Save For Web Capability

[Thomas_Bricker@adobeforums.com]

I would like it if InDesign could Save For Web in the same way that Illustrator and Photoshop can.
Why cant InDesign do this?

Im currently working on a project where I need to save my InDesign files as PNGs.
I can not find any way to do this besides selecting part of the layout, copying it, then pasting it into Illustrator. Then I Save For Web in Illustrator and specify png as my output file type.
This actually works pretty well but it isnt exactly simple.
I might as well do the whole thing in Illustrator.
(Much rather do everything in InDesign though)

Am I missing something?
Is there a way to save out to png from InDesign that I dont know about?

[Gerald_Singelmann@adobeforums.com]

Why cant InDesign do this?




Every web-designer uses Photoshop
Many web-designers use Illustrator
Virutally no web-designer uses InDesign

To be able to export the *selected* part of the page to PDF/EPS/JPG would be good, though.

[Thomas_Bricker@adobeforums.com]

Ok well why on earth dont they use InDesign to layout web pages?

When you are dealing with blocks of copy, and generating several variations on a page layout, InDesign excels over both Illustrator and without question, Photoshop.

How hard could it be for InDesign to add this capbility?

[Jim_Oblak@adobeforums.com]

It would be very odd to add this capbility to InDesign when Adobe sells a separate product to do this: GoLive. You can export a package from InDesign for use in GoLive.

InDesign 2 was the last version to export HTML.

To see why InDesign no longer offers HTML export, see how lousy QuarkXPress's HTML authoring capabilities are.

[Gerald_Singelmann@adobeforums.com]

Ok well why on earth dont they use InDesign to layout web pages?




Before anyone can give you a satisfying answer: what do you know about the differences between these four technologies, in what way they are related and in what way they are entirely different:
- PDF
- PostScript
- HTML
- XML
?

[Jim_Oblak@adobeforums.com]

It is not really a matter of technologies. It is more of a market issue.

InDesign is marketed to print designers. GoLive is marketed to web designers.

InDesign 2's HTML export and ALAP's InPrint (from InTools) demonstrated that the technology was there to do all this. It just does not make sense for Adobe to devote resources to develop something that few will use.

This actually works pretty well but it isnt exactly simple.




I suspect it could be very simple if it were automated.

[Gerald_Singelmann@adobeforums.com]

It is not really a matter of technologies. It is more of a market issue.




I disagree.
InDesign is entirely honed for output in PDF and PostScript. These are so different from HTML that any export facility could be "OK" at best. Any webdesigner would rightfully frown upon anyone trying to create webpages in InDesign.
There are VERY good reasons why there are applications like DreamWeaver and GoLive and I for one am strictly against Adobe putting much effort into a far less then perfect HTML-export.

[Nina_Storm@adobeforums.com]

I too should like InDesign at least to be able to count in pixels.

I often do web layouts for others to programme. They want traditional
PhotoShop "mock-ups" pixel 1:1 and most creative designers prefer to do
the layout in InDesign.

Quite common scenario I think.

It sure would be a nice thing to be able to work in pixels and
copy-paste buttoms and speciel-made graphics into Illu or PS knowing
that the dimensions were allright.

I dont want InDesign to be able to do the coding - just the graphics, or
some of it.

--
Regards Nina Storm

[Nini Tjäder]

I wouldn't mind seeing pixels as a measure in InDesign either in addition to existing measures.
As for exporting to html, save the ID document as a pdf. If you have Acrobat Pro, open it in Acrobat Pro and from there you have Export to html. Don't forget to set whichever prefs you need for the exported html.

[Jim_Oblak@adobeforums.com]

Gerald, what is there to disagree? Adobe stopped developing HTML export from InDesign because there was no real market to warrant further development, not that they were unable to improve upon it. Those that successfully employ cross media publishing are thinking beyond exporting data from InDesign.

Print and screen language technologies are not so different. The fact that Illustrator can exchange XML (as SVG) and PDF seems to indicate there are no boundaries with print and screen file conversion. There is simply no market for Adobe to continue to develop these features in InDesign. Look at how tiny the web design forum is over at Quark.

If anyone wants to tell Adobe that basic web export features in InDesign are sorely missed, access the proper line of communication <http://www.adobeforums.com/cgi-bin/webx/.ef9af17/>.

