School of Visual Arts Theater
Event DetailsOn what was "Another Rainy Day in New York City" our members braved the weather to attend a meeting with an overriding theme of using InDesign content as the basis for other more fluid layouts on the web and eBooks.
In the first half of the evening New Jersey's own Bob Levine demonstrated the ins and outs of export to Dreamweaver and the best practices for doing so. Bob began by pointing out that because of the vast differences in print and web layouts, duplicating a print layout on the web can be futile. If something like is actually needed, a PDF posted on the web is the way to go. Bob then showed that unthreaded stories in InDesign translate into separate divs in exported HTML and then showed the improved HTML produced when using threaded text to export. He then went on to show how InDesign styles were translated to empty CSS declarations generated by InDesign and how to easily use those declarations combined with a few manually added rules to easily format a web page. Along the way he showed how Dreamweaver features such as the code navigator and the ability to place PSD files directly into web layouts can save time and allow for more efficient workflows. Finally, because all web browsers tend to display web pages differently, he briefly demonstrated Adobe's BrowserLab service which allows web designers to view screenshots of their layouts in many different browsers. The service is currently free. Users can register at browserlab.adobe.com.
In the second half of the evening, InDesign ACE and Adobe Press author Gabriel Powell took the stage and gave a presentation on how to convert InDesign documents into eBooks. Gabriel began by explaining that although PDF is a superior digital format because of its faithfulness to the original, PDFs lack the flexibility to scale fonts or change layouts per device or reader. eBooks, on the other hand, are more like web pages; fluid and less structured documents that easily adapt to the final delivery platform. Gabriel explained that the key to setting up InDesign documents for conversion to eBook is in making sure all text is assigned a paragraph or character style. Through the consistent use of styles, InDesign can generate structured XML to be read by the device (Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader, iPad, etc.). Gabriel also demonstrated how all graphics must be placed "in-line" with the text so they can flow (or re-flow) as needed. For more on this subject, Gabriel provided the group with several links to articles or videos he's authored on this important new subject.
Adobe White Papers: www.adobe.com/products/indesign/epub/howto
Article: www.creativepro.com/article/making-ebooks-indesign-part-1
Article: www.creativepro.com/article/making-ebooks-indesign-part-2
Video: http://instantindesign.com/index.php?view=413
Video: http://instantindesign.com/index.php?view=414
Thanks go out to our speakers, Bob Levine and Gabriel Powell and our raffle sponsors, GridIron Software, O'Reilly Books, Teacup Software, InDesign Secrets, and Adobe Systems.
InDesign Secrets Live with Anne-Marie Concepcion is coming to the NYC area on March 25.
Need to get more done in less time? Do you use Adobe InDesign? This full-day fast-paced fun-filled seminar presented internationally acclaimed InDesign and InCopy expert Anne-Marie Concepcion will give you the tips tricks and techniques you need to make the leap from "user" to "Power User!"
Details and registration information can be found at the InDesign Secrets Live website (indesignsecretslive.com) or on the Events page on this IDUG website (www.indesignusergroup.com). IDUG members receive a discount on the registration fee for this event; see the Member Benefits page for details.
Nice venue, nice speakers. Well spoken and clear advice.
Once again an eye opener. Wondering why I don't make it to more! Keep going, please.
Very interesting. I'd like to learn more about ebooks.
We're currently planning our next meeting. Details to follow.
United States of America