Seek Help making a Pitch Deck/e-brochure to raise funds for an Independent Film

[phowze]

Dear Community,

     I need help creating a pitch deck/e-brochure to raise funds for an independent film.  I use Photoshop a lot for art and illustration - I'm self taught.  But have no idea how to make a multi-page document, nor even how to do a layout with pictures and text.  Also want to create a kind of "image reel" of images (that can tell the story) so anyone looking at it will get an idea of our vision and the way the story unfolds.  Along with bios, actors pictures, character descriptions, etc.  Would be grateful for any direction.  My thanks.

                       Perry 

[davescm]

Hi

Do you have access to InDesign?  It is made for multipage text and image layouts.

Using Photoshop for that purpose is a bit like using a hammer to drive in a screw. It could be done, using artboards, but will be a real pain to put together and edit.

Dave

Dave

[phowze]

Dear Dave,

      Thank you SO much. I don't think I have access to In Design unless it is part of my Photoshop subscription. Will check. Have never used it. Is it a steep learning curve?  Have you ever heard of Canva?  I don't know it. Someone suggested it, but I'd prefer to stick to Adobe.  Really appreciate your help. Thanks again. Perry

[davescm]

Hi

InDesign, like any software, has a learning curve but has great advantages in that it handles the flow of text throught text boxes well, has full colour management of images and allows a multipage document to be prepared for print in a straightfoward way.

InDesign is part of the full Creative Cloud plan but not the Photography plan or a Photoshop only plan.

I don't know Canva but an alternative for a one off, if you akready have MS Office is MS Publisher. Not as capable as InDesign but it might get you through your project.

Dave

[phowze]

Dear Dave,

     Again, my thanks for your guidance.  I'm going to look at InDesign.  

                                       All the best,

                                               Perry

[Conrad_C]

You definitely want to use an application that helps you put together a multiple-page document efficiently, and with a consistent design throughout. For example, something that would let you create a “master page” design and a set of text styles that you can apply to items across all pages, to minimize manual formatting.

Of the Adobe applications, InDesign is definitely the best candidate, especially if you have high standards for typography, graphic design, and precision. It has powerful multi-page design and management capabilities, and can export straight to PDF for you to send out.

But InDesign does have a learning curve, which might be an obstacle if you are going to use it for just one project without having used it before. I recently helped someone do a similar project, and we decided that they could get their job done using Microsoft PowerPoint (Apple Keynote would have worked just as well). Those applications also have master/template/style features that maintain design consistency and quality across many pages, you can also export both to PDF, they are relatively easy to use, and almost everybody already has one or the other.

davescm is right that even though Photoshop (and Illustrator) have a feature called “artboards” that can sort of be used for multiple “pages,” you’ll tear your hair out trying to do things like page numbering, that are automated in InDesign, PowerPoint, and Keynote.

Canva gets excellent reviews, especially for ease of use, but I’ve never used it and I don’t know how efficient it is for a multiple-page document. They do seem to have presentation templates, so it’s worth looking into.

[phowze]

Dear Conrad,
THANK YOU! Your response was so helpful especially as I do have Powerpoint and Keynote. I don’t know either as I use only WORD and that infrequently, but am so grateful for the direction.
I will give them a look and see which will make the most sense.
Kind regards,
Perry

[War Unicorn]

Just wanted to add to what everyone has said: Ditto on InDesign. There *is* a learning curve but, in my opinion, along with David Blatner's excellent course as jane-e mentioned, it's really not too difficult, especially for the basics.

I was able to do this as a result (mind you, I had zero experience with InDesign before):

https://indd.adobe.com/view/1f323175-0e4d-4302-bedd-d5c506cc6f09

[jane-e]

Using Photoshop instead of InDesign (or another desktop publishing application) to create a multi-page document would be like trying to go down an expert level ski slope using a bicycle. Trying to use InDesign without learning how first would be like trying to ski down an expert level slope without taking skiing lessons.

If you decide to use InDesign, I suggest that you watch David Blatner's course InDesign Essential Training on LinkedIn Learning first. You can get a 30-day free trial if you haven't used it before.

~ Jane

[phowze]

Dear Jane,

     Many thanks for your reply.  I will get the 30 day InDesign trial and have a look.  Thank you, too, for the recommendation of David Blatner's course.  Really appreciate your guidance.

                  Very best,

                             Perry

[jane-e]

"30 day InDesign trial"

You're welcome, Perry. To clarify, though:

• The LinkedIn Learning trial is 30 days
• Adobe has 7-day trials for their applications, including InDesign

From your description, you will have the same kind of information repeated, including bio, photos, and descriptions, so once you create and use Paragraph styles for the text and Object styles for the photos, it should go relatively smoothly. Try to set up 2-3 pages, then ask for feedback from the InDesign forum to make sure you haven't made any beginner mistakes before proceeding.

https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign/bd-p/indesign

~ Jane

[phowze]

Thank you again, Jane!  You've been such a help. Feeel so lucky to have found my Adobe compadres. Take care. 
                                              Perry