Nubies' Corner

     PDF is a term all users of the internet will eventually face. PDF stands for Portable Document Format, and it is Adobe's brainchild for making documents that will print on Postscript capable laser printers on any platform (Mac, PC, Unix, etc). The Acrobat Reader, now entering version 5.0, has expanded the original parameters, which was to make a file that could be created at one place, transported to another location, and printed in multiple copies at a second location with a free application. It has expanded to include internet links, internet transactions, online presentation, e-books, and more.
     Acrobat Reader is free for the downloading, and it is capable of opening and viewing and printing any PDF file. But the authoring software is anything but cheap. The parent application Acrobat cost in excess of two hundreds dollars. There are alternatives, but most are even more expensive. Adobe InDesign ($600+) exports PDF's directly, which is my favorite software for authoring PDF's. QuarkXPress ($700+) exports PDF by means of a plug-in and Distiller, part of Acrobat's installation package (totaling over $1000 for the pair). For simple exports, there is a much less inexpensive PrintToPDF ($20) that works through the Chooser and creates simple PDF files from any text or image file in the same manner as printing. The Chooser extension is selected and the file is "printed" to PDF, saved with a standard save window. A similar though less sophisticated version has been developed by Adobe and included in the Acrobat package in the form of Acrobat PDFWriter. There are enhancers for Acrobat by Enfocus, PitStop Pro, PowerUp PDF, and WebPerfect PDF, which aid considerably in making Acrobat a much more capable and efficient PDF editor.
     PrintToPDF is the poor man's PDF generator, and it can create PDF's from text, word processing, html (web pages), image files, and the like, but there is little editing control over them like there is with the more expensive applications like Acrobat, InDesign, etc. Using these more advanced tools, images save as PDF out of Photoshop can slip right in place to perfection, and with a few plugs, layered images can make the PDF file a masterpiece of design.
     I created an example, my index page (front door of the web site) using PrintToPDF. Total size of the PDF file is 372k, compared to the sum total of 660k for the page and image files that comprise the original (Mac desktop protocol). While PDF files are often know as a waste of disk space, they can actually be quite economical. The example PDF version has no links assigned to it (which can be done post-conversion in Acrobat) or bookmarks (also done in Acrobat). For the more complex presentations, the more expensive tools are needed. But for a stable and simple PDF file, anyone with a Mac can afford it.
      However, it does allow for a web page, word processing, image, or other publishable files to be transported on a floppy and printed in multiple copies. In essence, it makes for arriving at a remote location with a secure document that is much easier to carry. It can be transported electronically to the remote location, printed, and then distributed, while still retaining the original quality. They are secure, because editing them is not a simple matter, consequently not subject to casual altering. They are difficult to copy, so images retain proof against copyright infringement, supporting the structure for a safe portfolio. Because copies are not being edited in PDF form, once created, they seldom corrupt. The format is stable and the color stays true. They are also multi-lingual capable, with various font options for non-English fonts.
     As electronic documents, which is where PDF has been steadily heading over the last few years, it has bookmark (page thumbnails) navigation, collapsible topic indexing, search, and web links, is browser compatible. Many organizations are now using PDF's as an internet interactive device for present information and allowing feedback at the convenience of the end user. This extends to business, governments, and independent organizations. They make great "hard" catalogs and manuals that can extend to the internet for additional or changing information.
     It is also being used as for e-books with interactive links, a means for unabridging (adding images) to the reading experience. And there are web sites that offer downloadable PDF books for sale. I've encountered one amazing interactive book project where the reader chose the next chapter from multiple links at the end of each document. (As of this writing, not online.) This monumental work contained over a hundred PDF files for a five chapter pyramiding story, with sixty three possible endings throughout chapters three, four, and five. It was as close to a 3D video game as writing gets.
     Because of their stable character, reproduction quality, and electronic transfer capability, they will be around for quite some time. If you haven't encountered Acrobat Reader on installation CD's for use with the manuals, then you should go to Adobe and download a free copy of version 5.0. Odds are that you'll be using it often.




Technique

     Photoshop layers was the feature that catapulted Adobe's flagship graphics editor in front of all the rest in its early days, making it the industry standard and yet to be unseated. The process is relative fundamental and such an integrated part of the Photoshop experience, but so few users have yet to realize the maximum potential. So I've decided to give a basic tutorial for layers in this issue.

