RE: Recommended graphic file format for single-sourcing from Frame to Robohelp?
I think you're still missing one point. It shouldn't be a matter of which one because each is an optimum solution for a different set of circumstances. For line art, anything containing text, or any kind of images generated by a computer program (and yes, this includes the kind of screen captures with gradients that John refers to), PNG will produce better looking results. For *photographic* images (i.e., something that actually exists and that was imaged through a lens), JPEG may produce a result that looks no worse and has a smaller file size than PNG. -Fred Ridder From: virginia.mor...@takesolutions.com To: jsgamm...@imprivata.com; gr...@hedgewizard.net Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2012 09:37:01 -0500 Subject: RE: Recommended graphic file format for single-sourcing from Frame to Robohelp? CC: framers@lists.frameusers.com Thanks to all of you who responded for your input. It sounds like .jpg or .png will be the way to go – I will have to do more research and experimentation to determine which. I am only at the beginning of this process, but I appreciate pointing me in the right direction. Thank you for the recommendation for the image converter, which will be incredibly useful for converting legacy documents I am sure. FWIW, there is no option to not include text, as the most important information in the graphics is the text from the screenshots: names of fields, etc. I don’t think there’s any way around that. Any other experience/advice is appreciated. My recent graphic design experience has also led me to conclude that .jpgs work well for much more than photos, but the main reason we didn’t use them in old versions of FrameMaker (6.0 and before) even with photos was that we got the “ugly gray box” which was annoying since you couldn’t see your output until you produced a PDF. I’m assuming that “feature” is no longer the case? Like John, I would prefer to work with .jpgs if they produced the result I need. (Working in Windows XP, Frame10 currently.) Thanks again, Virginia From: John Sgammato [mailto:jsgamm...@imprivata.com] Sent: Sunday, January 15, 2012 9:48 PM To: 'gr...@hedgewizard.net'; Virginia Morgan Cc: framers@lists.frameusers.com Subject: RE: Recommended graphic file format for single-sourcing from Frame to Robohelp? With all due respect to my colleagues on this forum, IMO the line between JPG and other formats is no longer as neat as it once was. Many screenshots in Win 7 require gradients that JPG handles well. IMO anything that a photo can handle might not be so far removed as you might think from basic screen captures, We are no longer in the cartoony Win 3.x world. And since AFAIK FrameMaker still imports eleventyhundred colors with every .PNG file, I do not see why a PNG with its headaches is superior to the no-longer-extant difficulties of the .JPG format. Craving enlightenment… john ___ You are currently subscribed to framers as arch...@mail-archive.com. Send list messages to framers@lists.frameusers.com. To unsubscribe send a blank email to framers-unsubscr...@lists.frameusers.com or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to listad...@frameusers.com. Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
RE: Recommended graphic file format for single-sourcing from Frame to Robohelp?
Thank you Richard for the clarification on the gray box effect. It has been a while, but now I do remember that the .eps files were what I was thinking of - I thought I remembered an issue with .jpgs as well, but I can't be sure - it may just have been that .tif files were better quality for printing. It sounds like PNG will be the way to go for our screenshots; now I have a lot more learning to do re: creating the templates we will need for Robohelp etc. All your input has been greatly appreciated! -Virginia -Original Message- From: Combs, Richard [mailto:richard.co...@polycom.com] Sent: Monday, January 16, 2012 10:04 PM To: Virginia Morgan; John Sgammato; 'gr...@hedgewizard.net' Cc: framers@lists.frameusers.com Subject: RE: Recommended graphic file format for single-sourcing from Frame to Robohelp? Virginia Morgan wrote: Any other experience/advice is appreciated. My recent graphic design experience has also led me to conclude that .jpgs work well for much more than photos, but the main reason we didn't use them in old versions of FrameMaker (6.0 and before) even with photos was that we got the ugly gray box which was annoying since you couldn't see your output until you produced a PDF. I'm assuming that feature is no longer the case? Like John, I would prefer to work with .jpgs if they produced the result I need. (Working in Windows XP, Frame10 currently.) I just noticed this message, which seems to have gotten to my inbox rather belatedly. Virginia, you're misremembering regarding the ugly gray box. That's not from an imported JPEG, it's from an imported EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) file that doesn't include a TIFF preview. FM can't display EPS, so it displays the low-resolution preview image (often even uglier than the gray box) that's often included in an EPS file. If the EPS doesn't include the TIFF preview, FM just uses the gray box as a placeholder. The lovely PostScript image appears in all its glory when you print or PDF. Richard G. Combs Senior Technical Writer Polycom, Inc. richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom 303-223-5111 -- rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom 303-903-6372 -- ___ You are currently subscribed to framers as arch...@mail-archive.com. Send list messages to framers@lists.frameusers.com. To unsubscribe send a blank email to framers-unsubscr...@lists.frameusers.com or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to listad...@frameusers.com. Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
Re: Recommended graphic file format for single-sourcing from Frame to Robohelp?
