Comments on: Copy-and-Paste vs. Place

By: David Blatner

David Blatner — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 02:25:16 +0000

If you cannot import one image, it usually means something is wrong with it. Try to open the file in Photoshop and do a Save As. That typically “fixes” it.

By: al

al — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 02:20:26 +0000

i have a problem with a picture place in indesign.
i have put 40 pictures into my book, and this i cant.
i don’t know why this picture is so special.
what is the problem? what kind of picture (this one is jpg, and i allready have jpg inside my book) indesign do not support?

By: David Blatner

David Blatner — Mon, 26 May 2008 19:54:37 +0000

I’m not sure what the problem could be, Brian. Have you tried rebuilding your preferences? (see Popular Posts in the navigation area.)

By: Brian QUinn

Brian QUinn — Mon, 26 May 2008 19:43:41 +0000

I’m trying to drag and drop, or copy and paste, vector items from Illustrator CS2 to Indesign CS2 (Max OSX). Every time, InDesign crashes. The only way I can import is to place, which leaves them rasterised and uneditable No one else I’ve spoken to has this problem. Any ideas out there…?

By: Matt S.

Matt S. — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 19:46:47 +0000

Thanks for your input Michael and David! I think you’re definitely right, it’s not worth the risk. I was just curious about that.

The particular vector file that I’m working on isn’t very complex but there are a lot of paths. It’s more or less a map.

By: David Blatner

David Blatner — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 15:58:15 +0000

No, I agree with you, Michael. Use each program for what it’s good for. Complex art should stay in Illustrator. It’s so incredibly easy to option/alt-double-click on the art to open it back up in Illustrator. It’s just not worth the risk of putting all your eggs in one basket.

By: Michael Murphy

Michael Murphy — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 14:25:56 +0000

Matt — As far as I know, changing the threshhold for vector data in InDesign is not an available option. When you say “large” I’m assuming you mean a large amount of vector information, not a big simple vector graphic. The two things that concern me about bringing in large amounts of vector data are (a) loss of Illustrator-specific features that InDesign doesn’t support, and (b) manageability of that vector data within InDesign.

I love that I can bring a vector shape from Illustrator into my layouts via copy-and-paste, and then change the transparency, stroke, fill, etc. without having to make multiple external versions. However, InDesign handles vectors in a more clunky way than Illustrator, so complex vector work becomes harder to manage, not easier…at least in my experience.

But I’m sure our resident die-hards — David, Anne-Marie, and Sandee (Vector Babe) Cohen — have some opinions, theories, or workarounds…so I’ll open up this discussion to them as well. Any thoughts, folks?

By: Matt S.

Matt S. — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 13:48:05 +0000

Is there a way to paste large vector data into indesign? I can obviously paste an .ai file but many times I would rather have more flexibility inside indesign rather than moving back and forth between programs. I didn’t know if there was a way to increase the maximum amount of vector data before it cuts you off and converts it to an .eps. Any thoughts on this??

Thanks,

By: Jeff

Jeff — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 14:30:25 +0000

In addition, I have had issues when copy and pasting raster images from Photoshop to InDesign and then exporting to PDF. The PDF that is produced has horrible horizontal artifacts through the images. When placing the same images, those artifacts are gone. I haven’t explored this thoroughly but thought maybe someone might have come across the same problem. The copy/paste-save-to-pdf method is great for sending off drafts and I would love for it to work properly. Any ideas?
Thanks.

By: saeid

saeid — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 12:28:31 +0000

In freehand when we embed an image we can edit it with external image editor (like photoshop) or extract it. In indesign we can unembed an embeded linked file If original file’s name and location not changed. but there is no this capability in AI.