Easily Automate Text and Images with InDesign Data Merge

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#indesigntutorial #datamerge #adobe #adobeindesign #learnindesign #businesscards
Data Merge is a really helpful tool in Adobe InDesign that allows you to pull data from an excel list to automate and batch create designs. In this video: Easily Automate Text and Images - How to InDesign Data Merge
Overview of Steps:
If your design is ready, identify the fields that your design needs.
• Create a spreadsheet in Excel or in the Numbers App on Mac OS with the fields that need to be populated.
TIP: Provide the fields needed and have your client gather the information from their records to take it a step further and make it easier for you.
• In my Example, the fields needed are Name, Title, Phone, Email, & Image.
• Format the information exactly how you want it to be display in your design
• Next, Save As or Export the spreadsheet as a CSV. This is really important or this process will not work. If you’re using Excel on a Mac make sure you manually select Comma Separated Values (.csv) that’s further down the options and not the first option that reads CSV UTF-8 (.csv)
• Open your design file in InDesign
• Locate your Data Merge tab with this icon - if it’s not in your current workspace you can open it by going to Window - Utilities - Data Merge
• Inside the Data Merge tab click this hamburger icon to reveal the options and click on “Select Data Source” and select your .csv file and click Open. The fields will then appear in the Data Merge box as seen here.
• With the Type Tool (T) selected, highlight a field to link. In my case, I’m going to start with the “Name”. Once the text is highlighted head to the Data Merge tab and simply click on the corresponding field. In this case I’m going to click on Name in the Data Merge tab.
• You’ll notice it changed the text in my text box to include "Name" these Angle brackets or greater than less than symbols around the text. This is good because it indicated my text box is linked to a data path.
• I’ll go ahead and do this step to the rest of my fields.
• Once all the text boxes have been assigned, I can now preview my design. Find the preview checkbox inside the Data Merge tab to preview and navigate through all the data by using the left and right arrows next to it. If it at looks right, we can proceed to exporting our merged and completed design.
• Exporting to PDF
• Inside the Data Merge tab click on the hamburger icon to show the options and click on Export to PDF - In this case I want to export All Records - and I’ll make sure my my bleeds, crop marks and other output settings are selected. Next lick Export - Select a Destination - SAVE
If you found this video useful, id appreciate if you drop a like and subscribe for future videos about creative graphic design.
See you on the next video and remember to stay creative!
MUSIC: pixabay.com
STOCK IMAGES: pixabay.com
ANIMATED GRAPHICS: mixkit.com
00:00 - Intro
00:26 - Getting Started with the Spreadsheet
01:20 - Text Data Merge Setup
02:12 - Image Data Merge Setup
03:16 - Troubleshooting Image Data Merge
04:07 - Exporting a PDF of Merged Design
04:57 - Outro

Опубликовано:

2 июн 2024

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Комментарии : 78

@trocmari Год назад

Finally a tutorial that shows problems in data merge and how to solve them!!

@axelbydesign Год назад

Thank you, let me know if there’s any other questions or troubleshooting I could do on this topic.

@josef1975 15 дней назад

Hello my friend, today is May 18, 2024 and I'm gonna start a new job in 10 days where, what you show in this video is a FUNDAMENTAL starting point for me because I didn't have an idea that you could do that in InDesign. Thank you!

@lucier5527 8 дней назад

Smart, clear to make this easy. MANY THANKS!

@axelbydesign День назад

You're welcome!

@sofiatravesi1224 8 месяцев назад

you saved me literally HOURS of work! From the bottom of my soul: thanks!

@PostyshevsBureau 10 месяцев назад

Спасибо из Владивостока. Полезное видео.

@PEAKG-Mark 10 месяцев назад

Great video, thank you! Exactly what I was looking for.

@elizabethlotus4214 8 месяцев назад

This was a great video! Thank you so much for posting this tutorial.

@ned338 Год назад

THANK YOU! What a time saver 🥳

@axelbydesign Год назад

Glad it helped!

