Date post: | 10-May-2015 |
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PR1 Efficient Workflow for Production and Editorial Kim Latreille, Digital Media Consultant @kim_elle
Here is today’s topic:
Learn how you can integrate and streamline the process to make the whole magazine produc:on cycle easier and more efficient, preven:ng nail-‐bi:ng stress for everyone as deadlines begin to loom.
My best advice:
The only way to prevent nail-‐bi:ng is to get a good manicure.
Why listen to me?
• 20 years experience in a rapidly changing environment
• Magazine hoarder • Closet geek/technology lover • Prefers to do things once • Pet peeve – backtracking • Capable of the odd joke
Some publica:ons I’ve worked on:
Screen size varia,ons Delivery file format varia,ons No file standards
What makes workflow difficult?
It’s the stuff nightmares are made of.
Another problem is language.
• “Print side” versus “Web side” • CMYK versus RGB • 300 dpi versus 72 ppi • Inches versus pixels • PDF versus PNG • Which route is be^er? • Where do tablet edi:ons fit then? They are a digital product…
What’s common to both?
HTML (or HyperText Markup Language) Defini,on: a set of standards, used to tag the elements of a hypertext document. It is a text descrip:on language that is used for electronic publishing, especially on the web. So what about publishing in any format isn’t electronic?
Who has heard these terms to describe magazine workflow?
• Print-‐Centric • Web-‐Centric • Mobile-‐Centric • Content-‐Centric • Any thoughts on which of these might make the most sense?
It depends on who you ask.
• A print produc:on person – Print-‐Centric • A interac:ve webby guy – Web-‐Centric • A few industry analysts – Mobile-‐Centric • An idealist – Content-‐Centric
In fact, this slide claims to represent a “prac:cal HTML5 magazine workflow”:
Source: h^p://www.slideshare.net/mkowalski1/developing-‐a-‐prac:cal-‐html5-‐magazine-‐workflow
Uh, where’s the printed magazine?
Where then, do we go from here?
• Unfortunately, the idealist’s Content-‐Centric workflow does not exist
• Print-‐Centric workflow is the one being used by most publishers
• Publishers are either: – Too heavily invested in exis:ng technology – Unwilling to shid to a new way of thinking
• Or both
Let’s dig into Print-‐Centric.
• Most publishers are knee-‐deep in legacy systems and technology – CMS such as K4, Woodwing – Adobe InDesign – QuarkXpress
• Publishers s:ll rely on print for almost 90% of their revenue
• Not surprising they think “print first”
Condé Nast and Adobe
h^p://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34f13csGLIs • Condé Nast uses Adobe Digital Publishing Suite to produce enhanced digital edi:ons of their printed magazine
• Their approach is typical of many publishers who think “print first”
The typical digital edi:on is sta:c.
• Most publishers have edi:ons on digital newsstands
• Many publishers choose print circula:on distributor rela:onships to get onto digital newsstands
• CDS Global • Dis:cor
• More oden than not, these edi:ons are replicas of print edi:ons created from single page PDFs
Alterna:ve solu:ons:
• Solu:ons exist that allow publishers to use print PDF files to create digital edi:ons – Issuu – 3Dissue – Uniflip – Zinio – VirtualPaper – Turnit – Adobe Publishing Suite – Texterity
• DIY advantage – maintains control of your product
• Pricing and tools vary
Great digital DIY examples:
• The Kit h^p://www.thekit.ca/ – Started as a digital-‐only publica:on – Originally built in partnership with Texterity
• Covet Garden h^p://covetgarden.com/ – A digital magazine accessed on their website – Uses an embedded viewer or open on iPad – Created using Issuu
Delivering files for digital edi:ons:
• The majority use print PDF files to create the digital edi:on
• Re-‐rip the PDF to tablet viewer specifica:ons – Resolu:on, RGB colour-‐space – Create a jpeg file – Two files delivered for each page
• PDF for zooming in • jpeg for fast view
To find efficiency, I start here.
