InDesign Script • Create Separate Files of Each Instance of a Single Linked Image

Question

When I am prepping a book file for printing, I need both the ACTUAL and EFFECTIVE PPI to be 300. This is easily achieved with "Trista DPI InDesign to Photoshop Script" (which I love and use almost every day!) However, when I have multiple instances of the same image, the Trista script will find the largest one, and scale it down to a true 300. This is good because it maintains a 300 or better effective PPI.

BUT some print projects will not let me have 300+ effective PPI. (An image at 300 actual PPI at 100% = 300 effective PPI. But a second instance of that link at 50% scale is 600 effective PPI.) So: is there a way to script out a function that looks for every instance of a linked image and creates multiples of that image (Image.jpg (3) → Image_01.jpg, Image_02.jpg, Image_03.jpg), before linking them back in with the newly copied and renamed images?

This would allow me to then run Trista's script on EACH of those instances and scale them to a true 300 as separate files.

Check out the Becky's Graphic Design YouTube channel, where I feature a lot of scripts!

Robert at ID-Tasker · Accepted Answer

Hopefully I'll find one in time!Hopefully I'll find one in time!By @FalconArt Done - Before: After:Temporary inconvenience - resampled images are saved as PSD... Not free - but I'm pretty sure well worth it. Just 3x simple Tasks and any number of linked images can be processed. Of course only selected links can be processed and finall resolution can be set as desired.

Eugene Tyson · Answer

When you export to PDF - go to the compression settings - you can compress an image the 300 dpi that's above a certain resolution.

If you set it to 300 ppi for images above 301

The images will reduce PPI as you want - using the same compression methods.

There's no advantage to resizing images to 300 ppi before placing to InDesign or in-situ in the design.

If it's 1200 ppi or 600 or 328 ppi - the software can reduce to 300 on export.

There's very little need for 300 actual and 300 effective

All you're doing is duplicating images on your hard drive and having 2 versions of the same image.

Where you could use 1 version of your image for all things - and only have 1 file on your computer.

When I say 'there's never a need' I mean rarely a need, of course, every workflow is different.

But curious why you'd need such stringent controls when you they're already built into Adobe PDF export options.

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