Opening, Creating, and Importing Files


Just as in Photoshop, you can either open existing files in ImageReady or create your own from scratch. In addition, both Photoshop and ImageReady share a feature called Edit In that enables you to easily transfer a file between the two applications with a single click of a button.

Did you Know?

ImageReady also has an Import command (found in the File menu) that enables you to scan images directly or even create an animated file from a folder of separate images.


The Open Dialog Box

As with just about any computer program, you can open a file by choosing File, Open or pressing Command+O (Ctrl+O) to bring up the standard system Open dialog box. As you highlight files in the dialog box, you might or might not see a preview, depending on the file type and what your operating system supports. When you've located the file you want to open, click on the Open button to open the file. You can also open several files at once by holding the Command (Ctrl) key as you click on the different files.

Did you Know?

ImageReady CS2 can open animated GIF files, JPEG files, and many other file formats.


By the Way

ImageReady CS2 does not support Version Cue directly. If you'd like to open a file in ImageReady from a Version Cue project, use the Open With feature in Bridge, or open the file in Photoshop CS2 and then use the Edit in ImageReady button to bring the file into ImageReady CS2. Likewise, when you save the file, use the Edit in Photoshop button to brxsing the file back to Photoshop CS2 so that you can save a version of the file in your Version Cue project. Using the Edit in Photoshop button is covered later in this section. For more information on Version Cue, see Chapter 11, "Using Adobe Version Cue 2."


Creating a New File

To start from scratch and create a new file, choose File, New or press Command+N (Ctrl+N) to access the New Document dialog box (see Figure 6.6). Here you can give your file a name (you can do this later when you actually save the file, too) and choose a size for your file. Because web graphics are always measured in pixels, you can't specify image sizes in inches or any other measurement system. Image resolution is also always set to 72dpi for Web use. Adobe has also included many preset image sizes to choose from (see Figure 6.7). Finally, you can choose whether the first layer of your new image is filled with white, filled with the background color, or left transparent by default.

Figure 6.6. The New Document dialog box.


Figure 6.7. Choosing from a list of predefined image sizes.


By the Way

Unlike Photoshop, ImageReady doesn't allow you to create your own custom document presets to appear in the Image Size pop-up menu.


"Jumping" Between Applications

The truth is, ImageReady is less of a design program and more of a production tool. Although you certainly can design graphics in ImageReady, most designers feel more comfortable using the robust functionality and extended toolset of either Photoshop or Illustrator to design their web graphics. However, when it comes time to actually optimize and produce the final web files, designers take advantage of the powerful tools found in ImageReady. Additionally, ImageReady can add certain functionality to web graphics that Photoshop or Illustrator cannot.

After a design is complete inside Photoshop, you can click on the Edit in ImageReady button (see Figure 6.8) to automatically transfer that file from Photoshop to ImageReady. If ImageReady isn't already launched and running on your computer, Photoshop will take care of that for you as well. You can then edit and work with the file in ImageReady. When you're done, you can either save the file from ImageReady or use ImageReady's Edit in Photoshop button to send the file back to Photoshop.

Figure 6.8. Clicking on the Edit in ImageReady button in Photoshop CS2.


Did you Know?

Although there's no way to automatically move files between Illustrator and ImageReady, you can export Photoshop files directly from Illustrator, and those files can be opened directly in ImageReady. The advantage of exporting a Photoshop file from Illustrator over just opening an Illustrator file in ImageReady directly is that you can preserve layers, transparency, vectors, text, slices, image maps, and a whole lot more through the Photoshop export feature in Illustrator.


With Photoshop and ImageReady, Adobe has structured the files so that only the changes you make to a file are transferred between the two applications (rather than the entire file). This can save lots of time, especially when you're working with complex files.



Sams Teach Yourself Adobe Creative Suite 2 All in One
Sams Teach Yourself Creative Suite 2 All in One
ISBN: 067232752X
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 225
Authors: Mordy Golding

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