Why is SVG better than WMF or EMF? I don't like embedding Visio files, so I save as WMF and insert the WMF. It seems to work fine and keeps the lines perfectly sharp (since WMF is partially a vector format.) Is there a good reason to switch to SVG? Regards, Shmuel Wolfson Technical Writer 052-763-7133 On 1/15/2012 2:00 AM, Grant Hogarth wrote: I always vote for PNG. The files may not be the smallest, but I've never had anything in the past decade choke on them (not display/corrupt display (either unreadable or artifacts)/Fail (as in crash)). JPEG is fine for Photos, and SVG for line graphics. PS is fine if you've got the time to render it. GIF is for icons. BMP/WMF/EMF should be discontinued. You may want to invest in a graphics converter. The two best (IMO) are FastStone Image Viewer (or just Image Converter) and IrfanView. Grant On 1/13/2012 3:23 PM, Virginia Morgan wrote: Hello Framers – It has been several years since I have been part of this group, so I apologize if this topic has been covered extensively somewhere (if so, please feel free to point me to it). I have recently resumed my Technical Writing career at a software development company that uses FrameMaker to create its documentation. All the legacy manuals were delivered with the products as hyperlinked PDF files (not really meant for printing due to length, although one could do so and they are formatted correctly for that). The company recently purchased TCS3, and would like to single-source Frame files to online help using Robohelp. I have been trying to find out what would be the best graphic file format to use for this multi-purpose moving forward. Some background: All legacy images, which are primarily screenshots with some flowcharts, were .tif files, RGB color, 96 dpi (again, intended for on-screen viewing). Using TCS3 moving forward, is there a better/clear recommendation for what graphic file format would produce the best results? I have been searching the web for a few days and can’t seem to find any information on this particular aspect of single-sourcing using the new TCS3. Does it not matter, i.e., does one just set up Robohelp templates to convert .tifs to .jpgs or similar? All information is very much appreciated. Thank you, and I am happy to be back to this forum! Virginia Morgan | Technical Writer TAKE Solutions, Inc. O 512.735.4316 | M 512.426.8323 virginia.mor...@takesolutions.com ___ You are currently subscribed to framers as shmue...@gmail.com. Send list messages to framers@lists.frameusers.com. To unsubscribe send a blank email to framers-unsubscr...@lists.frameusers.com or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/shmuelw1%40gmail.com Send administrative questions to listad...@frameusers.com. Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info. ___ You are currently subscribed to framers as arch...@mail-archive.com. Send list messages to framers@lists.frameusers.com. To unsubscribe send a blank email to framers-unsubscr...@lists.frameusers.com or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to listad...@frameusers.com. Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
Re: Recommended graphic file format for single-sourcing from
Adobe recommends GIF or JPEG format for graphics. Also, the company I work for is setting up RoboHelp (not using Frame to RoboHelp). I'm curious how you have files set up in version control or on the network server? Lea Galanter Lead Technical Editor Writer FTI Consulting Confidentiality Notice: This email and any attachments may be confidential and protected by legal privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, be aware that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of the e-mail or any attachment is prohibited. If you have received this email in error, please notify us immediately by replying to the sender and then delete this copy and the reply from your system. Thank you for your cooperation. ___ You are currently subscribed to framers as arch...@mail-archive.com. Send list messages to framers@lists.frameusers.com. To unsubscribe send a blank email to framers-unsubscr...@lists.frameusers.com or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to listad...@frameusers.com. Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
RE: Recommended graphic file format for single-sourcing from Frame to Robohelp?