@BBogue23 Год назад

I've been trying to figure this out! Thank you!

@axelbydesign Год назад

I'm glad I was able to help, thanks for watching!

@sionanenrois1433 10 месяцев назад

This is great - well explained and easy to understand. Thanks!

@axelbydesign 10 месяцев назад

Glad it was helpful!

@aar0ndanie1 5 месяцев назад

nicely done👌

@axelbydesign 5 месяцев назад

Thanks ✌️

@LockeZeRo Год назад

Really great video, I worked with Data Merge on a previous job and couldn't remember how it worked. This is great as either a reminder of the tool, or an explanation for new users. Well done!

@axelbydesign Год назад

Thank you for your comment, I appreciate your feedback.

@aminadabvelazquez440 5 месяцев назад

Boss!!!! thank you!

@axelbydesign 5 месяцев назад

Thanks for watching, I’m glad it helped you out!

@georgerichardson633 2 месяца назад

Super clear and useful tutorial - thankyou for making this !

@axelbydesign 2 месяца назад

Glad it was helpful!

@seanopenshaw 8 месяцев назад

Dude, that is so sick! Thank you 5,000,000! I'm going to look like a frickin' rock star!

@davidmuchiri8934 Год назад

Thanks Gaona great resource..

@axelbydesign Год назад

Glad it was helpful!

@kanadalux3621 11 месяцев назад

Excelente video, muy útil.

@axelbydesign 11 месяцев назад

Muchas gracias, espero y le ayude. Si tiene alguna pregunta también habló Español!

@TONY_FEZ 11 месяцев назад

so well explained - thank you/

@axelbydesign 11 месяцев назад

Glad it was helpful!

@mazzbie4849 3 месяца назад

Thanks man

@ekkojoe 9 месяцев назад

Hey this is fantastic. Sorry total newbie here. How do I create 'the path' for the images. You look like you just copy and paste. This clearly isn't the case. Again apologies, how do I create the path for the images? Thanks

@jeansienkin 4 месяца назад

It not only works with .csv but also with .txt, in my case, I had to save as UTF-16 Unicode Text (.txt) with Excel to make it work with Khmer language because the regular .csv option does not seem to allow special characters / foreign alphabets. Edit: Just realized that it actually works with .csv as well if you click on the import options beforehand and specify UTF character encoding instead of the default ASCII.

@SanjeebanMaji-ve9gv 10 месяцев назад

Very nice! Thank you:)

@axelbydesign 10 месяцев назад

Thank you! Cheers!

@davidsvanholm3920 9 месяцев назад

Thank you for a great video. Do you know if it is possible to have a python program (or some other script) telling InDesign to update a documents data source and export images?

@Artistram3d1 11 месяцев назад

Hi, this worked! I use Variable Data sometimes at work, mainly with lots of numbers for floor stickers, simple black text on white background. I was looking to see if Variable Data is easier in InDesign or Illustrator. I think I've found my answer with your tutorial. Well done, Sir. Automatic New Subscriber! Thank you so much!

@axelbydesign 11 месяцев назад

I’m glad this worked for you! Thanks for the sub, let me know if you have any questions regarding this or another process. I can certainly try to help further ✌🏼

@hannablom5803 Год назад

Wow, this is brilliant- you really deserve sooo much subscribers! 🙏 Can you make data merge into like an action/script where the exporting happens directly (or something) to automate even more? Or should I ask firstly if actions even exists in Indesign? I'm more used to Illustrator and have just started using Indesign, but data merge sounds like such a time saver. Also- do you know of a way to automate hyperlinking in any way? I'm speaking about hyperlinks between different pages, boxes or numbers within a bigger document and not the hyperlinks used for a link to a webpage. Meaning, if one need to hyperlink hundreds of things, is there a way to do it fast and automated? All the best and thanks for great content 👍

@axelbydesign Год назад

Hi, thanks for your comment. I haven't looked in to actions / scripts or I haven't had to use the feature but I will look in to it and plan to make a follow up video sometime soon.

