FrameMaker (10) basics - Help me

[ArunDash]

I am beginning to work with (unstructured) FrameMaker 10 and struggling a bit with no expert help around. Hence, I have a few queries:

• Which is the best format to be used for images: gif, png or jpeg?
• Since I am working on a template designed for Japanese target group, the title of the guides and in some other parts the text used is Japanese. At my end, it should be English-English, unlike Japanese-English for them. Any tip that would help me managing the selection of fonts would be helpful.
• Is there a way to auto-caption the images in individual chapters? Or any useful tip that would help me to manage numbering of images?
• Do we have something similar to 'Navigation Pane' (View > Navigation Pane) in MS Word, whereby I can switch to different headings? How do I enable that?
• If there are any other important things to consider for beginners while working on FrameMaker, please share.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

I’d invest in a copy of the FM bible – Publishing Fundamentals by Matt Sullivan

[ArunDash]

Thanks, Jeff for the book suggestion.

[Mike Wickham]

The best format for graphics depends on the type of graphic and the

output destination. If your final destination is a file that will be

stored on your computer or on the Web for viewing on screen, any of

those will work, but there are certain advantages to each.

• GIF files are limited to 256 colors. So screenshots and drawings

should look great, but photographs will not show the full range of

colors and have a bit less punch.

• JPGs handle 16 million colors and are meant for photographs. The

compression scheme does not work well with screenshots and drawings,

though. The result is often weird, white-noiselike artifacts around text

and lines. So use JPG for photos only.

*PNG: Combines the best features of GIF and JPG.

If your output is for printing press, then you need to consider the

ability to handle CMYK graphics. FrameMaker passes GIF, JPG, and PNG

graphics through the Windows GDI, which converts them to RGB and that's

no good for printing press. However, if you use EPS or PDF graphics,

FrameMaker passes them around the Windows GDI unchanged, and they stay

CMYK. (Be sure to include the 8-bit preview when you create your EPS

graphics or you will see in FrameMaker, I think, a gray box instead of

the image. It still prints fine.) Note also that the EPS preview image

shown in FrameMaker is a low-res image and not the full-resolution image

that prints. So it's kind of ugly on screen, but loads much faster. PDFs

both show and print in FM as full-resolution. EPS and PDF graphics also

have the advantage that they can hold both vector (such as screenshots

and drawings) and bitmap graphics (photos). So one format works for all

graphics.

Later versions of FrameMaker have some ability to convert RGB images to

CMYK, but this feature is still widely reported as buggy, so I always

use EPS or PDF for output destined for printing press.

Message #4 in the following thread describes the way I set up

graphics/captions/autonumbering:

https://forums.adobe.com/message/3020618#3020618

[ArunDash]

Mike, Many thanks for your time to get me a comprehensive answer.

I'm sure that's going to help me!