John Sgammato wrote: With all due respect to my colleagues on this forum, IMO the line between JPG and other formats is no longer as neat as it once was. Many screenshots in Win 7 require gradients that JPG handles well. IMO anything that a photo can handle might not be so far removed as you might think from basic screen captures, We are no longer in the cartoony Win 3.x world. Text rendering is more important in most screenshots than cool gradients (which, in any case, PNG handles better than JPEG; see below). I prefer that text not look like someone smudged the ink before it dried. Wikipedia has a composite image that shows the difference here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_Network_Graphics#Comparison_to_JPEG Here's their comparison: JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) format can produce a smaller file than PNG for photographic (and photo-like) images, since JPEG uses a lossy encoding method specifically designed for photographic image data, which is typically dominated by soft, low-contrast transitions, and an amount of noise or similar irregular structures. Using PNG instead of a high-quality JPEG for such images would result in a large increase in filesize with negligible gain in quality. By contrast, when storing images that contain text, line art, or graphics - images with sharp transitions and large areas of solid color - the PNG format can compress image data more than JPEG can, and without the noticeable visual artifacts which JPEG produces around high-contrast areas. As for gradients: Early web browsers did not support PNG images, JPEG and GIF were the main image formats. JPEG was commonly used when exporting images containing gradients for web pages, because of GIF's limited color depth. However, JPEG compression causes a gradient to blur slightly. A PNG file will reproduce a gradient as accurately as possible for a given bit depth, while keeping the file size small. PNG became the optimal choice for small gradient images as web browser support for the format improved. And since AFAIK FrameMaker still imports eleventyhundred colors with every .PNG file, I do not see why a PNG with its headaches is superior to the no-longer-extant difficulties of the .JPG format. You only get the named RGB colors (like RGB 000,070,136) in FM if you import indexed-color (AKA palette-based) PNGs. Each color in the PNG's palette (up to 256) is added to FM's color definitions (the name specifies the R,G, and B values that define the color). A different 256-color PNG may have different colors in its palette, so each can potentially add up to 256 colors to FM's list. To avoid this problem, simply use Truecolor (AKA 24-bit) PNGs; they're not that much bigger. Richard G. Combs Senior Technical Writer Polycom, Inc. richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom 303-223-5111 -- rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom 303-903-6372 -- ___ You are currently subscribed to framers as arch...@mail-archive.com. Send list messages to framers@lists.frameusers.com. To unsubscribe send a blank email to framers-unsubscr...@lists.frameusers.com or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to listad...@frameusers.com. Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
RE: Recommended graphic file format for single-sourcing from
Lea Galanter (lea.galan...@fticonsulting.com) wrote: Adobe recommends GIF or JPEG format for graphics. First, I assume you are spekaing strictly in a FrameMaker context, because othe Adobe tools use PS, EPS, and PDF as their preferred formats. But I have to say that I have never seen any such recommendation for FrameMaker graphics. What is your source for this statement? -Fred Ridder ___ You are currently subscribed to framers as arch...@mail-archive.com. Send list messages to framers@lists.frameusers.com. To unsubscribe send a blank email to framers-unsubscr...@lists.frameusers.com or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to listad...@frameusers.com. Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
RE: Recommended graphic file format for single-sourcing from Frame to Robohelp?
Shmuel Wolfson wrote: Why is SVG better than WMF or EMF? I don't like embedding Visio files, so I save as WMF and insert the WMF. It seems to work fine and keeps the lines perfectly sharp (since WMF is partially a vector format.) Is there a good reason to switch to SVG? WMF (Windows Metafile Format) is fine for vector graphics if you work strictly in a Windows environment and your deliverables are print/PDF. But for web pages and most forms of online help (including Windows CHM help, IIRC), WMF has to be converted into something more browser-friendly. Richard G. Combs Senior Technical Writer Polycom, Inc. richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom 303-223-5111 -- rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom 303-903-6372 -- ___ You are currently subscribed to framers as arch...@mail-archive.com. Send list messages to framers@lists.frameusers.com. To unsubscribe send a blank email to framers-unsubscr...@lists.frameusers.com or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to listad...@frameusers.com. Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
Re: Recommended graphic file format for single-sourcing from Frame to Robohelp?
The cloudy artifacts that JPG puts around text may not be noticeable if you save the JPG at highest quality, but the more compression you use, the more annoyingly obvious it becomes. I believe the original poster in this thread said that the document was intended for the Web, and since it is typical to compress to high levels to create smaller files for Web download, it is probably a safe assumption that the original poster would use a high amount of compression and create those artifacts. I don't use PNGs, but I seem to recall the issue that FrameMaker has of creating hundreds of colors with PNGs only occurs when the PNGs are saved with a bit depth other than 8. I'm sure someone more familiar with them will pipe in. Mike Wickham. On 1/15/2012 9:48 PM, John Sgammato wrote: With all due respect to my colleagues on this forum, IMO the line between JPG and other formats is no longer as neat as it once was. Many screenshots in Win 7 require gradients that JPG handles well. IMO anything that a photo can handle might not be so far removed as you might think from basic screen captures, We are no longer in the cartoony Win 3.x world. And since AFAIK FrameMaker still imports eleventyhundred colors with every .PNG file, I do not see why a PNG with its headaches is superior to the no-longer-extant difficulties of the .JPG format. Craving enlightenment... john ___ You are currently subscribed to framers as arch...@mail-archive.com. Send list messages to framers@lists.frameusers.com. To unsubscribe send a blank email to framers-unsubscr...@lists.frameusers.com or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to listad...@frameusers.com. Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
RE: Recommended graphic file format for single-sourcing from
Quite frankly, I don't know of anyplace where Adobe as a company officially recommends GIF for any graphics. And JPEG certainly is not recommended by Adobe for anything other than photographic images, i.e. imagery that would not be more readily represented via text and/or vector graphics. And unless one was really stuck with the need for raster image output, Adobe certainly recommends use of vector and/or text formats over any raster image format when there is a need to represent text and/or vector content. - Dov From: framers-boun...@lists.frameusers.com [mailto:framers-boun...@lists.frameusers.com] On Behalf Of Galanter, Lea Sent: Monday, January 16, 2012 8:22 AM To: framers@lists.frameusers.com Subject: Re: Recommended graphic file format for single-sourcing from Adobe recommends GIF or JPEG format for graphics. Also, the company I work for is setting up RoboHelp (not using Frame to RoboHelp). I'm curious how you have files set up in version control or on the network server? Lea Galanter Lead Technical Editor Writer FTI Consulting ___ You are currently subscribed to framers as arch...@mail-archive.com. Send list messages to framers@lists.frameusers.com. To unsubscribe send a blank email to framers-unsubscr...@lists.frameusers.com or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to listad...@frameusers.com. Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
RE: Recommended graphic file format for single-sourcing from Frame to Robohelp?