@zani713 27 дней назад

As someone with a Windows computer, if you need to copy lots of image filenames: select the files, Shift + Right Click, "Copy as Path".

@axelbydesign 26 дней назад

Thanks for your comment and guidance on how to copy lots of image file name 👍

@AnaJulia-wm5pl Месяц назад

anjo muito obrigada você mudou minha vida

@axelbydesign Месяц назад

De nada, que bom que ajudou 👍

@ZoranImsiragic Год назад

Nice video. Nicely presented. But, you missed the best feature - automatic imposition to a printer sheet!

@axelbydesign Год назад

That's a really good idea for a video, thanks for your comment!

@giulianavolpe6128 7 месяцев назад

loveuuuu

@haca.studio 17 дней назад

Nice, thank you for the video. I did notice some problems that the CSV file didn't special characters like Ž and ū is there a turnaround for this?

@axelbydesign День назад

The only way, is kind of a pain but the only way I get it done at this time. Once you have your final data and good to output I would "Merge the document" this will open a new document with all the data converted in to pages and then at this point edit those special characters manually.

@Helenjojoful Год назад

does this work for longer, more complex documents? for example, I have a Database and I can export it as a CSV file but the file has more extended text fields with commas.

@axelbydesign Год назад

Commas within your text fields should not be an issue, what causes issues is if you tab or format the text within the excel fields. For example, a formatted paragraph with tabs and enters will not translate on to the layout design inside InDesign

@AlexFreixa18 11 месяцев назад

Hi! Thanks for this video, it really helps to understand Data Merge. I have a question about this tool. I need to prepare the layout of this document that has multiple pages. Each page has a vertical grid of images for each column. The problem is that for each page I need to use different amount of columns and rows. For instance, at page one I need 4 columns. 1st column - 4 images 2nd column - 3 images 3rd column - 1 image 4th column - 4 images I could create a whole document with Data Merge following this layout, but the problem comes when I need page two to have a diferent layout regarding columns and rows. For instance, page two now with 3 columns: 1st column - 1 image 2nd column - 4 images 3rd column - 1 images Is there a way to prepare this grid layout for each page individually with Data Marge? It should consider the amount of images in each vertical column grid and number of columns. I tried but im not sure if this was a clear explanation... Hope you have an answer! Thanks!! :)

@axelbydesign 11 месяцев назад

This is great question and actually something I’ve ran in to in the past. The best way I went around this limitation is that I used Data Merge to merge the maximum amount of records then manually edited these issues after I was sure the data wasn’t going to change. Data merge is best for highly structured documents, but when I have customization like this I use data merge to get me to the halfway mark and then I adjust from there.

@AlexFreixa18 11 месяцев назад

@@axelbydesign I see. Well I hope Adobe can add this feature some day, it would be a great time-saving. Thanks for your reply!

@wimmeeus4005 Год назад

Nice. Do you know if it is possible to get pre-formatted text into InDesign? When i import text it loses the breaks and other formatted elements? 🤔

@axelbydesign Год назад

Hello Wim, thank you for your question. This is in fact something that I'm working to find a solution for. I ran in to this issue when running a product catalog that included the ® to be superscript. Is this what you mean? If not, I'd like to hear more about the issue you are experiencing.

@wimmeeus4005 Год назад

@@axelbydesign thanks for the reaction. It's sort of what i mean. I want to import a text paragraph with pre-formatted elements like bold text, text breaks, etc... Now i just get text without formatting, just all in one block of text. 🥺

@axelbydesign Год назад

@Wim Meeus Unfortunately, there are certain limitations one of them being the problem you are mentioning. I have a solution that's almost counter intuitive and not as automated as I would like but it works (sometimes). Once my data is completely FINAL I just do the merge to help with inputing all of the information. Then under the Data Merge menu, I click on *"Create Merged Document"* Lastly, I manually format everything to my preferences. Hopefully Adobe releases an update of where the data can come through formatted correctly.

