Indesign Sizing With Photoshop

[Guest]

Hi,

I created a table in Indesign to export to Photoshop but for some reason when I import it the sizing is way off. Looking at the ruler in Indesign the object should have a height of around 2 inches but when it is in Photoshop it has a height of about 6 inches. Why?

Thank you,

JMSmash!

[Steve Werner]

Your best bet is to export as a PDF file. Then open the PDF in Photoshop and size to the size you want.

If you tried to use Export > JPEG or PNG, this will produce a better result.

[Guest]

I have been exporting in PDF. I have text in the table and it needs to be scalable otherwise when i resize in Photoshop all the text becomes unreadable. And now Indesign will no longer let me decrease the size of the table so it seems I have to start all over. I was using Indesign because its suppose to use vectors so I can go as big or small as I want.

I will try the PNG file format.

FYI I am using the CS3 suite.

Thank you!

[Laubender]

Hi,

I would suggest the following workflow:

1. Do your table in a new InDesign CS3 document.
2. Size the document so that the size of the text frame is holding the table is exactly the size of the page.

3. Export to PDF with PDF/X-4:2007 preset. Do no downsampling of any kind if the table contains any images.

4. Open the PDF as Smart Object in PhotoShop CS3.

There is a special File/Open dialog for this. Do not use the standard Open dialog of PhotoShop!

From my German PhotoShop CS3:

If you want to place the table in a different PhotoShop document, drag the layer that is showing the smart object label with your table to the other opened document. Use PhotoShop's Transformation tool to scale or rotate the table. That would allow you to scale the table in PhotoShop as you wish and at the resolution as you wish.

You can always change the resolution in PhotoShop from e.g. 72 ppi to 600 ppi and that would not affect the integrity of the vector information and the text in the smart object wrapper. The chosen resolution with PhotoShop will be important, if you like to render the smart object into actual pixels.

Here a screenshot from CS3 to show you the opened PDF as smart object in PhotoShop and a second PhotoShop document showing the table after dragging the layer. In the background InDesign CS3 with the original table:

That the color mode of the opened PDF as smart object is in RGB is not relevant.
I dragged the smart object to a CMYK PhotoShop document. No problem. No color conversion.

All the PDF's vector, text and color information is maintained until you will render the layer to pixels.

Then PhotoShop's color management will dictate what will happen.

Working with smart objects in PhotoShop CS3 (and above) is a non-destructive way of working with objects.

Regards,
Uwe

[Laubender]

Just another question:

What do you want to do with the PhotoShop document after you did your composing work?
Placing in InDesign?

Then do not place the psd file but save the document also to PDF/X-4 with no downsampling.
The table will be still vector information and the text will be remain as text ( or will be converted to outline vector shapes depending of any layer effects you applied ). Provided that you leave the layer with the smart object as smart object…

Regards,
Uwe

[Guest]

I want to use the file for print. Its a graphic resume with pictures that is 6"Wx10"H. Thank you for all the help.

[Willi Adelberger]

If you use a graphic for print, never rasterize type or vector. Don't go the Photoshop way. Use PDF as final format.

[Laubender]

Willi Adelberger wrote:

… Use PDF as final format.

Yes.
And also as an interim format.

@JMSmash!

I hope you know this:

You can not only export a page (your table) to PDF,
but you can also place a PDF (your table)
on an InDesign page and scale that placed PDF.

Without degrading quality.
There is no need to go to PhotoShop or Illustrator for scaling a table.

Regards,
Uwe

[Eternal Warrior]

All the answers here are good based on the InDesign to Photoshop requirement. But just to pick up on something you said:

JMSmash! schrieb:

I was using Indesign because its suppose to use vectors so I can go as big or small as I want.

If you are intending to print this or use this as a vector artwork then you would be better instead to either copy/paste or place in Illustrator from InDesign - and then convert the table cells to outlines - as this is a true vector based programme.

In fact for ultimate scale ability - Illustrator is far superior to Photoshop as it works on vector points rather than pixel placement.

However if you desire to use Photoshop and this is a requirement of your workflow then use Uwe's answer.

[Guest]

I am intending to print this document. The table is only part of the final project. It is a graphical resume with photos of myself. Once I finish placing the table would it be better to move the document into Illustrator or Indesign for printing even with pictures?

Thanks for all your help!

[Willi Adelberger]

JMSmash! schrieb:

I am intending to print this document. The table is only part of the final project. It is a graphical resume with photos of myself. Once I finish placing the table would it be better to move the document into Illustrator or Indesign for printing even with pictures?

Thanks for all your help!

No, don't do that.

Export from InDesign as PDF and print that. No Illustrator or Photoshop should be used for this purpose!