H. My experience is with WinXP (hey, if it works don't break it). I did test prints of screen captures as pngs and high-quality jpegs. The pngs were *much* sharper, esp when printed out. Then again, I was capturing text-heavy GUI screens, not webpages, and it was WinXP. Probably be a good move to do your own tests. I'll keep this in mind for when we eventually come into this century and get Win 7. Cheers Rebecca On 16/01/12 at 16:48, John Sgammato jsgamm...@imprivata.com wrote: With all due respect to my colleagues on this forum, IMO the line between JPG and other formats is no longer as neat as it once was. Many screenshots in Win 7 require gradients that JPG handles well. IMO anything that a photo can handle might not be so far removed as you might think from basic screen captures, We are no longer in the cartoony Win 3.x world. And since AFAIK FrameMaker still imports eleventyhundred colors with every .PNG file, I do not see why a PNG with its headaches is superior to the no-longer-extant difficulties of the .JPG format. Craving enlightenment… john From: framers-boun...@lists.frameusers.com [mailto:framers-boun...@lists.frameusers.com] On Behalf Of Grant Hogarth Sent: Saturday, January 14, 2012 7:01 PM To: Virginia Morgan Cc: framers@lists.frameusers.com Subject: Re: Recommended graphic file format for single-sourcing from Frame to Robohelp? I always vote for PNG. The files may not be the smallest, but I've never had anything in the past decade choke on them (not display/corrupt display (either unreadable or artifacts)/Fail (as in crash)). JPEG is fine for Photos, and SVG for line graphics. PS is fine if you've got the time to render it. GIF is for icons. BMP/WMF/EMF should be discontinued. You may want to invest in a graphics converter. The two best (IMO) are FastStone Image Viewer (or just Image Converter) and IrfanView. Grant On 1/13/2012 3:23 PM, Virginia Morgan wrote: Hello Framers – It has been several years since I have been part of this group, so I apologize if this topic has been covered extensively somewhere (if so, please feel free to point me to it). I have recently resumed my Technical Writing career at a software development company that uses FrameMaker to create its documentation. All the legacy manuals were delivered with the products as hyperlinked PDF files (not really meant for printing due to length, although one could do so and they are formatted correctly for that). The company recently purchased TCS3, and would like to single-source Frame files to online help using Robohelp. I have been trying to find out what would be the best graphic file format to use for this multi-purpose moving forward. Some background: All legacy images, which are primarily screenshots with some flowcharts, were .tif files, RGB color, 96 dpi (again, intended for on-screen viewing). Using TCS3 moving forward, is there a better/clear recommendation for what graphic file format would produce the best results? I have been searching the web for a few days and can’t seem to find any information on this particular aspect of single-sourcing using the new TCS3. Does it not matter, i.e., does one just set up Robohelp templates to convert .tifs to .jpgs or similar? All information is very much appreciated. Thank you, and I am happy to be back to this forum! Virginia Morgan | Technical Writer TAKE Solutions, Inc. O 512.735.4316 | M 512.426.8323 virginia.mor...@takesolutions.com NOTICE: This message contains privileged and confidential information intended only for the use of the addressee named above. If you are not the intended recipient of this message you are hereby notified that you must not disseminate, copy or take any action in reliance on it. If you have received this message in error please notify Allied Telesis Labs Ltd immediately. Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, except where the sender has the authority to issue and specifically states them to be the views of Allied Telesis Labs. ___ You are currently subscribed to framers as arch...@mail-archive.com. Send list messages to framers@lists.frameusers.com. To unsubscribe send a blank email to framers-unsubscr...@lists.frameusers.com or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to listad...@frameusers.com. Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
RE: Recommended graphic file format for single-sourcing from Frame to Robohelp?