• Build a smart workflow – Address requirements for all edi:ons/plalorms
• Automate pain points – Sodware and script within applica:ons
• Share resources across plalorms – Mul:purpose content as much as possible
Finding efficiency across plaYorms requires a bit more crea,vity.
Crea:ng PDF files is the easy part.
• Using any design applica:on: – PDFX-‐1a is a standard senng – Customized job op:on senngs can be imported to accommodate digital edi:on vendor’s PDF file specifica:ons
• If your premedia process is automated, both print and digital edi:on files can be created simultaneously
• PDF files can be created, named and delivered to each vendor/supplier
Now the job is done, so what?
• We have two iden:cal sta:c edi:ons of the magazine, one print and one digital
• Enhancing the sta:c digital edi:on pages happens once the PDF files are uploaded to the vendor
• Typically, you can enhance by adding: – URL links – Sound clips – Embedded video
Some might call that boring or a waste of the plaYorm’s biggest asset – digital capability.
Evidence of the boring factor. Source: h^p://deadtreeedi:on.blogspot.ca/
Some applica:ons are more flexible.
• Adobe Digital Publishing Suite, Woodwing and Virtual Publisher are all print/digital edi:on Content Management Systems
• Each works with InDesign within the CMS and allows the designer to: – create versions for mul:ple plalorms – view on mul:ple device templates
• CMS can manage internal workflow and integrate editorial with ad material
Be^er controlled expecta:ons.
Allows designer to view the layout on various screen sizes and tweak if necessary.
Some magazine content is published on websites.
• There are a few ways to make that happen: – You can cut and paste – Someone else can cut and paste
• Unfortunately, with all this terrific technology, and the whole publishing process being digital, in a Print-‐Centric workflow – this is the best cross-‐plalorm solu:on we’ve got.
To bridge the gap.
• Some website developers have created sodware to help you manage content: – Agility CMS – Wordpress – Squarespace
There are several more, but Agility is very ac,ve with publishers, will customize their solu,on and help clients get rolling.
S:ll, it’s cut and paste.
• To avoid cut and paste, there are ways to take copy from InDesign and plop it into Wordpress. – PageZepher from Markzware indexes content and exports to Wordpress
– Export from InDesign as XML and import into Wordpress (this ac:on can be automated)
But it ain’t pre]y. A lot of work needs to be done by the web editor.
Images are another thing.
• Automa:on can be used share resources between print and web
• Scrip:ng sodware such as Enfocus Powerswitch can be set up to convert image files, then deliver them to web editors – CMYK to RGB – 300dpi to 72ppi (or whatever is required) – Determine flow based on file type
• .ai goes through Illustrator • anything else through Photoshop
Could it be easier?
• Yes • A content-‐centric approach could benefit all plalorms, but applica:ons to support that workflow for print edi:ons do not exist
• Not to men:on dyed-‐in-‐the-‐wool print tradi:onalists – convincing them to change is like pulling teeth
Is it possible to work another way?
• Who knows what responsive design is? • Consider responsive design templates and how that works
• HTML5, CSS and tagging content – HyperText Markup Language – Cascading Style Sheets
• Different styles can be applied depending on the output device being used
• Digital versions can be different from printed versions, designers can tailor the presenta:on of elements for each plalorm
Responsive – you’ve been served.
Elements are served depending on screen dimensions, pixels per inch.
Torontoist website is responsive.
• Elements are reconfigured depending on what device you are viewing the website on
• Try it on your desktop, mobile device, tablet • Try Chatelaine.com too
And why not a page of a magazine?
• Depends on who you ask • Allows for content focus, i.e. Content-‐Centric • Some edi:ng would be required
– Audience considera:ons • Yet, for moving content around in a workflow for mul:ple devices, tagging would be an ideal solu:on
• Thoughts?
Ques:ons?
• Fire away • Who is seeing Wes Bos this adernoon? • Thank you for listening • Keep in touch:
[email protected] Twi^er: @kim_elle h^p://kimlatreille.tumblr.com