[Peter_Truskier@adobeforums.com]

I wouldn't mind seeing pixels as a measure in InDesign




I'm not sure I understand what this would mean. Pixels at what resolution? If it's 72 ppi, then how is this any different than setting InDesign's units to points?

[Thomas_Bricker@adobeforums.com]

Dudes,

I think some of you are missing my point.

I wasnt wanting InDesign to export to HTML or XML (Thanks Gerald for the pop quiz)

All Im looking for is for InDesign to save for web as a graphic. A Jpeg or PNG.
I dont want it to code a whole site for me.
That is what GoLive or DreamWeaver are for.

[Gerald_Singelmann@adobeforums.com]

Thomas,

there *is* an export to JPEG option.
Only 72ppi so when you work in pts you get your measurements right.
Did you not find this in the export-dialog in your expedition for a save-for-web?

There is no PNG option, possibly because of market-reflections, as Jim proposes.

BTW:

exchange XML (as SVG) and PDF seems to indicate there are no boundaries
with print and screen file conversion.




SVG is the attempt to bring a PDF-like graphic model to the online world. It has quite different capabilities from Flash and entirely different capabilites from CSS. Not really a valid argument. Of course you can bring an InDesign layout to SVG. But in many cases you cannot bring it satisfyingly to CSS and XHTML.
But really, any further discussion would be academic since too few people try to do this anyway.

[Nina_Storm@adobeforums.com]

<Peter_Truskier@adobeforums.com> wrote:

> I'm not sure I understand what this would mean. Pixels at what resolution?
> If it's 72 ppi, then how is this any different than setting InDesign's
> units to points?

Peter - I know it can be done, I just find it troublesome and painful.
Perhaps out of pure stupidity. I find it difficult to have an exact idea
of inches or points as I am stuck to thinking in milimeters.

I am not talking about pixel at any specific resolution, and I am well
aware that 72 ppi might no longer be the monitor standard. However, I
get for instance webbanner to layout and these have specifications in
pixel dimensions.

I find it much easier to play with layouts in InDesign than in PhotoShop
or Illustrator, but I cannot make a quick calculation of for instance a
layout in 300x250 pixels which gives me an idea of the size.

If I want to do an InDesign layout for these things I have turned to do
an empty image in PhotoShop in the pixel dimensions - place it in
InDesign 100% and adjust the size to the size of the image 1:1. If I
copy-paste this to Illustrator the pixels dimensions are correct and
they also correct if I export a pdf and opens op in PhotoShop.

But not as easy as if I could create in pixels.

-- Regards Nina Storm

[Gerald_Singelmann@adobeforums.com]

Nina,

that's the point: 1pt = 1 pixel at 72ppi
create an InDesign document of 600pt x 400pt,
do whatever you like,
export as PDF without bleed and
render that PDF in Photoshop using 72ppi.
Voila: 600pixels x 400 pixels.

[Gerald_Singelmann@adobeforums.com]

Just thought of this, these steps work too:

create an InDesign document of 600pt x 400pt,
do whatever you like,
export as jpeg
Voila: 600pixels x 400 pixels.

[Nina_Storm@adobeforums.com]

Peter and Gerald - not until now did I understand that working in
postscript points solves the working in pixels problem.

Although I am stuck to 72 ppi.

--
Regards Nina Storm

[Nina_Storm@adobeforums.com]

<Gerald_Singelmann@adobeforums.com> wrote:

> Just thought of this, these steps work too:
>
> create an InDesign document of 600pt x 400pt,
> do whatever you like,
> export as jpeg
> Voila: 600pixels x 400 pixels.

Great, thanks - why on earth did this not occur to me before... because
I am not quite grapping the connections pixels and points - (beeing
postcript points - not pica points nor cicero points).

What a relief.

--
Regards Nina Storm

[Nini Tjäder]

InDesign CAN export a page as a 72 dpi jpg. Choose File, Export and choose the jpg format.

[leo besus]

thomas,

you can export ID file to jpeg 72 dpi. but you can't optimize the file like you (me either) always do in AI or PS.
i usually do this for preparing email broadcast layout.

still, i optimize them with AI & PSD.

rgds,
leo
indonesia