Hi Joseph,
Wonder if you would consider a live session on working with AP3 and iBook Author?
We are working on a marketing program that would consist of a photoshoot, interview with a client and then providing an ebook they can use as a marketing piece.
Client: Landscape Gardener, Images, text, voice, video clips, inserted in pages. We tell the story. They then can show to potential clients.
Client: Beauty Consultant. Images, text, voice, video clips, product shots, testimonials. (this one has potential for added sales, as she will certainly show it to her customers, who have businesses with similar needs).
iBook Author is such an easy templated system we don't have to worry over the design.
Any ideas? Comments?
David,
I’m not sure what I’d cover to be honest… I actually recently finished recording an entire training series on iBooks Author for video2brain not that long ago, which should be out next month I believe. But as far as working within Aperture, the only real tip I can give you is to create previews at 100% to drag into iBooks, so you don’t end up with the mistake I initially did — making a book with too-low resolution images for the Retina display. You never know what will come next, so at this point I say just add images at full rez and let iBooks Author sort it out. Yes your production file will be bigger, but the actual output should be sized appropriately.
For previews, I generate mine manually, set the size to “don’t limit”, and as I need one I hit my keyboard shortcut to render (shift-return in my case) and then drag it into iBooks Author. Works a treat.
Tell me more about what you’re doing, it sounds interesting. If you prefer to take it offline, just email me.
@PhotoJoseph
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Joseph,
if you use the Media Browser in iBooks, doesn’t it just resize as appropriate for you? It does in Pages, Keynote and iWeb. The Media Browser is a strong argument for the Apple apps AFAIC.
Grant
Grant,
The Media Browser just gives you access to whatever files you’ve made preview for, and at whatever size you created them. If you make full size previews, or tiny previews, that’s what shows up in the Media Browser.
Likewise if you don’t have a preview generated for an image, it won’t show up there.
I prefer to just use Aperture directly to drag images into my books, slideshows, etc. I’d rather use the full Aperture interface to find the photo I want, then drag those into the book. Click, drag, command-tab to switch apps, and drop. If you have two screens then it’s even easier — Aperture on one, iBooks Author on the other.
@PhotoJoseph
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Hmmm.
I guess because virtually all my final files are tiffs, I can just drag a tiff in from the Media Browser and Pages or whatever, does the necessary to the output. In fact, I’ve just recently made a PDF for 4-colour and it was so easy in Pages. I could hardly believe it. I don’t normally get involved in this area. All I had to do was make my layout and drag the images into the placeholders, then export to PDF. The PDF was perfect.
Grant,
The images in the media browser shouldn’t be TIFs, just the JPEG previews. Are you sure you’re accessing TIF files from there?
-Joseph
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I had no idea how the Media Browser handled that. You can drag anything in from it .. tiff, raw, dng, but it’s only the preview, as you say, that is actually used. I guess because I use a high quality preview setting, it seems fine. To date it’s only been web and on-screen presentations, but I shall look very carefully at the 4-colour job next week when I see the proofs.
Do you know whether or not, when you make a book in Aperture and you save/export to pdf, Aperture generates new jpegs according to the layout, or does it just use the existing previews ?
Grant,
When making a book, Aperture always goes to the RAW. You are NOT dragging in previews when making a book inside of Aperture. You don’t need to have previews generated. You’re always working with the source whenever you are in Aperture.
-Joseph
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Joseph, what do you mean when you say “When making a book, Aperture always goes to the RAW”?
My understanding would be that Aperture would use RAW+adjustments and then render what ever detail is necessary for the print, correct?
Jan,
Yes, sorry for the confusion. What I mean is that Aperture will render the final PDF from the RAW file (plus adjustments, of course). It won’t be building a PDF from the JPG preview files.
-Joseph
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Thanks for the clarification Joseph!
Hi Joseph,
You’re probably right, the integration Aperture to iBook Author is pretty limited as it stands. I let Aperture create the Previews, (not sure how at the moment I am going to work with the ‘use RAW preview), just lazy I think.
It’s interesting to note that the English Mag “ICreate” had an article on using iBool Author for scrapbooking and pointed out a few things that we had already been working on and I touched on in the first mail.
It is issue 106, and in the one previously on their ‘free’ disc, there were some cool AP3 plugins from Aperture Expert. Super!
As Photographers (I am part of a co-op group of image makers) we are trying to find new ways to make images available for clients. And to broaden out how that might look to the end user.
Hence the concept of a themed book has once again come up.
I (we), have used the Books feature of Aperture a number of times for car club events and rallies and horse events. Do the shoot, produce a book show it round and make sales.
The concept of being able to work in iBooks Author seems to be a follow on from that.
The one thing I did learn is that it doesn’t have to go to the Apple Store, I can email the ebook, and then it will be ‘loaded’ right into the book case. (and subsequently emailed by the client to their contacts) ((This is the part I think will be the marketing power of it all as it will hopefully spread).
Yes, AP3 does export a Book in a pdf, but an ebook has heaps of interactive elements that make so attractive for those with ipad/itouch units. Just adds more to the ‘book’ experience.
The more I think about it, you’re right. It is an Aperture site, and the peripherals are really ours to explore.
We’ll keep experimenting.
DJ
David,
A connection between iBooks Author and Aperture that was more like making books in Aperture, were you can edit a photo that’s already placed, could be nice but honestly I don’t think that will ever happen. It’s too much work for too little benefit. As I outlined how I do it, instead of using the crummy little image browser thing, I just drag directly from Aperture. It’s really easy if you get the shortcuts down.
Remember that according to iBooks Author’s ULA, you are not permitted to SELL iBooks except through the iBook Store. You can give them away, but not sell them. I’m not a fan of it but I see the logic, and the app itself is free. And I don’t see Apple policing this for little folks, but they would definitely not permit a Peachpit from selling iBooks directly.
@PhotoJoseph
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