Thanks to all of you who responded for your input. It sounds like .jpg or .png will be the way to go - I will have to do more research and experimentation to determine which. I am only at the beginning of this process, but I appreciate pointing me in the right direction. Thank you for the recommendation for the image converter, which will be incredibly useful for converting legacy documents I am sure. FWIW, there is no option to not include text, as the most important information in the graphics is the text from the screenshots: names of fields, etc. I don't think there's any way around that. Any other experience/advice is appreciated. My recent graphic design experience has also led me to conclude that .jpgs work well for much more than photos, but the main reason we didn't use them in old versions of FrameMaker (6.0 and before) even with photos was that we got the ugly gray box which was annoying since you couldn't see your output until you produced a PDF. I'm assuming that feature is no longer the case? Like John, I would prefer to work with .jpgs if they produced the result I need. (Working in Windows XP, Frame10 currently.) Thanks again, Virginia From: John Sgammato [mailto:jsgamm...@imprivata.com] Sent: Sunday, January 15, 2012 9:48 PM To: 'gr...@hedgewizard.net'; Virginia Morgan Cc: framers@lists.frameusers.com Subject: RE: Recommended graphic file format for single-sourcing from Frame to Robohelp? With all due respect to my colleagues on this forum, IMO the line between JPG and other formats is no longer as neat as it once was. Many screenshots in Win 7 require gradients that JPG handles well. IMO anything that a photo can handle might not be so far removed as you might think from basic screen captures, We are no longer in the cartoony Win 3.x world. And since AFAIK FrameMaker still imports eleventyhundred colors with every .PNG file, I do not see why a PNG with its headaches is superior to the no-longer-extant difficulties of the .JPG format. Craving enlightenment... john From: framers-boun...@lists.frameusers.com [mailto:framers-boun...@lists.frameusers.com] On Behalf Of Grant Hogarth Sent: Saturday, January 14, 2012 7:01 PM To: Virginia Morgan Cc: framers@lists.frameusers.com Subject: Re: Recommended graphic file format for single-sourcing from Frame to Robohelp? I always vote for PNG. The files may not be the smallest, but I've never had anything in the past decade choke on them (not display/corrupt display (either unreadable or artifacts)/Fail (as in crash)). JPEG is fine for Photos, and SVG for line graphics. PS is fine if you've got the time to render it. GIF is for icons. BMP/WMF/EMF should be discontinued. You may want to invest in a graphics converter. The two best (IMO) are FastStone Image Viewer (or just Image Converter) and IrfanView. Grant On 1/13/2012 3:23 PM, Virginia Morgan wrote: Hello Framers - It has been several years since I have been part of this group, so I apologize if this topic has been covered extensively somewhere (if so, please feel free to point me to it). I have recently resumed my Technical Writing career at a software development company that uses FrameMaker to create its documentation. All the legacy manuals were delivered with the products as hyperlinked PDF files (not really meant for printing due to length, although one could do so and they are formatted correctly for that). The company recently purchased TCS3, and would like to single-source Frame files to online help using Robohelp. I have been trying to find out what would be the best graphic file format to use for this multi-purpose moving forward. Some background: All legacy images, which are primarily screenshots with some flowcharts, were .tif files, RGB color, 96 dpi (again, intended for on-screen viewing). Using TCS3 moving forward, is there a better/clear recommendation for what graphic file format would produce the best results? I have been searching the web for a few days and can't seem to find any information on this particular aspect of single-sourcing using the new TCS3. Does it not matter, i.e., does one just set up Robohelp templates to convert .tifs to .jpgs or similar? All information is very much appreciated. Thank you, and I am happy to be back to this forum! Virginia Morgan | Technical Writer TAKE Solutions, Inc. O 512.735.4316 | M 512.426.8323 virginia.mor...@takesolutions.commailto:virginia.mor...@takesolutions.com ___ You are currently subscribed to framers as arch...@mail-archive.com. Send list messages to framers@lists.frameusers.com. To unsubscribe send a blank email to framers-unsubscr...@lists.frameusers.com or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to listad...@frameusers.com. Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
RE: Recommended graphic file format for single-sourcing from Frame to Robohelp?
