Photoshop help (catalog)

[Sheldon]

Okay i am creating a catalog book for items for selling. First time doing this i am just asking form suggestion in how to start.

I am thinking 8.5x11 layout and just keep creating new layers for each item topic, well that what i am thinking.

My questions.

1. Do u know any templates i can use just in case
2. Do u know any tutorials i could use
3. Just i just stop worrying a design like i design flyer and just keep creating new layers.

Basically i just want guidelines in how to create a catalog book. thx

[urstwile]

Do not do the entire thing in Photoshop for starters. Do you have any page layout software that you can use? Like InDesign or Quark?

[Ned]

^^Ditto that. We can't really directly you to tutorials on how to create a catalogue book in Photoshop, when Photoshop is simply not a program for designing catalogues in.

Secondly, once you start with the right application, you will still need to be way more specific. What you're asking is like asking an interior decorator, "How do I decorate my kitchen?"

First of all, we need to know what kind of effect, style, and look you're looking for.

[Ovaltine]

Definately use a page layout program like Quark or Indesign (as previously stated).

If you want all your images to be the same size etc, Photoshop is great for this, just use the "actions" pallet to speed things up. (This works well if you're selling, for example, scrapbook paper, stickers, towels, napkins etc-simmilarly sized things with different designs on them)

I don't know of any templates, I generally take into account the visual nature of the products and design around that. Think the whole thing through first. Use basic grids for consistancy. Use master pages (so it's easier to make changes to recurring items, and for numbering the pages). Use style sheets for paragraphs (so changing fonts, leading, kerning, etc isn't such a headache).

[Typically]

please don't do it in photoshop. i'd use indesign over quark just because i don't have quark =] i don't know if there are templates for catalogs. your best bet is to look at other catalogs of similar products and see how they lay there stuff out. if they had templates for everything what fun would designing be?

[Sheldon]

Mhm kk i check out those programs guess i see the price tag :( (thought photoshop could do everything)

[Typically]

nope photoshop is mostly for photos hence the name. if you tried doing a catalog in photshop you'd have a 1970 gig file that would crash the printers computer almost guaranteed

[Sheldon]

LOL kk thx for advice all , by the way is there any plugin or a way to make light shining from the words for phtoshop. Itry the blur, and radial but it doesnt look how i want it took look.

respect

[Ovaltine]

You'll drive yourself insane doing it in Photoshop. Not to mention the headache I'm sure the printer would have with it. Large Photoshop files take what seems like an eternity to rip. It's pretty easy to get one letter-sized page huge, much less an entire catalog's worth of pages.

Photoshop is superb for what it was designed to do-pixel based art. But Illustrator and Freehand do a far better job of what they were designed to do-vector based art.
Similarly, Quark and Indesign were created specifically for page layout.

For the same reason you shouldn't try to use ExCel to draw a picture, you shouldn't use Photoshop to layout a catalog.

[Ovaltine]

LOL kk thx for advice all , by the way is there any plugin or a way to make light shining from the words for phtoshop. Itry the blur, and radial but it doesnt look how i want it took look.

respect

Bevel/emboss?

Not sure what you're going for. ? Try using the pen tool to draw a perspective type selection where you want the light, blur the selection, then gradiant fill it. ?

[Ned]

Mmmmm... I'm sure plugins exist for that, but we all do that by technique instead. The only place where a professional designer would likely use a plugin for a shining light effect would be in After Effects (for motion graphics).

It's very simple to do... You can no doubt find a tutorial; and if not, I could give you a quick run through on how to do it. Maybe try looking into this book here: http://www.howtocheatinphotoshop.com/
This guy (Steve Chaplin) provides some of the most effective, easy-to-use techniques for this sort of thing, that I've found yet in print.

[budafist]

I work for a printing company and I know that if someone gave me a catalogue to impose and print all in Photoshop I would want to smash someone.

Photoshop is for photo editing. You can also use it for digital illustrations. Multipage documents with text should not be done in Photoshop.

Just had to drive that advice home.

[Sheldon]

oki dokie, thx u again :D

[Drazan]

If you have never done design, and don't know the programs also expect a bit of a learning curve. And depending on how fast you learn the catalog could take quite a while to finish.

If you open up any random catalog there are a couple things to note. There are hardly any "effects" in the titles and images. Not saying that it still can't be creative, but for anything that you want perfectly readable you'll want to use the vectore (flat) lettering. Typing out the letting in InDesign will be in vector and have no pixelation upon print.

All files need to be set up at 300dpi, and if the background image or color goes to the edge of the page - you'll need to set up a bleed. Also talk to the printer to see if they have page setup recomendations. (honestly though, they don't have a lot of time to answer questions and don't ask them about design questions).

If you are going to use gradients or effects in any program that is not flattened it also may cause issues when you send it to the printer.

Color should be in CMYK - photoshop default is in RGB as your screen is in RGB. They are two different color sets and what works in RGB may shift color when printed.

If this is really important to your business and sales - why not hire an experienced designer to do this? If you are doing this freelance, then what's best for the client should override the "cool personal effects" that you might think is neat.

[Sheldon]

Wow u guys are helpfull okay i am going to do it, any dead ends and i post under this thread.

[Ned]

Cool. We'd like to see what you do, and we'll be glad to help you out alnog the way. :)