Need InDesign to save preview images from spreads

[Steffen Liss]

Hi, I need to know if it is possible to get InDesign to save facing pages previews when saving, instead of single pages. I need to see the whole spread in Bridge. Until CS4 InDesign always saved the preview images as spreads. Since CS5 the behavior changed for no reason. I do a lot of catalogues and really need to see both pages. Each spread is a separate file so my colleagues and I can work simultaneously on the same catalogue.

Does anyone know if that is possible in any way? Scripts, extensions whatever. And if its possible, can someone give me the contact to a programmer?

Thanks a lot

Steffen

[Trevor:]

Hi Steffan

You could probably do what you want with a c++ plug-in. It would probably cost you quite a bit for someone to put it together, I would guess that a starting price would be at least $1000 unless somebody has a canned product.

With scripts you can do some form of compromise like automatically save a pdf, png, jpg etc. off each spread (or the first however many threads) of the ID document in the same folder as that document. Some form of metadata (all file types) or hyperlinks (pdf) could be included to refer to the original document. This method could be used to show the previews next to the original ID file in Bridge.  The compromise is quite significant so would the saving.

You can send me a mail to info at creative-scripts dot com (The site is almost there) if you want to contact a programmer or wait and see what other responses you get.

Trevor

[Trevor:]

Drat, I left out the - in the mail address, I edited the post but I'm adding it again so you are notified of the edit.

info at creative-scripts dot com

[Steffen Liss]

Hi Trevor,

sounds interesting. The compromise would be a huge one. Additional files in our folders are not really what we want. But if you say, that it is possible with a plugin to make InDesign save facing pages into the indd is exactly what we need. But could you do it? Right now we use CC2015 for 6 month and had CS4 before. There we had the spread previews. The possibilty to use varying page sizes is nice, but we don't ever used it.

Whatever. I'll mail you.

[Pickory]

Hello,

I am not very familiar with Bridge. I think the change was made when ID could support varying page sizes.

We have a free script that creates a sort of flip book of the InDesign document.

http://www.kerntiff.co.uk/products-4-indesign/baker-export/backissue

Currently it exports pages as PNGs which you can view. It also creates a jssor.js slide show, so it can be quite effective at viewing a document quickly.

P.

Edited to say that this is a link to a simple jssor.js export.

xx.indd

Shows three pages that can scroll all over.

P.

[Steffen Liss]

Hi Pickory,

thanks. But this is not what we are looking for. Good to know what is possible.

[Pickory]

Looking at the C++ API, you can set the number of pages saved as thumb nails, thats pages not spreads.

P.

[Steffen Liss]

hmm. But InDesign knows when pages are set up as spreads. The API doesn't offer a possibility to check that? Well I'm not a programmer just have some basic skills. I'm more the layouter/frontend type. For us it would be enough saving the first 2 pages as a spread preview image within the indd-file.

Example:

1. cataloque contains of 16 pages
2. we create 9 seperate indd-files (1x title, 1x back, 7x spreads 2-3, 4-5,...)
3. we do that because 6 people work simultaneously on the same catalogue
4. we don't really use the Mac Finder, our workflow is based on Bridge (labels, previews, stars)