Recommended graphic file format for single-sourcing from Frame to Robohelp?

[Fred Ridder]

I think you're still missing one point. It shouldn't be a matter of "which one" because each is an optimum solution for a different set of circumstances. For line art, anything containing text, or any kind of images generated by a computer program (and yes, this includes the kind of screen captures with gradients that John refers to), PNG will produce better looking results. For *photographic* images (i.e., something that actually exists and that was imaged through a lens), JPEG may produce a result that looks no worse and has a smaller file size than PNG. 
 
-Fred Ridder
 



From: virginia.morgan at takesolutions.com
To: jsgammato at IMPRIVATA.com; grant at hedgewizard.net
Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2012 09:37:01 -0500
Subject: RE: Recommended graphic file format for single-sourcing from Frame to Robohelp?
CC: framers at lists.frameusers.com






Thanks to all of you who responded for your input. It sounds like .jpg or .png will be the way to go – I will have to do more research and experimentation to determine which. I am only at the beginning of this process, but I appreciate pointing me in the right direction.
 
Thank you for the recommendation for the image converter, which will be incredibly useful for converting legacy documents I am sure. FWIW, there is no option to not include text, as the most important information in the graphics is the text from the screenshots: names of fields, etc. I don’t think there’s any way around that. 
 
Any other experience/advice is appreciated. My recent graphic design experience has also led me to conclude that .jpgs work well for much more than photos, but the main reason we didn’t use them in old versions of FrameMaker (6.0 and before) even with photos was that we got the “ugly gray box” which was annoying since you couldn’t see your output until you produced a PDF. I’m assuming that “feature” is no longer the case? Like John, I would prefer to work with .jpgs if they produced the result I need. (Working in Windows XP, Frame10 currently.)
 
Thanks again, 
Virginia
 


From: John Sgammato [mailto:jsgammato at IMPRIVATA.com] 
Sent: Sunday, January 15, 2012 9:48 PM
To: 'grant at hedgewizard.net'; Virginia Morgan
Cc: framers at lists.frameusers.com
Subject: RE: Recommended graphic file format for single-sourcing from Frame to Robohelp?
 
With all due respect to my colleagues on this forum, IMO the line between JPG and other formats is no longer as neat as it once was. Many screenshots in Win 7 require gradients that JPG handles well. IMO anything that a photo can handle might not be so far removed as you might think from basic screen captures, We are no longer in the cartoony Win 3.x world. 
And since AFAIK FrameMaker still imports eleventyhundred colors with every .PNG file, I do not see why a PNG with its headaches is superior to the no-longer-extant difficulties of the .JPG format.
Craving enlightenment…
john 		 	   		  
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