Creating PDF Files with photos and captions

[Kevin_Vanderbrook@adobeforums.com]

I'm a new user to the Adobe Suite and we're trying to determine the most efficient way to produce a pdf file. Here's the deal: We take digital photos and and they ned to be incorporated into a report. Each page will have two photos on it and then a caption for the photo. So far, we've tried printing to a PDF file from iPhoto and editing it in Acrobat 8, but we can't figure out how to put "regular" text alongside the photos. Is there a "text box" command which will allow us to draw a box on an already created PDF and use standard text editing features (font, size, centering) to format the report as we like it. Surely there must be, but a little direction would be helpful. Also, we purchased the entire pro suite (PS, Illustrator, etc.) and if we're using the wrong program, some direction would be most appreciated.

[Steve_Werner@adobeforums.com]

You need to lay it out in InDesign. You've got Adobe InDesign already if you purchased the Adobe Creative Suite.

You just need to learn how to use it. If you're good at learning on your own, pick up a copy of Sandee Cohen's InDesign CS2 Visual QuickStart Guide (Peachpit Press) or Classroom in a Book. If you prefer to be taught, take a class in InDesign.

Once you've laid out the pictures and entered the text, it's a snap to create a good PDF from InDesign. It give you PDF presets for different kinds of output.

Steve

[Mark_Larsen@adobeforums.com]

Kevin, open bridge point it to your folder if images in the window select all the images. Now go menubar/tools/Indesign and select the contact sheet script set the rows & columns to 1 & 2 for which ever way you want this, page set up for the size of your doc click ok and "presto" you have all you want set out in ID document edit if you wish then export to pdf. This will save you a lot of the work if you are new to page layout programs.
After that follow Steve's advice it won't take a great deal of learning to improve the visual aspects of this function.

[Kevin_Vanderbrook@adobeforums.com]

Sound like a great plan. Thanks for the advice. I'm starting to figure it out now..

[James_Talmage@adobeforums.com]

We take digital photos and and they ned to be incorporated into a report.





Sound like a great plan.




Also sounds like a great (and needless) pain. ;-)

Also, we purchased the entire pro suite (PS, Illustrator, etc.) and if
we're using the wrong program, some direction would be most appreciated.




Kevin,

I would strongly suggest you purchase a copy of FileMaker Pro 8.5 (it's a very user-friendly and graphics-friendly database program) for this.

It sounds like you are simply trying to create an ordinary photo browser. Using FMP, you can build a solution with more functionality and in less time than anything you are likely to build using Adobe apps alone. FMP can then export its records directly to PDF(s).

Using FMP would go something like this:

1. You create a new empty database with two fields:
A Container field named Image.
A text field named Caption.

2. You go to Layout Mode and arrange/style the fields as you wish. Since you mentioned wanting two images per printed page, you would size the layout to that of half a page.

3. You go to Browse Mode and import the images. Key the captions in as you do.

Now you have a database containing your images and their captions. Each Image/Caption set is a "record." You can export the Records to PDF any time you want. But this automatically gives you far more functionality (searching, sorting, later adding keyword or category fields, etc., etc.) than if you just created PDFs manually.

FMP is a great progam to use in conjunction with the Adobe apps you purchased.

JET