graphic format mac vs pc

[stuhanna]

I created a 40 page user guide for my solution using the "Grab" screenshot feature new to OSX.(it creates .tiff files)the thing looks beautiful..until I open with a PC. Each of the 200 or so graphics displays, instead, "Quick Time and TIFF(LZW) decompressor are needed to see this picture"

Please tell me I don't have to go in and convert all those gfx files to jpegs...there must be another way! Thanks in advance

[stanley]

Stuhanna:

Ah, the joy of working in the Windows world... you've got to make sure your guide is openable on any Windows PC, which means, in my opinion, turning the whole guide into a PDF.

-Stanley

[Zero Tolerence]

Sorry! I belive that the best practice is to save all Graphics to be used in a DB as a .PNG myself. The good news is, you can probably set up an applescript or folder action to do all the conversion for you, you would just have to put all the graphics in a certain folder.

Or, as stanley says, you can just turn your Guide into a PDF, which works great.

Edited October 25, 2005 by Guest

[stanley]

Stuhanna:

I didn't even think of it - you mean the graphics are within a FileMaker solution, right? If so, then yes, you'll have to convert the graphics files to ensure cross-platform compatibility...

-Stanley

[stuhanna]

HMMM...this all makes me a bit sad. I had thuroughly intened to make the pdf help guide from the interal help as an alternative...maybe that'll hve to sufice for now...until maybe I create that conversion script on the mac.

thanks

[Kent Searight]

I belive that the best practice is to save all Graphics to be used in a DB as a .PNG myself.

Why is that the best practice? Are there advantages to using .PNG in a database? Any cross platform issues you know of?

[Zero Tolerence]

I say that because of a few reasons.

1. They do look the same cross platform.

2. .Png files keep their transparency when imported into FM, I believe, that when I tried this with a .gif, it did not. (I'm a photoshop newbie so I could have just had settings wrong.)

Most of my UI graphics (buttons/icons) require transparency, so I always just save all my graphics as a .png, and have never had any problems with them.

[pjdodd]

Tiff file formats come in two varieties - mac and pc format.

In Photoshop you can save a tiff file with pc format and therefore windows and macs can open them.

Tiff files from the Grab feature are mac only (naturally) so if you want both platforms to see them, batch convert them using Photoshop. The filesize will remain the same.