John Garrett explains how to indicate images in your spreadsheet, including naming the header correctly, and discusses the procedure vs. the similar procedure for InDesign. He then shows how to best add the image names in to the spreadsheet using the Mac Finder, with a brief demonstration of how to sort the rows in Excel.
- [Voiceover] In this video, we're gonna concentrate…on column D, which is our images column,…and I'll show the best way to get these in here.…plus a few tips and tricks.…If you're familiar with InDesign's data merge feature,…you already know that it uses the at symbol…to indicate image variables.…The variable importer uses the same symbol,…and we can see it at the top of the column…in the hero_image header.…That's the first thing to really nail down.…If you forget to add this symbol…to the front of the variable name,…importer script will just treat it as plain old text.…
Another important note to make is that the at symbol…only appears in the spreadsheet…and not in your Illustrator file.…I'll switch back over to Illustrator quickly to demonstrate.…Checking my layers panel, I'll open the image layer,…which reveals the image object named hero_image.…It doesn't have the at symbol preceding it here.…That symbol is only for the importer script to understand…that it's dealing with image data, so make sure…you leave it out of your Illustrator object names.…
Author
John Garrett
Released
4/26/2016Designer John Garrett appreciates the many different types of variables and their practical uses, including generating business cards and direct mailers. In this course, he explains how to use variable data including managing linked images, graphics, tables of data, and graphs. He covers the entire workflow, from setup to exporting dynamic batches.
- Setting up Illustrator files
- Using Appearances
- Setting up data sources
- Importing data
- Managing linked variables
- Binding and using prepend paths and presets
- Using the Variables panel
- Naming data sets
- Generating multiple versions with batch exporting
Skill Level Advanced
Duration
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Introduction
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1. Exploring Variable Data
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What Is Variable Data?1m 12s
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Different types of variables4m 16s
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2. Setting up Illustrator Files
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Naming objects4m 25s
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Using area type2m 32s
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Using point type1m 57s
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Using variable data graphics4m 50s
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3. Setting up a CSV Document
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Setting up data in Excel3m 25s
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Saving a CSV file3m 11s
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4. Importing using Variable Importer Script
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Opening Variable Importer3m 19s
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Creating and using presets1m 32s
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Testing and importing a CSV2m 22s
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5. Working with the Variables Panel
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Uploading data sets4m 8s
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Dealing with overset text3m 41s
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6. Exporting and Reviewing
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Creating a save action3m 25s
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Conclusion
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Next steps1m 12s
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Video: Working with images in a spreadsheet