Digital Slides - Using Quark

Quark is a popular page-layout tool that is widely used to create composite pages of figures and text. Not a graphics-creation program but a powerful publishing tool, Quark can produce high-quality EPS files from pre-existing text and image files which will make beautiful 35mm slides when processed through the Digital Media Center's Sapphire film recorder. The cost per slide is currently $4.00.

Although the design and electronic construction of each 35mm slide is performed entirely by the end-user, the actual output and processing is done by DMC staff. After creating an image file and placing it in the appropriate network directory, the user submits an order via the DMC Online Order System .

Unlike a graphics program such as Canvas or Photoshop, Quark does not actually embed images within the documents it creates. Instead, it links them to low-resolution proxies displayed on-screen, and keeps track of the original files in a database contained in each Quark document. Indeed, a Quark file is little more than a specially organized database of its text and image contents. When a Print command is received, a Quark file gathers and combines information from each of its constituent parts and passes it on. For this reason it is imperative that these constituent files not be capriciously moved or renamed.

Quark can import TIFF, EPS, Word 6 and basic text files. All Photoshop and JPEG files must be converted to TIFF format, and all Canvas, Illustrator, Cricket Graph, Delta Graph, Freehand and PICT files converted to EPS format before being imported into Quark, where they can be scaled, rotated and cropped. The word processor built in to the program permits last-minute adjustment and revision of texts.

Quark's Parts

Quark documents are made up of objects, or "boxes" which contain certain types of content. There are two principal types of objects: picture-box objects, which may be given various shapes, and text-box objects, which are always rectangular. Both types of object are created by selecting their respective icons and then dragging the cursor diagonally across the page.

The Quark Toolbar contains two important tools that are used to manipulate objects once they have been placed on the Quark page:

The Item tool is used to select, move and resize objects themselves. It has absolutely no effect on any text or graphic which the object might contain.

The Content tool is used to insert, select and edit the text or graphic contents of objects. Like the Item tool, the content tool can also resize objects.

Using Quark

The template files contain special color information essential to creating slides with white backgrounds. If your slide is intended to have a white background, you MUST use the templates provided, and you MUST leave the supplied background rectangle unchanged.

If you are adapting an existing Quark document, open the DOCUMENT SETUP dialog, under the File menu, and enter values that correspond to the aspect ratio of the 35mm film frame. The actual size of the document is not important, only the ratio of its sides. If you wish your slide to have a white background, you MUST download one of the templates and copy the special background rectangle to paste into your own document as its background (see step 6 below).

STEP 2.

Create a picture box by selecting the rectangular picture-box tool, and dragging the cursor across a portion of the blank page.

Next, use the Item tool to position, move and shape the box as desired within the boundaries of the page.

STEP 3.

Import content into the picture box.

Select the picture box with the Content tool. If the box is already selected, make sure that the content tool is highlighted in the toolbar.

Both the target object and the Content tool must be selected in order to "Get" a picture or text file.

Under the File menu, select GET PICTURE, and follow the standard Macintosh navigation dialogs to locate and select the desired file.

STEP 4.

A low-resolution preview of the image file appears in the picture box.

The size, orientation and many other characteristics of the image may be numerically manipulated using the MODIFY command under the Item menu.

The image may be positioned, rotated and scaled within the MODIFY dialog, or dragged around within its picture box using the Content tool.

Crop the image with either the Item Tool or the Content Tool by grabbing and dragging one of the handles along the edge of the selected picture box.

Zoom-in on part of the document by dragging across it with the Magnifying Glass tool; then zoom back out to the full-page view by typing "Command-0".

Text boxes are created and filled with text in much the same way, and can be similarly manipulated and positioned using the MODIFY dialog and tool. When selected with the content tool, text boxes may be typed into directly.

STEP 5.

During the course of a project it is necessary to occassionally review the database of images comprising the Quark document using the PICTURE USAGE dialog, under the Utilities menu.