     Layers are nothing new. They've been around in vector graphics editors since Mac first hit the desktop. Anyone who has ever used vector graphics knows the commands move to the rear and move to the fore. In essence, these are crude layers. But raster layers go considerably further, employing RGB, alpha channels (transparency), layer modes, masking, and more. The best place to begin is with the layer palette and its menu, accessible through the arrowed button in the upper right.

  

Starting background image

     The palette is the control center of the layer function, and it has many controls to learn in order to master fully. However, the simpler controls are quite easy to learn. The bottom layer is the background, and it is set with no variables, indicated by the locked symbol on the right hand side of the bar. It can only exist in normal mode at 100% opacity. For applications that require a partially transparent image, the background can be deleted. However, such an image can not be saved in any format except Photoshop.
     The four layers I added by clicking on the icon on the bottom row next to the trash can, creating them with 4 simple clicks. These layers are now ready to manipulate with the tool palette. Adding text varies according to version. In versions 2, 3, and 4, the text was raster in nature when applied. In versions 5 and 6, text became a vector object, easy to scale and rescale without quality loss, as well as editability within the image. If it did not turn out quite as planned, it could be changed without starting over from scratch.

  

     The text layer in Photoshop 6 shows the opening words of the text body while it still exists in vector format. I used 48 point Impact here. The font and font size can still be edited within the image while it remains in vector format. Once I go to the Layer menu and choose Rasterize/Type, it loses its editability and the T for text changes back to a regular layer, showing that is set as an image instead of editable text, with the transparency note by the gray and white grid.

     Effects are possible with text, blending them into the image using the various melding options. Bright orange text in 22pt Times was transformed with a 75% opacity using difference mode. Notice how the text changes color with the background. This is a relatively subtle effect compared to some other images.

  

     Each mode has its own properties, and only experience can tell the subtle and not so subtle differences in them. To add to the image, I've taken this map of Africa, reduced its size to fit, selected all but the white background, and added it to the image to just miss the elephant, then switched it to screen mode at 80%, which lightens the image according to the layer. I then moved the map behind the text by dragging the layer in the palette right above the background

  

     You will notice that the Explore Your World! text was further altered by placing the map behind it. For a finishing touch, I added the company logo in 12pt bold Nadianne (my trademark font), and then rasterize it. I added one more layer for a glow affect, which I achieved without plugs in the following manner. I selected all of the layer with the text, and with the move tool selected, I nudged it up one pixel and down one with the arrow keys. This selects everything in the layer that is not transparent. (Very useful tidbit, there.) I then used the Select/Modify/Expand to expand the selection three pixels in this case, then I feathered it 5 pixels to blur the edges of the selection. I then added the new layer and performed a fill (Edit/Fill/Foreground Color) using a bright, pale yellow that mimics gold reflective highlights. I deselected and moved the layer beneath the text layer so that it sits behind the text. I reduced opacity to 50% and switch to screen mode to brighten the background without losing all the detail. Opacity changes the degree of brightness effect in screen mode, as it is already a fully transparent process. I ended up with this palette and image.

   

     Now the image is complete and ready to save. The biggest question I had when I first started doing Photoshop layers is how to get all those layers down to one layer so the image can be saved as other than a Photoshop layer image. For a while, I resorted to screenshots and edited those. But fortunately I learned that the Flatten Image command (in the palette menu and the Layer menu up top) reduced the image to a single layer as shown below.
     If there is the need to edit layers later, saving the image in Photoshop format before flattening is a requirement. Once it is flattened and saved, there is no return by backstepping. Then, after flattening, using Save As allows for changing the format to a JPEG, PICT, BMP, etc without losing the layered image. If a GIF or other Indexed Color format is desired, changing the mode before saving is needed, unless there is a format optimizing plug-in installed that allows the user to automatically skip the mode change from RGB.

  

     These are the basics, but there is much more to it than presented here. However, learning these basics goes a long ways to making the use of layers second nature to where it can be performed without a lot of stride breaking consideration. Experience is the only teacher, and the experience is a fun one. The best aspect of layers is that it allows for the blending of parts from many different graphic applications, greatly expanding the capability for expression and increasing the satisfaction gained from the digital graphic process. There is nothing quite like having all one's tools functioning together as one, and this is why Photoshop remains the industry standard for image editing.