Datasheet

Using native le formats
e old QuarkXPress workow
required you to keep at least two
versions of each graphic le: a
layered, native Photoshop or
Illustrator document as well as a
aened version, usually stored
as a , , or .
InDesign supports these formats,
but also lets you import native ver-
sions. Using the native Photoshop
() and Illustrator (AI) le
formats may signicantly reduce
your le-management overhead,
save disk space, and streamline
your workow.
For example, you can place 
les directly into your InDesign
layouts. Aer placing a Photoshop
image into a layout, you can mod-
ify it within InDesign by cropping or
scaling it, or by turning layers and
layer comps on or o.
InDesign preserves transparency
in Photoshop les, including so
edges. No maer what technique
you use—paths, masks, or alpha
channels—InDesign can read, dis-
play, and output the image.
InDesign even lets you place and
separate  les that contain 3D
artwork or spot colors, including
duotone images.
You can also control the visibility
of layers when you place -com-
patible Illustrator (AI) les and lay-
ered  les.
Select Show Import Options when
placing native les to control how
the les are imported. For example,
when importing an AI or  le,
the Import Options dialog box lets
you choose which pages or art-
boards to place, whether to crop
the artwork or include its bleed
area, which layers you want vis-
ible, and whether the background
should be considered transparent
or opaque.
When placing a native  le, the
Import Options dialog box lets
you choose which layers or layer
comps to show, whether to apply
an embedded clipping path, which
 color prole to apply to the
image, and even which channel to
use as a transparency mask for the
document.
If you’ve selected dierent layers
or layer comps in placed  les
in your layouts, be sure to let your
printer know. Some printers at-
ten  les as part of their work-
ow, which would not give you the
results you want. Of course, this is
irrelevant if you are sending 
les to your printer.
Tip:
IMPORTING INDESIGN FILES
You can import native InDesign (INDD)
documents into other InDesign les,
eliminating the need for an intermedi-
ate PDF le. When you place an INDD
le, InDesign treats it like a layered PDF
document, so you can choose which
page or pages to import, and you can
turn on and o layers. When you pack-
age your document, all placed images
and fonts in the original INDD le are
also collected properly.
26 Adobe InDesign CS5 | Conversion Guide