1 Correct answer
The short, sweeping answer here is that InDesign is not an online design tool, despite a few features that seem to work in pixel-scaled layouts. If your destination format is an online banner or document, you have to maintain a continuous "conversion viewpoint" of a non-pixelated source.
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Replies
I think I know WHAT the problem is ...
When you do SAVE AS - looks like Photoshop is saving JPEG with a Scale = 50%??
And when you place your file:
If you do SAVE FOR WEB - your JPEG will be saved with Scale = 100% - and after placing in InDesign - no "Scale" at all:
Wow. That is kind of insane. Why would Photoshop do that? There are a bunch of confusing options in the different Save dialogues and JPEG popups but "Scale" isn't one of them. And Photoshop making it the correct value only when "Save for Web" is selected just seems plain ridiculous. Why would they have done that?
Thanks for the info though.
By @Ian D361303828pe2
No, there is no Scale option in either of them - it looks like Photoshop is doing it in the background...
Wow. That is kind of insane. Why would Photoshop do that?
I don‘t see how it could, Photoshop does not have a scale property. It would be InDesign setting the initial scale on the Place—you could select the image and reset it to 100% via the Transform panel after the Place.
By default, images placed directly on the page should be scaled at 100%. Try placing PSDs and see if that fixes your problem—in general PSD is just a better format than JPEG for linked images.
Wow. That is kind of insane. Why would Photoshop do that?
I don‘t see how it could, Photoshop does not have a scale property. It would be InDesign setting the initial scale on the Place—you could select the image and reset it to 100% via the Transform panel after the Place.
By default, images placed directly on the page should be scaled at 100%. Try placing PSDs and see if that fixes your problem—in general PSD is just a better format than JPEG for linked images.
By @rob day
I've checked - there is a difference when you do SAVE AS and SAVE FOR WEB in Photoshop...
(also I couldn't find a "Save for Web" anywhere in Photoshop. I remember there was one in the old days, but now just "Save", "Save a Copy" and "Save As" that I can see and no "For Web" option
By @Ian D361303828pe2
It's now under Export. The new options is just Export As, and there's also Save for Web (Legacy).
Hi @leo.r , It looks like the 50% scaling "bug" is limited to Save As JPEGs, but only when the output resolution is set exactly to 72ppi.
Maybe you could confirm this, but if I set the 1024 x 1024 pixel image to an output resolution of 70ppi rather than 72ppi in Photoshop, a Save As JPEG gets placed at 100% as expected. This particular setting is not something I would ever use, so I’ve never noticed before—looks like this is a metadata issue, but only with Save As JPEGs.
I DO NOT SEE this happening with PSDs, but @Ian D361303828pe2 reports that it does, so maybe test that also?:
Photoshop’s Image Size:
The initial Place on an InDesign page is scaled at 100%:
I think I know WHAT the problem is ...
When you do SAVE AS - looks like Photoshop is saving JPEG with a Scale = 50%??
And when you place your file:
If you do SAVE FOR WEB - your JPEG will be saved with Scale = 100%
By @Robert T. at ID-TASKER
I can't reproduce it here on my Mac - JPEGs are placed at 100% regardless of how they're saved in Photoshop.
However, I do know that that with JPEGs, their physical size (as opposite to the pixel size) can be interpreted differently under different situations, which depends on... I have no idea what. In this case, it's most likley InDesign that does some size interpretations and re-calculations, which make it represent this JPEG as scaled 50% upon placing.
I think I know WHAT the problem is ...
When you do SAVE AS - looks like Photoshop is saving JPEG with a Scale = 50%??
And when you place your file:
If you do SAVE FOR WEB - your JPEG will be saved with Scale = 100%
By @Robert T. at ID-TASKER
I can't reproduce it here on my Mac - JPEGs are placed at 100% regardless of how they're saved in Photoshop.
However, I do know that that with JPEGs, their physical size (as opposite to the pixel size) can be interpreted differently under different situations, which depends on... I have no idea what. In this case, it's most likley InDesign that does some size interpretations and re-calculations, which make it represent this JPEG as scaled 50% upon placing.
By @leo.r
Then there is a bug on a PC??
Attached are two files - can you check?
> Attached are two files - can you check?
Yes, I can confirm that SAVE_AS.jpg is being placed at 50%, while SAVE_FOR_WEB.jpg - at 100%.
The metadata in the first file has much more entries than in the second although I don't see anything obvious that would coerce InDesign into placing it at 50%.
By @leo.r
Thanks.
Those files where created using PS CS6 64bit - but just checked on CC 2024 - same effect...
Illustrator - imports at 100%.
So it looks like only(?) InDesign & Photoshop on Windows are somehow affected...
> So it looks like only(?) InDesign & Photoshop on Windows are somehow affected...
Actually, I can now confirm this behavior here on Mac too - under certain conditions:
-If I create a NEW file in Photoshop and save it as JPEG, then it's placed at 100% in InDesign (which is what I did when I first reported testing this issue),
-If I open an existing file and Save As JPEG, then it's placed at 50% in InDesign (as reported by others).
No such issue when using Export to Web.
By @leo.r
Looks like SAVE FOR WEB - is REMOVING DPI / PPI info:
72, 100, 144
all import as 72 DPI / PPI...
> -If I open an existing file and Save As JPEG, then it's placed at 50% in InDesign (as reported by others).
And now as @rob day suggested I tried it with a non-72 ppi resolution: placed at 100% in InDesign.
That is it appears that the issue is specific to using Save As JPEG on existing files at 72 ppi.
By @leo.r
OK, so it looks like SAVE AS - retains PPI value - SAVE FOR WEB - strips it completely - or sets it to 72 PPI.
But - why this??
Because on the web there is no such thing as resolution, only pixel measurements. I remember having this debate years ago and I created a web page with the same image saved as 72ppi, 100ppi, 200ppi and 300ppi, all with the same pixel count. I placed them all on a page and every one of them was the same size on the page.
By @BobLevine
Yeah, but InDesign have a bug when importing SAVEd AS jpegs from Photoshop.
If I open an existing file and Save As JPEG, then it's placed at 50% in InDesign (as reported by others).
But what if you set the Image Size Resolution to something other than 72ppi before the Save As? Does it still Place at 50%?
By @rob day
We can assume, that "just save as" has been saved as 72ppi:
Hi @leo.r , I can also confirm Save As JPEG is placing at 50%, while Save for Web (or Export>Save for Web) as always saves at 72ppi and places at 100%. I don’t remember ever seeing the 50% place in the past, so it seems like something new.
By @rob day
Someone at the Photoshop forum - posted similar conclusion about DPI / PPI ... unfortunately, the reality is different ...
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