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Author Topic: Cool PDFs: How do I do it?  (Read 1410 times)

Helen Ohmiras

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Cool PDFs: How do I do it?
« on: 16 Oct 2011, 01:09 »
If I wanted to make a cool looking .pdf format file, something similar to this, how exactly would I do that?  Any and all help appreciated!
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Lyn Farel

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Re: Cool PDFs: How do I do it?
« Reply #1 on: 16 Oct 2011, 04:28 »
100% photoshop, then exported in pdf format.

In any case, you can probably use other image softwares, but I am not sure they all have the possibility to export in pdf.
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Mithfindel

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Re: Cool PDFs: How do I do it?
« Reply #2 on: 16 Oct 2011, 05:33 »
There are PDF printers, so whatever you can put on paper you can put on PDF. Looking at the specific example, it has text, a few pictures (logos), a border pattern (the "bar-code" like stuff in the sides) and a background image. In the old days, the software of choice for things like that would've been Corel Draw, no idea about modern software.
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Marcus Gord

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Re: Cool PDFs: How do I do it?
« Reply #3 on: 16 Oct 2011, 12:20 »
For making PDFs, I use cutepdf writer. It shows up as a printer, you just print a file as normal, selecting cutepdf as the printer.

I think you can find it on download.com.
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Stormcrows.

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Horatius Caul

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Re: Cool PDFs: How do I do it?
« Reply #4 on: 17 Oct 2011, 05:48 »
Photoshop is passable. Adobe InDesign or equivalent in combination with Photoshop would be the best though, as it has actual layout tools.
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Lyn Farel

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Re: Cool PDFs: How do I do it?
« Reply #5 on: 17 Oct 2011, 10:29 »
Oh sure, but you start to sound extremely professional :p
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Helen Ohmiras

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Re: Cool PDFs: How do I do it?
« Reply #6 on: 17 Oct 2011, 18:13 »
In other words I'm completely out of my element in pursuing this, at least in the short term.  :P  Thanks for the input!
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Mithfindel

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Re: Cool PDFs: How do I do it?
« Reply #7 on: 19 Oct 2011, 05:36 »
Pretty sure you could practice with, say, a word processor. Not the optimal tool, but they usually are somewhat easy to use and come with templates. CCP (allegedly) has professional artists employed, so your first try doesn't need to compete with what they produce. Usually you cannot break your computer with that stuff, so you can fiddle as much as you want with them.

Is worth repeating: Whatever you can put on paper, you can put on PDF via CutePDF, PDF Maker and other PDF printers. At least a few of them even allow to add background images and text after the file is sent to the PDF software (i.e. "TOP SECRET" "stamps" and things like that).

So sure, you can use Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign and Adobe Acrobat Pro. Or you could as well use GIMP (bitmap editing), Inkscape (vector graphics), Scribus (layout) and PDFCreator (conversion to PDF).
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Helen Ohmiras

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Re: Cool PDFs: How do I do it?
« Reply #8 on: 19 Oct 2011, 07:45 »
Well, I'll stick with a "normal" PDF file for what I'm planning.  I'm a bit impatient when learning new programs.  I'll play around with GIMP in the meantime, and brush up on my layout skills for anything else I may want to work on after this.  Thanks again for the input!
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Horatius Caul

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Re: Cool PDFs: How do I do it?
« Reply #9 on: 20 Oct 2011, 15:29 »
Quote from: Lyn Farel on 17 Oct 2011, 10:29
Oh sure, but you start to sound extremely professional :p
Well, it is what I do for a living...
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