Can you turn individual groups into 'smallest file size' email pdfs?

[LiseyisHere]

I use photoshop for my multi-page documents.  Each page is in a group.  Normally, I save each group individually as 'smallest file size' pdfs (to retain vector info for email viewing), then compile them in acrobat.  But this is very time consuming when I have a 20 page document.  Is there a way to have photoshop save each group as an individual pdf and compile them automatically?

I've seen tutorials for saving layers - but all involve flattening the vector / text information into a jpg.  I don't want that.  I want to keep all the layers inside the groups (pages) so the vector info stays. 

I hope I'm making sense with my question... and yes, I know people will tell me to use Indesign - but I hate that program.  I'm too old to switch from photoshop.   There's got to be a way to extract each group as a pdf without turning them into jpgs.

[Mylenium]

You would have to create a script that splices out the individual groups and artboards to separate documents and saves them from there similar to the one with the layers to individual docs. Perhaps a web search turns something up that exists already.

Mylenium

[LiseyisHere]

I've tried web searches on this issue.. it brought me here to ask the photoshop experts.  Ugh... This really should be an option,

[Abambo]

I didn't quite understand what you want doing, so I suppose I'm too old for this. Fortunately Mylenium​ seams to understand.

My only remark to this is, if Indesign is better suited to do what I do not understand you want doing, you should use Indesign.

[LiseyisHere]

Abambo.  Say I have a 20 page document I created in photoshop.  Each page is contained in its own group.  So 20 groups.   I can save each group as an individual pdf by hand and then compile the 20 pdfs in acrobat for a 20 page document.  If you save 'smallest file size' without flattening the layers within each group, the text stays vector and all vector shapes stay clean when viewing the pdf.  This is how I save all my documents for web viewing.

Currently, all the scripts for multi-page pdf creating involve flattening each page into 1 jpg.  That removes all the vector information, something I don't want to do.  I want to create a script for saving each group into pdfs as 'smallest file size' without flattening, with no raster info.  IF I can easily follow a few steps to have a 20 page document save itself as 20 pdfs and compile, that is what I'm after.  I'm willing to pay someone if they can create a script of this nature for me.

InDesign doens't work for me, I will always use only photoshop at this point in my career, so I'm trying to find a workaround.  I think Adobe should consider an option to save individual groups or layers as pdfs that are non-jpgs.

[Derek Cross]

This sounds like a InDesign job, in Photoshop you'd have to produce 20 separate documents, in InDesign it would be one document.

Why doesn't InDesign "work for you"?

A screen shot of a typical page would be helpful.

[LiseyisHere]

Because I'm not comfortable with InDesign and don't want to farm this out.  I absolutely think it's crazy to have to go back and forth in between programs when I'm designing and I simply don't have the same tools I do in photoshop.  I make everything in photoshop, including vector logos, 100 page brochures, etc. 

Again, please don't suggest I switch programs, I'm really asking about photoshop and creating a script for saving multi-page pdfs automatically without flattening them to jpg.  I know it's possible, I just don't know how.

[Jeff Arola]

What version of photoshop and operating system are you using?

In photoshop have you tried File>Automate>PDF Presentation?

or here's a photoshop script called PDF Processorll that might work:

https://github.com/Paul-Riggott/PS-Scripts

[LiseyisHere]

Hi Jeff, thanks for the tip, I'll look into that direction.  I"m on the Cloud, up-to-date with my yearly subscription, so whatever Adobe has as the latest is where I'm at. Also using windows 10 (crazy for a designer, I know)