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tpstom-ggDek1
tpstom-ggDek1
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ID CS5 for designing websites?

Oct 14, 2010 6:39 AM

Hi there all you helpful people!

 

I have asked this question before - but it was a while ago and I wondered if things had changed for anyone.

 

Is anyone using IDCS5 for designing/prototyping websites?

 

I am a print and web designer and use ID for all my print work and FW for all my web work.

 

Increasingly I am getting more and more frustrated with FW - so many simple things that it does sooooooo badly compared to ID.

 

Now that IDCS5 has the ability to design in pixels there is the option to design websites in ID, however, it will not export to png format and I know that will make it hard for our coders to use.

 

Does anybody have any experiences of using it to design websites and if you do, what workflow do you use?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Tom

2015 Views   13 Replies   Latest reply: Rik Ramsay, Apr 2, 2012 1:51 PM
 
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  • Eugene Tyson
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    1. Eugene Tyson,
    Oct 14, 2010 6:59 AM   in reply to tpstom-ggDek1
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    It can't export to PNG -

     

    BUT it can export to PDF and you can save to PNG from there.

     

    Only if there was a way to export to a Layered PDF and then save a layered PNG would total awesomeness occur.

     

     

    InDeisgn is not the right tool for Web design or stuff.


     
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  • tpstom-ggDek1
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    2. tpstom-ggDek1,
    Oct 14, 2010 8:20 AM   in reply to Eugene Tyson
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    Thanks Eugene - not what I wanted to hear (read) but pretty much what I expected.

     

    Such a shame though - IDCS5 has the option to export to HTML but not to PNG. Damn it would make my life so much more enjoyable.

     

    I will try out the export to PDF then PNG though and see what happens.

     

    Cheers

     

    Tom

     
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  • Eugene Tyson
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    3. Eugene Tyson,
    Oct 14, 2010 8:24 AM   in reply to tpstom-ggDek1
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    Well others might have other ideas. I've heard of some people having successful workflows with designing websites or at least templates from InDesign.

     

    Whether they post here or not is another thing?

     
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  • Rob Day
    2,329 posts
    Oct 16, 2007
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    4. Rob Day,
    Oct 14, 2010 8:24 AM   in reply to Eugene Tyson
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    Only if there was a way to export to a Layered PDF and then save a layered PNG would total awesomeness occur.

     

     

     

    I use this AppleScript which exports an ID page to a matching layered Photoshop file. There's a PDF export preset, which is optimized for the export, and a readme included:

     

     

    http://www.zenodesign.com/scripts/PagestoPSLayers.zip

     
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  • Bob Levine
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    5. Bob Levine,
    Oct 14, 2010 8:25 AM   in reply to tpstom-ggDek1
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    Plain and simple. InDesign is a pagelayout tool.

     

    If you want to mock up a website, fine, but otherwise, Dreamweaver is the proper tool for creating web pages.

     

    Bob

     
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  • tpstom-ggDek1
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    6. tpstom-ggDek1,
    Oct 14, 2010 8:46 AM   in reply to Bob Levine
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    Bob - to clarify - I don't produce the websites, just design/prototype them.

     

    I get them to a stage where they look good and the content is right and then they go to a professional coder to be created.

     

    Cheers

     

    tom

     
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  • tpstom-ggDek1
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    7. tpstom-ggDek1,
    Oct 14, 2010 9:10 AM   in reply to Rob Day
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    Wow!!

     

    Rob - I am going to take a look at that. Thanks so much!

     

    Tom

     
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  • Bob Levine
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    8. Bob Levine,
    Oct 14, 2010 9:26 AM   in reply to tpstom-ggDek1
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    You won't be able to give a coder anything all that useful out of ID. Stick with Fireworks.

     

    Bob

     
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  • Bob Levine
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    9. Bob Levine,
    Oct 14, 2010 9:41 AM   in reply to tpstom-ggDek1
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    Even if you get a PNG it won't be the same as a Fireworks file with working links, drop downs, etc.

     

    I said it before and I'll say it again...use the right tool, Dreamweaver.

     

    Bob

     
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  • tpstom-ggDek1
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    10. tpstom-ggDek1,
    Oct 14, 2010 1:07 PM   in reply to Rob Day
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    Rob

     

    That script is pretty amazing.

     

    Do you know if there is a way to adapt it to CS5 layers?

     

    What I mean is that in CS5 every element is on its own layer just like an element is in PS or AI. If the script could be made to export each object onto its own layer in PS then it may just be the magical solution that I'm looking for.

     

    Cheers

     

    Tom

     

    Edit: In fact - even better would be to keep the layer groups too (for example I might have "Navigation" as a layer group with all the Nav buttons within it).

     
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  • wadedansby3
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    11. wadedansby3,
    Apr 2, 2012 11:20 AM   in reply to tpstom-ggDek1
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    Does this apple script still exist and work with CS5?

     
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  • Rob Day
    2,329 posts
    Oct 16, 2007
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    12. Rob Day,
    Apr 2, 2012 12:18 PM   in reply to wadedansby3
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    http://forums.adobe.com/message/4262108#4262108

     
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  • Rik Ramsay
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    13. Rik Ramsay,
    Apr 2, 2012 1:51 PM   in reply to tpstom-ggDek1
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    tpstom-ggDek1 wrote:

    Bob - to clarify - I don't produce the websites, just design/prototype them.

    I get them to a stage where they look good and the content is right and then they go to a professional coder to be created.

     

    In my experience, you will have great difficulty exporting everything your coder/developer requires from InDesign. Once designed, typically your developer will need individual images for each section and hex color codes - both of which are not easy to get from InDesign alone.

     

    I have used InDesign for 'Prototyping' a website but more for the functionality and to show several pages but the design was 100% done in Photoshop. Basically I exported a JPEG from PS of every page in the website that is different and then imported that into InD - one JPEG per page. I then overlayed buttons on top to show the menu working and when clicked, navigated to those pages via InD buttons "Go to Page" function. The buttons themselves can have a gradient overlay so it looks like they are being hovered over. It gave a rather simple example of how the website would finally function and was saved as a PDF so all reviewers could see it.

     

    InDesign was also used for the style guide which was then sent to the developer, which included all hex codes, text styles and dimensions.

     

    Hope this helps you.

     
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