It was the 8-bit (256 color) PNG files that were a problem in FrameMaker. They would add all 256 colors to the document color palette, which could be annoying. It seems as though most graphics programs no longer have an 8-bit option when saving png, 24-bit only these days, which do not mess with the FrameMaker palette. John From: framers-boun...@lists.frameusers.com [mailto:framers-boun...@lists.frameusers.com] On Behalf Of Mike Wickham I don't use PNGs, but I seem to recall the issue that FrameMaker has of creating hundreds of colors with PNGs only occurs when the PNGs are saved with a bit depth other than 8. I'm sure someone more familiar with them will pipe in. ___ You are currently subscribed to framers as arch...@mail-archive.com. Send list messages to framers@lists.frameusers.com. To unsubscribe send a blank email to framers-unsubscr...@lists.frameusers.com or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to listad...@frameusers.com. Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
RE: Recommended graphic file format for single-sourcing from Frame to Robohelp?
Virginia Morgan wrote: Any other experience/advice is appreciated. My recent graphic design experience has also led me to conclude that .jpgs work well for much more than photos, but the main reason we didn't use them in old versions of FrameMaker (6.0 and before) even with photos was that we got the ugly gray box which was annoying since you couldn't see your output until you produced a PDF. I'm assuming that feature is no longer the case? Like John, I would prefer to work with .jpgs if they produced the result I need. (Working in Windows XP, Frame10 currently.) I just noticed this message, which seems to have gotten to my inbox rather belatedly. Virginia, you're misremembering regarding the ugly gray box. That's not from an imported JPEG, it's from an imported EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) file that doesn't include a TIFF preview. FM can't display EPS, so it displays the low-resolution preview image (often even uglier than the gray box) that's often included in an EPS file. If the EPS doesn't include the TIFF preview, FM just uses the gray box as a placeholder. The lovely PostScript image appears in all its glory when you print or PDF. Richard G. Combs Senior Technical Writer Polycom, Inc. richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom 303-223-5111 -- rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom 303-903-6372 -- ___ You are currently subscribed to framers as arch...@mail-archive.com. Send list messages to framers@lists.frameusers.com. To unsubscribe send a blank email to framers-unsubscr...@lists.frameusers.com or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to listad...@frameusers.com. Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
RE: Recommended graphic file format for single-sourcing from Frame to Robohelp?
PNGs are small files too. What's not to like? For screenshots, the quality difference between a jpeg and a png is really obvious. Jpeg just isn't designed for sharp boundaries. If you've got a heap of legacy files, you need a batch conversion tool. There may be great free ones out there, but Snagit does this fine - plus being very convenient for capturing screenshots. Cheers Rebecca NOTICE: This message contains privileged and confidential information intended only for the use of the addressee named above. If you are not the intended recipient of this message you are hereby notified that you must not disseminate, copy or take any action in reliance on it. If you have received this message in error please notify Allied Telesis Labs Ltd immediately. Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, except where the sender has the authority to issue and specifically states them to be the views of Allied Telesis Labs. ___ You are currently subscribed to framers as arch...@mail-archive.com. Send list messages to framers@lists.frameusers.com. To unsubscribe send a blank email to framers-unsubscr...@lists.frameusers.com or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to listad...@frameusers.com. Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
Re: Recommended graphic file format for single-sourcing from Frame to Robohelp?
I always vote for PNG. The files may not be the smallest, but I've never had anything in the past decade choke on them (not display/corrupt display (either unreadable or artifacts)/Fail (as in crash)). JPEG is fine for Photos, and SVG for line graphics. PS is fine if you've got the time to render it. GIF is for icons. BMP/WMF/EMF should be discontinued. You may want to invest in a graphics converter. The two best (IMO) are FastStone Image Viewer (or just Image Converter) and IrfanView. Grant On 1/13/2012 3:23 PM, Virginia Morgan wrote: Hello Framers -- It has been several years since I have been part of this group, so I apologize if this topic has been covered extensively somewhere (if so, please feel free to point me to it). I have recently resumed my Technical Writing career at a software development company that uses FrameMaker to create its documentation. All the legacy manuals were delivered with the products as hyperlinked PDF files (not really meant for printing due to length, although one could do so and they are formatted correctly for that). The company recently purchased TCS3, and would like to single-source Frame files to online help using Robohelp. I have been trying to find out what would be the best graphic file format to use for this multi-purpose moving forward. Some background: All legacy images, which are primarily screenshots with some flowcharts, were .tif files, RGB color, 96 dpi (again, intended for on-screen viewing). Using TCS3 moving forward, is there a better/clear recommendation for what graphic file format would produce the best results? I have been searching the web for a few days and can't seem to find any information on this particular aspect of single-sourcing using the new TCS3. Does it not matter, i.e., does one just set up Robohelp templates to convert .tifs to .jpgs or similar? All information is very much appreciated. Thank you, and I am happy to be back to this forum! Virginia Morgan | Technical Writer TAKE Solutions, Inc. O 512.735.4316 | M 512.426.8323 virginia.mor...@takesolutions.com ___ You are currently subscribed to framers as arch...@mail-archive.com. Send list messages to framers@lists.frameusers.com. To unsubscribe send a blank email to framers-unsubscr...@lists.frameusers.com or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to listad...@frameusers.com. Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
RE: Recommended graphic file format for single-sourcing from Frame to Robohelp?
