Is it possible to vary the opacity of a Framemaker-created graphic object?

[Guest]

I frequently have to add call-outs to illustrations consisting of photographs of our hardware. Sometimes varying light and dark areas in my photos necessitate a background for text that I add to the illustration.

It would be great if I could create, say, a rounded white rectangle in FM behind Framemaker-created text, and then decrease the opacity of the shape so that the reader can partially see the photograph behind it.

Until now, I've had to add this type of shape over my photograph in Photoshop, adjust its opacity, and then flatten the image back into a .jpg. It works beautifully except that it's time-consuming. I also can't really horse around with putting editable Photoshop images in my documents due to working conditions here. That also works beautifully, but is not practical in the long run.

Positioning the text-background object I've created in Photoshop is often a matter of trial and error, guessing where it belongs in relation to arrows and text added in Framemaker.

Is there any way to just add a shape for this purpose in Framemaker, and then reduce its opacity? It'd be a great timesaver!

Thanks, everyone.

[Bob_Niland]

Unless something has been added in later versions, FM doesn't grok opacity.

It barely understands EPS clipping paths.

I just tried an EPS object with 50% opacity from Illustrator. Pen None. Fill None.

Opaque in the PDF.

My inclination would be to create the rounded rectangle, fill set to None, and populate it with individual dots or lines comprising a simulated fill. Group. Scale or distort to suit the needs. The rectangle interior between the lines or dots will be transparent. You'll need to experiment with the stroke weights.

If this feature hasn't been addressed up to FM10, my guess is that it never will be, since it infringes on InDesign's domain.

[Guest]

Gaack! That's grim, but believable. It really doesn't seem too much to ask of them, though.

Thanks!

--Lew Yedwab

Lew Yedwab

Senior Technical Writer | Chyron

5 Hub Drive | Melville | NY | 11747

w +1 631 845 3869 |

Skype: yeswab

"The Company the Whole World Watches"

[Bob_Niland]

It really doesn't seem too much to ask of them, though.

It's been asked for pretty much forever.

Based on a search, I see signs that support for imported EPS transparancy was added in FM8, but I just tried a test in FM9, and the object was opaque. I assume there's some trick (in addition to Pen/Fill=None) that I don't know about.

But even if it works, that's still not transparency for FM-created graphical objects.

Doing the dot fill hack wouldn't be that much work, and you'd only need to do it once. I'd suggest white dots.

We use a similar opaque object that's a rounded-rect outline, with a slightly larger r-r solid mask behind it, and a callout text frame in front, all grouped. Once the dimensions and strokes were worked out, it was just copy-and-use thereafter.

[Bob_Niland]

I assume there's some trick (in addition to Pen/Fill=None) that I don't know about.

Things I've since tried, based on tips turned up in search:

• Set anchoring frame also to Pen/Fill=None: EPS object still opaque
• Save as PDF with convert CMYK off: object still opaque
• Save EPS object from Illustrator as PS level 3: object still opaque
• Import as a CS5 .ai object: object still opaque

When we move off FM7, I can forsee uses for this, so it would nice to get it working.

[David_Crowe]

>>object still opaque

You’ve tried printing out the page, I presume? Or making a PDF.

I have found (not in this precise context) that transparency effects are often not represented correctly on screen.

[Guest]

I haven't been able to get ANY transparency effects in FM. My text background shape in Photoshop process has been working well, and I've just figured out a couple of ways to speed it up.

Thanks!

Lew Yedwab

Senior Technical Writer | Chyron

5 Hub Drive | Melville | NY | 11747

w +1 631 845 3869 |

Skype: yeswab

"The Company the Whole World Watches"

[Bob_Niland]

You’ve tried printing out the page, I presume? Or making a PDF.

I've been examining only the PDF results.

I have found (not in this precise context) that transparency effects are often not represented correctly on screen.

I'd be surprised and pleased if FM8 or higher, during edit, honors preview transparency with any file types.

I work almost exclusively with EPS imports. During edit (and printing to non-PS printers) Frame displays only the thumbnail/preview encoded in the EPS file (if any, otherwise a gray box).

The EPS preview, typically, is basically a GIF (72 dpi indexed color). Although GIF can designate one color to be transparent, it would require that the preview gets encoded that way, and for Frame to honor it. I wouldn't bet on both obtaining.

Opacity of preview is a minor issue with EPS, including not just opacity, but also vector EPS and raster EPS with clipping path (which Frame does support for output). The final PS/PDF render from Frame is transparent where it's supposed to be with these, but not in the preview, which can obscure inintended objects beneath.

[Guest]

Thanks for your perspective. Maybe I should experiment with something a little more sophisticated than what I've been doing. Then again, it works for me.

Thanks again.

Lew Yedwab

Senior Technical Writer | Chyron

5 Hub Drive | Melville | NY | 11747

w +1 631 845 3869 |

Skype: yeswab

"The Company the Whole World Watches"

[Guest]

Thanks again. I've just figured out a way to streamline my process of adding the translucent text background shape in Photoshop, though.

Lew Yedwab

Senior Technical Writer | Chyron

5 Hub Drive | Melville | NY | 11747

w +1 631 845 3869 |

Skype: yeswab

"The Company the Whole World Watches"

[Van Kurtz]

For what it is worth...

I know that a lot of folks like to add callouts, etc, with Frame's tools; but due to the clunkiness of these tools, I prefer to do my callouts within the illustration program (Illustrator). Then I can do all that I want and with the effects I want.

[Guest]

Indeed, I've settled on a combination of FM tools and Photoshop. I certainly prefer not to do text in PS.

Lew Yedwab

Senior Technical Writer | Chyron

5 Hub Drive | Melville | NY | 11747

w +1 631 845 3869 |

Skype: yeswab

"The Company the Whole World Watches"

[Bob_Niland]

I know that a lot of folks like to add callouts, etc, with Frame's  tools; but due to the clunkiness of these tools, ...

They're not clunky.

They're flat out not there.

You'd expect a premier tech pub tool to be able to place common callout bubbles, boxes, rounded-rectangles, etc, with XY-centered text, and leader/arrow lines with selectable auto-alignment at the bubble. Most CAD apps have only had this capability for a couple of decades.

So I spent some time to create self-masking bubbles, 3  sizes of RRs, and two variations of self-masking arrows. The imported  images now almost never contain encoded callouts. These c/o elements aren't ideal, but they are a visual improvement over the legacy stuff, which was wildly inconsistent due to font and scaling issues alone.

I prefer to do my  callouts within the illustration program (Illustrator). Then I can do  all that I want and with the effects I want.

The problem there (and one that I inherited) is that the illustration's embedded-callout text is not linked to the narrative text (unless your c/o's are empty, and you are laying text frames over them). They can get out of sync. Embedded text is also more difficult to update. The writer either needs to also be an illustrator/drafter (like you) or needs a rapid response rendering buddy to create and mod the text and c/o's in the art.

Our bubbles contain text frames. The content is either a source text with a marker (to which the narrative Xrefs), or is itself an Xref (usually to a numbered list in the narrative). Damage and oversights tend to cause Unresolved Xref errors, which helps keep errors from slipping through.

Another advantage of call-out free art is that you can trivially re-use it for other applications.

But I'm sure you know all this. And you may well be required to use a style that FM cannot do at all.