4 replies to this topic

[Francis S.]

Does anyone know of a good source for using Acrobat as a multimedia map presentation tool (for lack of a better term)? I'm thinking of it the way someone in the forums put it: a 'poor man's Flash'. Acrobat 7 Standard doesn't come with a manual - just the somehow difficult Help screens. I have 'Tips & Tricks - The 150 Best', but I need something aimed more at the mapmaker/graphic artist. For example, decisions like choosing between commenting, attaching, embedding and bookmarking are confusing.

Any leads?

Also, would upgrading to Pro from Standard be a good idea? Standard seems to lack tools like Sound and Movie.

Thanks,
Francis

[benbakelaar]

I can't speak to your question on comments/attachments/embedding/bookmarking, but I can say that using the Layers feature is quite useful when saving a GIS-produced map from Illustrator. Particularly to let client's experiment with multiple versions of a single layer, which may contain different symbology, annotations, etc. Get some of the design choices quicker that way - offer 3 versions, pick one, instead of back and forth three times!

Also, yes you are correct, upgrading to Pro will give you those audio/video capabilities.

[Francis S.]

I tried the layers export from Acrobat 7.0 Standard and it worked well, except that the layer order was reversed! The map displays properly, it's just that the topmost layer is on the bottom of the list and visa versa. Arg. Another thing is that ALL the layers come through (with On/Off intact), and I see no provision to delete layers in Acrobat Standard, nor any way to prevent a specific layer output from within Illustrator.

Acrobat 8 Pro is on order, so maybe these issues will be addressed.

Good idea on the client presentation aspect of layers!

Francis

[benbakelaar]

Francis, yes the order is reversed. Should have remembered to mention that!

As for layers, yes also true. When I am creating a layered PDF, I export from ESRI, then remove the layers I don't want from Illustrator before "save as PDF" in Illustrator. In other words, my AI exported file is useless on its own - its just for pre-formatting before saving it to PDF.

Actually, I just realized you aren't using Illustrator... are you printing to PDF direct from ArcView?

[Francis S.]

My route is ususally from ArcView (PC) for data assembly to Illustrator 9 (PC) to Freehand 9 (PC) to Freehand 9 (MacOS9), where I do the editing, then right into EPS or PDF. But as the winds of change are a blowin' it will soon be ArcView (PC) to Illustrator 9 (PC) to IllustratorCS2 (MacOSX) to EPS or PDF.

Thanks for the 'layer info'. Perhaps someone knows of a 'reverse layers order' script for CS2.