Work with metadata – Adobe InDesign CS4 User Manual

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USING INDESIGN CS4

Working with documents

Opening a document in a previous version of InDesign is also referred to as “saving down.”

Note: Content created using features specific to InDesign CS4 may be modified or omitted when you open the document
in InDesign CS3.

1 Choose File

> Export.

2 From the File Type (Windows) or Format (Mac

OS) menu, choose InDesign CS3 Interchange.

3 Click Save.

You can open the .inx file in InDesign CS3 to convert it to an untitled InDesign document.

Note: To open the InDesign CS4 document in InDesign CS2, open the exported INX file in InDesign CS3, export to INX
again, and then open the exported file in InDesign CS2. Make sure that all versions have been updated.

Work with metadata

Metadata is a set of standardized information about a file, such as author name, resolution, color space, copyright, and
keywords applied to it. You can use metadata to streamline your workflow and organize your files.

About the XMP standard
Metadata information is stored using the Extensible Metadata Platform (XMP) standard, on which Adobe Bridge ,
Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, and Adobe Photoshop are built. XMP is built on XML, and in most cases the
metadata is stored in the file. If it isn’t possible to store the information in the file, metadata is stored in a separate file
called a sidecar file. XMP facilitates the exchange of metadata between Adobe applications and across publishing
workflows. For example, you can save metadata from one file as a template, and then import the metadata into other
files.

Metadata that is stored in other formats, such as Exif, IPTC (IIM), GPS, and TIFF, is synchronized and described with
XMP so that it can be more easily viewed and managed. Other applications and features (for example, Adobe Version
Cue) also use XMP to communicate and store information such as version comments, which you can search using
Adobe Bridge.

In most cases the metadata remains with the file even when the file format changes, for example, from PSD to JPG.
Metadata is also retained when files are placed in an Adobe document or project.

You can use the XMP Software Development Kit to customize the creation, processing, and interchange of metadata.
For example, you can use the XMP SDK to add fields to the File Info dialog box. For more information on XMP and

the XMP SDK, visit the Adobe website.

Working with metadata in Adobe Bridge and Adobe Creative Suite components
Many of the powerful Adobe Bridge features that allow you to organize, search, and keep track of your files and
versions depend on XMP metadata in your files. Adobe Bridge provides two ways of working with metadata: through
the Metadata panel and through the File Info dialog box (InDesign) or the Content File Info dialog box (InCopy).

In some cases, multiple views exist for the same metadata property. For example, a property may be labeled Author in
one view and Creator in another, but both refer to the same underlying property. Even if you customize these views
for specific workflows, they remain standardized through XMP.

Updated 18 June 2009

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