WORKING WITH PSD FILES

One of InDesign's strengths has been its support for placing native Photoshop documents. When you don't export your Photoshop document to another file format, you're able to preserve many of the Photoshop settings.

Here are some of the things you should know about how InDesign deals with Photoshop PSD files:

• You have a choice when you place images with embedded ICC color profiles. InDesign will read the color profile, or you can choose to overwrite it with the color profile of your choice on the Color tab of the Import Options dialog. Changing the color profile upon import does not alter the color profile of the original Photoshop document. Remember that you must have the Show Import Options check box selected in the Place dialog when you place the file to choose another color profile.

• Alpha channels, masks, or paths applied to Photoshop images are preserved in InDesign. These can then be used to create text wraps around objects or delete backgrounds after they are placed.

• Any spot color channels in the original Photoshop document creates that spot color swatch in InDesign's Swatches palette after the graphic is imported. The spot color must be one InDesign recognizes, or it will display as a gray in the document. In that case it will not print correctly on composites (on your office's color laser printer, for example), but the color will separate correctly when film or plates are made by a commercial printer.

• PSD files are not flattened when they are importeda new feature in InDesign CS2. Because layers are preserved, you can hide layers or view layer comps in InDesign.

To work with layered Photoshop documents:

1.	Choose File, Place.
2.	Choose your document. Make sure that the Show Import Options check box is selected in the Place dialog.
3.	In the Import Options dialog, check Show Preview so you can see the effects of your choices (see Figure 28.5). Figure 28.5. Layers and layer comps in placed PSD files can be shown or hidden based on your import option choices.
4.	Toggle the eye icon next to a specific layer under Show Layers to show or hide the layer.
5.	If your PSD graphic contains layer comps, use the Layer Comp pop-up menu in the Image Import Options dialog to select the layer state you want to import.

If you want to work with the layer options after you import the file instead of during the placing process, select the graphic on your page and choose Object, Object Layer Options to display the Object Layer Options dialog.