarter to do 'maintenance' while this in no way affects the Macs (they won't touch them with a ten foot pole) when it comes to our back ups it was a REAL pain. One IT manager set up for us a SNAP appliance worth 350 gb so that we could share and store files through the network (they still seem to think that Macs can and will never be able to talk to PC's and I have given up that fight trying to convince them otherwise)

When the NEW IT people came we suddenly LOST all our temporary back ups. . . why? they moved EVERYTHING off the SNAP appliance and then put it onto a Win server but did not TELL anyone. There were three partitions on that SNAP appliance and they ONLY transferred ONE (the one that the whole office sees, not the one the Creative Department used to use). . . so where are all our back ups? stuck in a metal box that they chucked in a corner after telling us MONTHS later that 'The SNAP appliance isn't approved hardware and was removed. . .blah blah blah. . . ' So now when we tried to hook back up the SNAP appliance NO ONE knows how to do this btw, we can't get into it, probably because they erased all the data after taking it off. . .

MORONS!

"Try not, Do! or do not, there is no try."
-Yoda

Thank you.

Submitted by DoghouseMedia on Sat, 2007-07-07 05:30.

My sentiments exactly: Just leave the files alone.
However, it ain't gonna happen.
It's annoying.

I am unsure of the problem.

Submitted by pokie on Sun, 2007-07-08 18:21.

I am unsure of the problem. I never use the original photo for anything I work with. I make a folder, "jenn's super cool brochure". Inside that folder my indesign document and another folder called "photos" or another catchy name... as well as "fonts" with (guess what?) all my fonts in it. Thus, I can edit this photo, keep with my documents, etc and never have a problem.

I don't understand why you're not saving your photos with your indesign file?

Embedding Revisited

Submitted by DoghouseMedia on Mon, 2007-07-09 12:02.

We don't use the original photos (jpegs-ugh!).
We copy and paste them in folders, such as "Project Images," "Project Sheet Images," etc. Then, I pull them into specific InDesign documents - mainly project sheets and marketing sheets for which there are hundreds.
Unfortunately, our Windows IT guy either renames the folders all of the images are in or moves them, usually without telling anyone.
I would LOVE to keep all of the images together with the InDesign documents or, rather, keep them anywhere and just leave them alone.
But it's not up to me.

The fact your images are

Submitted by natobasso on Wed, 2007-07-11 21:40.

The fact your images are jpgs, not that they are embedded, is the reason they lose image quality. Collect your ID files and have them dedicate an area for these files so you don't have to go hunting for them every time you need them.

You could keep all your image files in one folder on your desktop station and whenever you open an ID file you can relink to that folder. ID is pretty good about re-linking once it knows all files it needs are in one place.
----
Powerpoint is not a design application.

indesign is a pain!

Submitted by leedee on Thu, 2007-07-12 12:37.

Hiya indesign is a pain isn't it!! After i've finished putting all my pictures in i always go to file, package (don't need to fill in the form unless it's going off to a printer) and choose a place to put it all... if i ever make a pdf i stick it in the same folder.. then LOCK that folder ahha!! that would stuff them up...
about your pixelated images try right clicking on the image and going to 'display performance', then 'high quality' it will lose the crap look but it will also make your performance slower.. unless your images are low resolution and over stretched... never increase the size of a raster image in indesign- but you knew that. As for embedding - if you ever need that image for anything else it's hard to get the original back.. and as mentioned already, makes your final file massive..