File format confusion

[Stephen Gilkes]

Hi all.

My apologies if this topic has been discussed in this thread before. I had a good look but couldnt find anything.

I design layouts for the web (with GoLive) and for print (Indesign). My clients provide bitmap images in a variety of formats and I would like to bring some order to my image management. I realise that JPEG is the only choice for my low res web images but I'm not so sure about those images destined for print. Should I standardise on PSD or TIF? InDesign works fine with PSD so i am tempted to go with PSD.

However, the print images need to be CYMK but I would like to keep my high res images as RGB as I may need to provide different sizes of web graphics as and when required. So what do I do? Do I keep my high res images as CYMK PSD (and lose the RGB) and keep low res web versions as RGB JPEG?

Or do I use RGB PSD and let InDesign do the conversion to RGB when it exports to PDF (to go to the printers).

Maybe I am making a mountain out of a molehill but I would love to know the best way of working to streamline my workflow. Any thoughts?

[YrbkMgr]

In regards to file type, I prefer to archive native PSD's, although there's no caveat to using Tiffs, it's just a personal preference.

I archive everything in RGB regardless, but will include CMYK versions if I've had to create them (I don't always have to). Often times in CMYK I end up tweaking this or that so I want a copy that's "printer ready" at all times. And that's really the biggest factor in deciding whether I will save a CMYK version.

For me, there's no way I can save just one Mode, just because of the variance in the work I do.

I know one forum contributor who burns every project to CD that includes Hi, Medium, and Low res versions of PSD, TIFF, and JPG, in RGB as well as CMYK. His rationale is that no matter who may need what, he can hand off a copy of the CD and let them sort it out.

That can make for a crazy workflow at times, but he's "Johnny on the spot" when he needs an image quickly.

<shrug>

Peace,
Tony