Note that the name of each file specifies the exact location in which Quark expects to find the file, beginning with the name of the hard drive or volume, and continuing through all of the intermediate folders or directories to the file itself.

If a file has been moved, deleted or renamed, Quark reports it as "Missing" in the Status column; or if it has merely been altered, as "Modified". In either case, it is necessary to select the file and then click the UPDATE button. You must resolve all Missing or Modified status warnings before submitting a file for imaging. Do not submit files for imaging unless the status of every picture is OK.

"Modified" files will be updated in place without disturbing any of the layout settings which have been applied to them, and "Missing" files will open the standard Macintosh navigation dialogs which can be used to track down the errant images.

STEP 6.

After all of the elements of the figure are in place, draw and position an empty picture box to exactly cover the entire document.

In the MODIFY dialog, set the Background Color to the desired value. If a white background is required, you MUST use one of the empty picture boxes includedwith the templates at the bottom of this page. These may be freely resized to suit, but their color settings must remain undisturbed.

This picture box must NOT have a Background Color setting of "None".

STEP 7.

With the picture box still selected, choose SEND TO BACK from the Item menu.

Save the finished image in the default Quark format in the usual way; this will be your permanent copy of the file.

STEP 8.

Generate an EPS file of the page and save it in the proper network directory.

Note that this EPS file will INCLUDE all of the pieces of the Quark document. It is NOT NECESSARY to send the various TIF, EPS or text files used in the document.

If you are a member of the Skirball Institute, log on to Saturn, the institute file server, and mount the volume "DMC"; it contains a folder named "makeslides".

If you are not an institute member, send your presentation to Titan by dragging the files from your directory window to the Titan directory window opened by this link , or use the NYUMC AppleTalk network to log on to Titan, and mount the volume "makeslides".

Under the Quark File menu, select SAVE PAGE AS EPS and navigate to the "makeslides" folder.

Enter a file name of the form "lastname.image.color.eps" where "lastname" is your last name; "image" is a short term enabling you to distinguish one file from another; "color" indicates the background color of the slide (either "blk" for black, "wht" for white, or "col" for anything else) and "eps" is "eps".

The file names must be less than 27 characters long and contain no spaces or non-alphabetic characters such as slashes, colons, parentheses, etc.

Choose the settings shown, and select SAVE.

Your files will DISAPPEAR from makeslides almost as soon as they arrive there! This is normal, and indicates that processing has begun.

YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO MAKE CHANGES TO YOUR FILES OR RENAME THEM ONCE THEY HAVE BEEN UPLOADED, SO NAME THEM PROPERLY FROM THE START.

STEP 9.

If this dialog box appears:

YOU MUST SELECT "List Pictures", and resolve all image problems as described in step 5, above.

STEP 10.

Submit your order via the DMC Online Order System.

Quark Quirks

• Do not panic if your placed images look awful on screen. Quark displays low resolution proxy images, not the originals. These will often look grainy or devoid of color and detail, but will output beautifully.
• General Considerations
• Do not PASTE images into picture boxes. Always "GET" them.
• Do not use PICT images. Instead, create EPS files from drawing programs such as Canvas, Illustrator, ClarisDraw, Freehand, etc.; and TIFF files from image-editing programs like Photoshop, NIH Image and ImageQuant.
• Do not change the Background Color (in the MODIFY dialog) for individual picture objects to anything but white unless you know what you are doing.
• Keep your Quark document and image files in a location which is accessible and secure, such as Saturn .
• Organize your files into appropriately named directories and folders.
• DO NOT rename or move any files which you import into Quark documents. You may of course modify or replace them.
• DO NOT use Palatino, Times New Roman or New York typefaces. Use only standard fonts such as Helvetica, Times, and Symbol; avoid exotic font styles such as Underline, Outline and Shadow.

Slide Templates to Download

To use the templates, simply add picture and text boxes on top of the background boxes, and fill them with content as outlined above.