@dickbrock 6 месяцев назад

Great job... thanks! Using this to make 90+ Achievement Awards for our cycling club.

@axelbydesign 5 месяцев назад

Glad it helped!

@axelbydesign 5 месяцев назад

Glad it helped!

@nycolinog6928 Год назад

What's the difference between using Easy Catalog and using Data Merge? I need to automatically create many images (product kit images) with the same layout by changing the text and images within it... There's a way to do it using data merge?

@axelbydesign Год назад

I did a little bit of research on Easy Catalog and it sounds very much like similar things. I’m sure there are some variations in features but the main one is that Easy Catalog is an external plugin that more than likely will cost money. Data Merge on the other hand is already included or a part of Adobe InDesign if you have a current updated version of it. As you see on my video, in order to create alternate designs you’ll need to create a data excel sheet with the required fields and inputs. Link the data sheet to the layout and then assign the fields to each element in indesign I show this on the first half of the video. Watch the last half of my video to learn how to data merge images and also how to trouble shoot if something is not working.

@gustorium 11 месяцев назад

hi there! great video ❤ is there an option to export on card to one pdf? so i got multiple pdfs without saving them one by one? thanky ou

@axelbydesign 11 месяцев назад

Im not sure I understand your question 100% but let me know if this helps. When you export to PDF in the Export to PDF options panel select the checkbox for “Create Separate PDF Files” then type “^P” or select “Page Number” from the little arrow right below said checkbox option. This should save all pages as separate PDF files. Hope this helps!

@Artistram3d1 10 месяцев назад

Hi again! I've had success with a previous practice file but now am getting an error message, 'The selected data source has one or more empty field names. Please fix the file or select another file'. I save my file as Comma Separated Values (.csv). Did I do something wrong? Or perhaps there's an issue with the data within the excel file? Thank you!!

@axelbydesign 10 месяцев назад

Yes so make sure there aren’t any empty header fields or cells in between your data. For example, make sure all your cells are continuous and don’t skip any. Additionally, make sure there aren’t any unassigned tags on your InDesign file. You may have to reassign if you made any changes. For example if you changed your data file from “name” to “full name” but on your design it still says then that error may occur. How you would fix is by highlighting the full text box and reassigning to the new name. Let me know if this helps, I can help you troubleshoot further and get your error resolved. Thanks!

@ashleytwiss9359 6 месяцев назад

Hi Alex, im having trouble using this tool to merge into a 118 page lanyard file please help!

@axelbydesign 6 месяцев назад

Hi Ashley, how can I help?

@ariannatoniolo251 8 месяцев назад

is it possible to export the single page pdf files already renamed? I mean automatically renamed during exportation. For example using the name of the person that you have in that page.

@dawit_kassahun 6 месяцев назад

yes, it is possible, but you need to buy a script that lets you do that.

@PM-st6vu Год назад

any idea how data merge works for multiple pages? say for fields such as address, bio on a new page?

@axelbydesign Год назад

There is a way, but it goes much more in detail than this video covers. I will plan to create a follow up video and show that process!

@PM-st6vu Год назад

@@axelbydesign yes please that will be good to have!

@marcolinogames Месяц назад

How i can make this with multiple fields? For example, I have a spreadsheet that has several physical addresses. I would need one store address below the other in the art of indesign, there are hundreds... is it possible?

@axelbydesign День назад

Yes, so essentially you will create new fields for each address. First you want to determine the maximum number of addresses then make the fields that many times. For example if you have max 5 addresses you will setup your data something like this: Name 1 | Address 1 | Name 2 | Address 2 | Name 3 | Address 3 | Name 4 | Address 4 | Name 5 | Address 5 Then just connect each name and address to the fields you need on your design document just like normal. I hope this makes sense, let me know if it helps. I think I can make a video that will explain it a little better so stay tuned! Thank you!