"Missing" graphics that aren't missing? (ID CS)

[Andy_Fielding@adobeforums.com]

Sometimes I open an ID document and get the message, "This document contains links to missing or modified files." It's because I've moved or renamed some graphics files (or folders containing them) without remembering that the document used them.

But when this happens, the graphics always appear in the document. This must mean they're embedded, right? So why is ID complaining that it can't link to the files?

Wonderingly, Andy

[Steve_Werner@adobeforums.com]

It's because InDesign retains a preview of the last way the file looked. If the file has been changed, when updated, the preview will update (if you are using a proxy), or you'll see the new high-res preview. If moved, it needs to know where to find the file to update the link.

[Andy_Fielding@adobeforums.com]

Ack! So you're saying that, even though the images still appear in the document, those are just low-res representations that won't print correctly?

[Andy_Fielding@adobeforums.com]

But wait a second . . . Even when ID complains it's no longer linked to an image, I can zoom way in on it---e.g., screen-size---and it stays at the same res of its original. (I'm referring to bitmaps as well as vectors; I assume vector "placeholders" wouldn't be obviously different from their source files.) So how they can they _not_ be embedded?

I don't think ID grabs a copy of an image as soon as you move it (especially if it's not running at the time!). The only explanation I can think of is that it _always_ embeds images, even when it's supposed to be only linking to them. Is that possible? Or am I missing something obvious?

[Dave_Saunders@adobeforums.com]

If you're talking about original images that are 72 dpi (such as come from a digital camera), then the preview is indeed just about a straight duplicate of the original. This would certainly confuse the situation you're grappling with.

That the preview is so large in these cases is an unintentional consequence the original strategy for creating previews and it is regarded as a bug, so don't rely on it for the long haul.

Dave