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How to create interactive pdf for Ipad using InDesign CS6

Guest
Dec 11, 2013 Dec 11, 2013

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Hi I created a Magazine layout using InDesign CS6 and wanted it to be viewed on native Ipad reader (but not as apps).  I put interactivity features like page navigations and hyperlinks and converted it to interactive pdf. The problem was the links and buttons are not showing on Ipad.

I tried using Acrobat Pro to create the hyperlinks and this time the navigations and hyperlinks are showing. But is there a way not to create the hyperlinks manually one by one (specially the next page and previous page). If I have more than 100 pages of documents this process will be very tedious.

Is there a solution to create the interactive pdf directly from InDesign without creating the links in Acrobat?

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Community Expert ,
Dec 12, 2013 Dec 12, 2013

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Moved to InDesign forum

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Community Expert ,
Dec 12, 2013 Dec 12, 2013

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Interactive PDF on tablets is still very much a crapshoot and very dependent on the reader app. We need more details in order to help.

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Community Expert ,
Dec 12, 2013 Dec 12, 2013

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Here are a couple of postings about the issues involved in creating interactive PDFs for the iPad that explains the complexity of the issue. It's just not as as easy as you would like:

Finding the Best Tablet PDF Reader | InDesignSecrets

Navigation Button Tricks for Interactive PDF on an iPad ...

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Guest
Dec 12, 2013 Dec 12, 2013

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Hi Guys

This is Sean Smith.  Marilou who wrote the original post works for me.  Bob if you could point us in the direction of details you need I’ll ensure we provide the additional information as soon as possible.

M tells me she pretty much doing exactly what Steve's article suggests.

The concern is what a remarkably cumbersome process this appears to be.

Even though I believe her explanation entirely I find the problem to be highly disconcerting as it’s wasting an immense amount of valuable time and inhibiting the production process significantly.

She is producing wonderful results but via an immensely painstaking process fraught with potential for error.  Each page link has to be manually linked to the next by number.  It’s entirely possible to make a mistake and link to the incorrect page thus missing pages.

If she inserts a new page – guess what? All the pages links have to changed manually and double checked yet again.

If she makes a ‘Contents’ section as we do and exports the InDesign file as an interactive PDF all the contents items and links are missing and are therefore blank.

She then has to export the document as a plain PDF and do the job again in Acrobat.

For an extravagantly wealthy company with such extraordinarily expensive software I find this to be entirely incredulous.

Who is the Product Manager for InDesign?

Are they aware of this issue?

What are they doing about it and when will it be done?

Just curious are you guys paid employees or volunteers as this appears to be an official forum and we are new here?

Digital publishing of PDF magazines appears to be an explosive growth market especially for platforms such as the iPad but this primary product for the task appears to be inadequate or ill-conceived.

Is DPS a possible solution or is this more for Apps than PDF production?

Regards

Sean

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Guide ,
Dec 12, 2013 Dec 12, 2013

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Problems with intercativity with tablets is not entirely InDesign-issue. Some mobile PDF readers (like iPad´s default reader) simply does not support almost any kind of interactivity. There´s  not much anyone else except Apple can do about that.

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Guest
Dec 15, 2013 Dec 15, 2013

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I think the fact that she's able to produce the required end result on standard ipad pdf reader by wasting immense amounts of time moving between two Adobe authoring products proves empirically that the issues are with Adobe.

Haven't we just clearly proven this?

I do understand that Apple are indeed a highly culpable part of the problem.  We need Adobe InDesign to produce nav links that work with Adobe's ipad pdf reader without the cumbersome, time wasting techniques.

Personally I think what Apple (and Steve) did to mobile Flash was disgraceful and I'm sure many of you agree but the technology and the market moves forward.

How can we get Adobe to acknowldege this issue and address it?

Who wants to produce Interactive PDF's for Apple iPad with InDesign? - vote here with your comments

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Community Expert ,
Dec 16, 2013 Dec 16, 2013

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dpm2013@ wrote:

[..]

How can we get Adobe to acknowldege this issue and address it?

Who wants to produce Interactive PDF's for Apple iPad with InDesign? - vote here with your comments

...

(insert sounds of crickets)

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Guide ,
Dec 16, 2013 Dec 16, 2013

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I´m little confused... are you talking about PDFs that will be read with iPad´s default PDF reader (provided by Apple) or Adobe Reader? Those are not the same, user has to download and install Adobe Reader from AppStore.

I think OP said "...wanted it to be viewed on native Ipad reader (but not as apps)."

Most of the interactive features are not working with Apple´s default PDF reader and I don´t see how any 3rd party softrare company could make them work... PDF is a standard, owned by ISO, and every feature in PDF is very precisely documented. When someone creates a reader application for reading PDF files, he creates or don´t create a support for those documented features.

Evidently Apple didn´t think it would be that important to include supoort for interactive features to reader of theirs...

But I definetly agree with you on those two opinions

a) Adobe should make their Adobe Reader for iPad to support even more interactive features

b) Right now very few people want to use PDF as a format for interactive publications

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Community Expert ,
Dec 16, 2013 Dec 16, 2013

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The best PDF reader on an iPad is PDF Expert from Readdle. It's not free ($US 9.99). But it does better than the free Adobe Reader at showing video, audio and buttons.

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New Here ,
May 09, 2014 May 09, 2014

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I have been using InDesign since its inception and trial. I was more recently using flash uniquely in web sites by determining the size of the screen of the user and directing them to the appropriate htm file and the accompanying swf.  I never realized that the Ipad could not read Flash files. I immediately started looking to PDF options for small screens. PDF interactive still poses a problem for the Ipad. I sure wish Adobe could find a way. New technology can cause as much frustration as it attracts new users.

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Community Beginner ,
Jul 30, 2015 Jul 30, 2015

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DPS is an option but it is unbelievably EXPENSIVE now that they took folio-builder out from InDesign. DPS used to be free for all creative cloud members but not any more.

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Guide ,
May 13, 2014 May 13, 2014

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Check out eDocker CREATE!

With it you can create HTML5 publication from InDesign. And it work on both computers and iPads.

http://www.edocker.com/edocker/edocker-create/

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New Here ,
Aug 19, 2014 Aug 19, 2014

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Any updates on whether Adobe Reader for iPad supports interactive pdfs?

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