With all due respect to my colleagues on this forum, IMO the line between JPG and other formats is no longer as neat as it once was. Many screenshots in Win 7 require gradients that JPG handles well. IMO anything that a photo can handle might not be so far removed as you might think from basic screen captures, We are no longer in the cartoony Win 3.x world. And since AFAIK FrameMaker still imports eleventyhundred colors with every .PNG file, I do not see why a PNG with its headaches is superior to the no-longer-extant difficulties of the .JPG format. Craving enlightenment... john From: framers-boun...@lists.frameusers.com [mailto:framers-boun...@lists.frameusers.com] On Behalf Of Grant Hogarth Sent: Saturday, January 14, 2012 7:01 PM To: Virginia Morgan Cc: framers@lists.frameusers.com Subject: Re: Recommended graphic file format for single-sourcing from Frame to Robohelp? I always vote for PNG. The files may not be the smallest, but I've never had anything in the past decade choke on them (not display/corrupt display (either unreadable or artifacts)/Fail (as in crash)). JPEG is fine for Photos, and SVG for line graphics. PS is fine if you've got the time to render it. GIF is for icons. BMP/WMF/EMF should be discontinued. You may want to invest in a graphics converter. The two best (IMO) are FastStone Image Viewer (or just Image Converter) and IrfanView. Grant On 1/13/2012 3:23 PM, Virginia Morgan wrote: Hello Framers - It has been several years since I have been part of this group, so I apologize if this topic has been covered extensively somewhere (if so, please feel free to point me to it). I have recently resumed my Technical Writing career at a software development company that uses FrameMaker to create its documentation. All the legacy manuals were delivered with the products as hyperlinked PDF files (not really meant for printing due to length, although one could do so and they are formatted correctly for that). The company recently purchased TCS3, and would like to single-source Frame files to online help using Robohelp. I have been trying to find out what would be the best graphic file format to use for this multi-purpose moving forward. Some background: All legacy images, which are primarily screenshots with some flowcharts, were .tif files, RGB color, 96 dpi (again, intended for on-screen viewing). Using TCS3 moving forward, is there a better/clear recommendation for what graphic file format would produce the best results? I have been searching the web for a few days and can't seem to find any information on this particular aspect of single-sourcing using the new TCS3. Does it not matter, i.e., does one just set up Robohelp templates to convert .tifs to .jpgs or similar? All information is very much appreciated. Thank you, and I am happy to be back to this forum! Virginia Morgan | Technical Writer TAKE Solutions, Inc. O 512.735.4316 | M 512.426.8323 virginia.mor...@takesolutions.commailto:virginia.mor...@takesolutions.com ___ You are currently subscribed to framers as arch...@mail-archive.com. Send list messages to framers@lists.frameusers.com. To unsubscribe send a blank email to framers-unsubscr...@lists.frameusers.com or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to listad...@frameusers.com. Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
Re: Recommended graphic file format for single-sourcing from Frame to Robohelp?
Virginia, I don't use RH, but I author DITA in FM and create PDFs from FM, and PDFs and online help with WebWorks ePublisher. However, I'm guessing that whatever file format you use is will depend on what best creates the image. I use jpg and gif most of the time. It might also depend on where you create your image. For example, you cannot create composite images in DITA. I use Adobe Illustrator to create a composite image, and then I export it as bmp and then save it as a jpg or gif. Sometimes I create charts in Visio and save them as jpg because gif doesn't create satisfactory results for me. Create some trial DITA topics with different image formats in them. Run them through RH and see what works best for you. Nadine From: Virginia Morgan virginia.mor...@takesolutions.com To: framers@lists.frameusers.com framers@lists.frameusers.com Sent: Friday, January 13, 2012 5:23:31 PM Subject: Recommended graphic file format for single-sourcing from Frame to Robohelp? Hello Framers – It has been several years since I have been part of this group, so I apologize if this topic has been covered extensively somewhere (if so, please feel free to point me to it). I have recently resumed my Technical Writing career at a software development company that uses FrameMaker to create its documentation. All the legacy manuals were delivered with the products as hyperlinked PDF files (not really meant for printing due to length, although one could do so and they are formatted correctly for that). The company recently purchased TCS3, and would like to single-source Frame files to online help using Robohelp. I have been trying to find out what would be the best graphic file format to use for this multi-purpose moving forward. Some background: All legacy images, which are primarily screenshots with some flowcharts, were .tif files, RGB color, 96 dpi (again, intended for on-screen viewing). Using TCS3 moving forward, is there a better/clear recommendation for what graphic file format would produce the best results? I have been searching the web for a few days and can’t seem to find any information on this particular aspect of single-sourcing using the new TCS3. Does it not matter, i.e., does one just set up Robohelp templates to convert .tifs to .jpgs or similar? All information is very much appreciated. Thank you, and I am happy to be back to this forum! Virginia Morgan | Technical Writer TAKE Solutions, Inc. O 512.735.4316 | M 512.426.8323 virginia.mor...@takesolutions.com ___ You are currently subscribed to framers as generic...@yahoo.ca. Send list messages to framers@lists.frameusers.com. To unsubscribe send a blank email to framers-unsubscr...@lists.frameusers.com or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/generic668%40yahoo.ca Send administrative questions to listad...@frameusers.com. Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info. ___ You are currently subscribed to framers as arch...@mail-archive.com. Send list messages to framers@lists.frameusers.com. To unsubscribe send a blank email to framers-unsubscr...@lists.frameusers.com or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to listad...@frameusers.com. Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
Re: Recommended graphic file format for single-sourcing from Frame to Robohelp?
