indesign for Web Design
KrunkPony (144 pencils) | Fri, 2009-06-05 22:39Hi,
I have to do design for really big websites and my current process is to make my web-comps in photoshop and get all that approved before it goes into actual build. This way of doing thing actually sucks when it comes to making global changes, plus photoshops text engine is not nearly as strong as IDs. Also I have to make a jpg of every file and then put all those jpgs into a pdf for client review--again ID has a built in solution to prevent this from being an extra step.
I would like to create a new workflow process for webcomps in ID that is solid enough to become standard for my whole team.
Any one have any tips or suggestions.
My main concern right now is that pixels aren't a measurement. Does anyone know a workaround on this?
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I've also used InDesign for the site mapping/comping process for a Web site. I found it much easier to manage.
However, now that Illustrator CS4 has multi-page support, you might consider using it instead.
There's really no workaround I know of for the "pixel vs inches" issue of ID.
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I second the use of multi-page support in Illustrator for Web site design. Absolute flexibility.
Not QUITE the text engine available in InDesign, but I've often felt that Illustrator asks "What would YOU like to do?" whereas InDesign offers "Here's what you CAN do."
Craig Michael Patrick
http://cmpatrick.com
Yeah the pixels vs. inches thing is rough. Do you know of an easy way to calculate the difference?
-T
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Good, fast, and cheap. Pick any Two.
The future is now.
Big Pony Blog
Design Portfolio
Fireworks is the best for such kind of things.
it's included in Design Premium CS4.
KNOPPIX.net
FROM ZERO TO LINUX IN 5 MINUTES
Use Indesign for the text, photoshop for the images. InDesign makes global changes and file/page export easy. Use both!
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Dirt and Rust
That might be the best bet. We do some huge copy heavy medical websites where the textual changes can go on for a month after design is solid.
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Good, fast, and cheap. Pick any Two.
The future is now.
Big Pony Blog
Design Portfolio
Just investigated this issue. Points & pixels are basically the same measure. Just change your InDesign measure system to points and use the same numbers you would for pixels.
no, not really. you can look at it that way, but it's not *really* the same measure.
yes, people save bitmaps for the web at 72dpi and there are 72 points in an inch. and yes, there is enough correlation for you to think that way.
but pixels and points are measures of two different things. and dpi/ppi are not always 72. it's a bit of a fallacy to say they're basically the same measure.
When I started out with web design I thought that they where close enough to interchange them, It really messed me up in the layout department. I suggest using photoshop for somethings and indesign for others. Try different methods for the best results, to me it comes right down to the job at hand. Good luck!
- Ron Sper
Do you create the full layout of these websites... page by page, word for word, before porting the designs to XHTML? That feels like an awful lot of extra work. (Please don't say you export to HTML.)
The joy with InDesign is its XML capability. That makes the content very flexible and then yes, you can export from Indesign and move straight to your site. XML is the way to go if you're creating heavy content sites - and then InDesign's your baby.
The Construct Agency
Building Creative Brands for People
I know it IS a lot of wok. But when you are working with healthcare this is the way it has to go. Everything has to be laid and ad approved before you go to any kind of html etc. Working with big companies isn't economical on the hours.
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Good, fast, and cheap. Pick any Two.
The future is now.
Big Pony Blog
Design Portfolio
Hello
Very Nice ques;-)
Just change your InDesign measure system to points and use the same numbers you would for pixels.It really messed me up in the layout department. I suggest using photoshop for somethings and indesign for others.
Thanks
This can be a very confusing discussion unless you go one step at a time...
A "point" is a fixed unit of measurement... One inch measures 72 points*
"Pixel" is short for "picture element" - meaning one small unit of many that together create a photo. It is NOT a fixed unit of measurement - a pixel can be any size you decide to make it in photoshop.
So a simple system would be to make your photos 72 pixels per inch since that is the fixed point size of one inch (and the generally accepted web standard for photos as well).
No - points and pixels are two different things. A point is a unit of measurement. A pixel is one piece of a photo that CAN be used for measurement. When your photo is set at 72 pixels per inch - they are the equivalent size and therefore equal. Where your theory falls flat is at the very end...
"Just change your InDesign measure system to points and use the same numbers you would for pixels"
The problem with that sentence is pixels are NOT a FIXED size. I can make them 1/72 of an inch (equal to one point) or 1/100th of an inch (NOT equal to a point) or 1/300 of an inch - whatever number I choose in Photoshop.
Just as a final follow up to this discussion (Thank you for all the comments) I just wanted to clarify this point in which some people got it right and others like me were confused.
POINTS ARE THE SAME MEASUREMENT AS PIXELS IN INDESIGN!
see it here 72 per inch:
This opens up the door to new ways of designing for the web in indesign. I am am excited!
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Good, fast, and cheap. Pick any Two.
The future is now.
Big Pony Blog
Design Portfolio
Cool time lapse video of magazine cover being created in indesign.
http://vimeo.com/8560749
Think BobbyB's comment rounds this whole debate off.