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a technical query for comics people

 
 
rizla mission
11:31 / 18.06.01
Bare in mind I know nothing of the arcane processes of 'scanning' or 'image manipulation':

Taking A3 comics pages, scanning them, shrinking them to A4 size and sticking them in the middle of word documents.

Can this easily be done without fucking up the art?
 
 
CameronStewart
11:53 / 18.06.01
As far as I'm aware, Word can't handle image files.

What is it specifically that you're doing? I may be able to suggest something.
 
 
The Return Of Rothkoid
13:54 / 18.06.01
I've got Word98 on the Mac, and it handles images just fine. It's important, though, to make sure that you save the image in the document (I forget where the option is, exactly), otherwise you're going to have to send the scans anyway...
 
 
sleazenation
14:21 / 18.06.01
Ideally of course you'd use a DTP package (quark xpress or the like) rather than word (a WP that likes to think its a DTP)
 
 
The Return Of Rothkoid
14:42 / 18.06.01
Well, yeah.

Riz - whatever you're using to scan in the pages should give you the option to save them as .jpg files, surely? That'd be easiest, wouldn't it?
 
 
rizla mission
16:44 / 18.06.01
Well the word thing's optional .. I'm just worried that shrinking the images from A3 to A4 size might corrupt them?

I'm basically working on a thingy that mixes comics pages with prose, and it would be nice to have them all in one place..
 
 
ghadis
23:38 / 18.06.01
Riz...What you using? Mac or PC? Might be able to get some decent software for what you want to do. Sounds like you really need Quark or Pagemaker or just Photoshop. Doing this sort of stuff on Word is really a waste of time. Taking stuff from A3 tO A4 shouldnt be a problem quality wise..it's the other way round it gets tricky...
 
 
the Fool
03:51 / 19.06.01
okay this is a process that will work. Use photoshop. Open the scanned image. An A3 file will be very large. Go to the image drop down menu select image size.

Put the new size into the imput boxes, OK.
Make sure the dpi (or resolution) is set to 300-400 if its for printing, 72 if its just for the screen. DPI stands for dots per inch and affects the quality of a final print, the higher the number the better the quality of the final print (and the larger the file).
Save the modified image.

In word go to the 'insert' drop down menu. Select 'picture', then 'from file' it then brings up an explorer window to find the file.

The picture will then be embedded in the word doc.
 
 
We're The Great Old Ones Now
03:51 / 19.06.01
Since we're on the subject of technical comics queries - and if Riz's question has been answered - I once asked whether anyone knew how the writing side of the industry worked - are writers agented (by literary, film, or specialist agents?) and so on.

Anyone got a moment?
 
 
Jack The Bodiless
21:32 / 19.06.01
Also interested. Tell me instead of Nick, as I could do without the competition.
 
 
sleazenation
21:38 / 19.06.01
It depends. Some of the big 'name' writers have agents (neil gaiman, for example, has merelee heifitz (sp!)) But comics is by no means a closed shop if you don't have one. I don't think the guys who wrote 'the disciples' (and who sometimes post here) have one.
 
 
Pin
20:45 / 30.06.01
Why, you (Nick and Jack) looking to start writting something? Written something and want publishing? Me and a mate are monkeying around with ideas for something right now, so advice would garner biscuits...
 
 
Mystery Gypt
05:27 / 26.02.02
the big names have agents usually to dea l with OTHER media, cuz they're such hotshit comic writers that now they get movie tv and videogame offers. there's no such thing as an agent who only does comic writers, that'd be a fucking bankrupt agency, and you're not going to find a lit agent who will waste too much time fucking around trying to get you a comics deal when yr supposed to be writing another Malcom spec. not to mention how little a comic editor is going to care when an agent calls them up.

that said, there are kinds of agents who interface with comic companies -- usually handling artists though -- animation agents in particular. but yr best bet if yr starting from scratch is not to waste a lot of time finding an agent who knows comics (good luck) but finding an editor will read yr work. and that "agent," my friend, is known as "let me buy you a drink."[/LIST]
 
  
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