I have been searching the web for a few days and can't seem to find any information on this particular aspect of single-sourcing using the new TCS3. Does it not matter, i.e., does one just set up Robohelp templates to convert .tifs to .jpgs or similar? If, as you say, your content contains screenshots or other graphics that contain text, I would not choose JPG as the output format. It tends to put artifacts around the text, making it less legible. Use GIF or PNG instead. Use JPG for photographs. Mike Wickham ___ You are currently subscribed to framers as arch...@mail-archive.com. Send list messages to framers@lists.frameusers.com. To unsubscribe send a blank email to framers-unsubscr...@lists.frameusers.com or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to listad...@frameusers.com. Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
Re: Recommended graphic file format for single-sourcing from Frame to Robohelp?
Or don't put text in your images. ;-) We don't include text in our images for translation purposes. Further to Mike's comment: http://www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/internet/2002/jpg_gif_png.asp Nadine From: Mike Wickham i...@mikewickham.com To: framers@lists.frameusers.com Sent: Saturday, January 14, 2012 2:17:55 PM Subject: Re: Recommended graphic file format for single-sourcing from Frame to Robohelp? I have been searching the web for a few days and can’t seem to find any information on this particular aspect of single-sourcing using the new TCS3. Does it not matter, i.e., does one just set up Robohelp templates to convert .tifs to .jpgs or similar? If, as you say, your content contains screenshots or other graphics that contain text, I would not choose JPG as the output format. It tends to put artifacts around the text, making it less legible. Use GIF or PNG instead. Use JPG for photographs. Mike Wickham ___ You are currently subscribed to framers as generic...@yahoo.ca. Send list messages to framers@lists.frameusers.com. To unsubscribe send a blank email to framers-unsubscr...@lists.frameusers.com or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/generic668%40yahoo.ca Send administrative questions to listad...@frameusers.com. Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info. ___ You are currently subscribed to framers as arch...@mail-archive.com. Send list messages to framers@lists.frameusers.com. To unsubscribe send a blank email to framers-unsubscr...@lists.frameusers.com or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to listad...@frameusers.com. Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
RE: Recommended graphic file format for single-sourcing from Frame to Robohelp?
Agreed (inre using *any* solid color region with high contrast - like one color text on a different color background) with JPG format. Use it for photographs only. I would also not use GIF if there was a potential for more than 256 colors in the image - it is not supported as far as I recall. PNG allows for background transparency support too. Z [cid:image001.png@01CCD2C8.D7C536E0] From: framers-boun...@lists.frameusers.com [mailto:framers-boun...@lists.frameusers.com] On Behalf Of Mike Wickham Sent: Saturday, January 14, 2012 11:18 AM To: framers@lists.frameusers.com Subject: Re: Recommended graphic file format for single-sourcing from Frame to Robohelp? I have been searching the web for a few days and can't seem to find any information on this particular aspect of single-sourcing using the new TCS3. Does it not matter, i.e., does one just set up Robohelp templates to convert .tifs to .jpgs or similar? If, as you say, your content contains screenshots or other graphics that contain text, I would not choose JPG as the output format. It tends to put artifacts around the text, making it less legible. Use GIF or PNG instead. Use JPG for photographs. Mike Wickham inline: image001.png___ You are currently subscribed to framers as arch...@mail-archive.com. Send list messages to framers@lists.frameusers.com. To unsubscribe send a blank email to framers-unsubscr...@lists.frameusers.com or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to listad...@frameusers.com. Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
