Question: OmniGraffle as a page layout application??
 

Okay... Crazy question. Maybe :) I'm a photographer who recently switched over to Macs. I am looking for a nice page layout tool (or multipurpose tool) for easily creating album and folio pages.

I have been playing around with OmniGraffle for this and it seems like it could be my answer. This tool doesn't have to be a full blown DTP application like Quark or InDesign. It does have to allow me to export to jpg, tiff, or psd and allow for full bleeds.

The Pro version, seems nice with the multiple Masters. I would tend to use them as on the fly templates. Although I'm not really looking for a DTP application, is it possible to have OmniGraffle link/wrap test between different objects (i.e. text from on box flowing into another box on the same canvas)?

In the Windows world, I used a product called Photofusion, by LumaPix. I could run it in Parallels, but am trying to get completely off of Windows.

Well... that's it. Please tell me if you think OmniGraffle would be good fit for my tool box. If you have any other suggestions, I'm open and would love to hear.

Regards...
Bill

No comments about this use of OmniGraffle? Does anyone use it in a similar manner? I would love to hear others thoughts before pulling the trigger on the Pro version.

Thanks...
Bill

[QUOTE=webids]The Pro version, seems nice with the multiple Masters. I would tend to use them as on the fly templates. Although I'm not really looking for a DTP application, is it possible to have OmniGraffle link/wrap test between different objects (i.e. text from on box flowing into another box on the same canvas)?[/QUOTE]
OmniGraffle doesn't wrap text between different objects. Note, you can obtain free 24 hour licences for all OmniGroup applications to test their full functionality out before laying out the cash to buy or upgrade. It's an option when using the store.

P.S. If simple DTP is all you need, then I would consider trying out Pages.

Hello Bill,

you might also have a look at iCalamus

[url]http://www.icalamus.net/index.php?lan=en[/url]

I haven't done much with that software, but the developer currently touts it for particularly what you are looking for. However... the service coupled with that ("Photographer Book" or something like that) is currently only available in Germany. But that is just a service for ordering printed copies of your layouts. You can still do all the layout stuff with the basic software. Again, I have not tried it, so I don't know if it would meet your requirements. You can download a free trial version (limited to single pages) and play with it.

Martin

[QUOTE=JKT]OmniGraffle doesn't wrap text between different objects. Note, you can obtain free 24 hour licences for all OmniGroup applications to test their full functionality out before laying out the cash to buy or upgrade. It's an option when using the store.

P.S. If simple DTP is all you need, then I would consider trying out Pages.[/QUOTE]

Jonathan...

Thanks for the info about OG not being able to wrap text. It's not really a must have feature for my needs. I just thought I would ask as OG has a ton of features and I see folks using it for many things it wasn't initially designed for. Super App!!

I had downloaded the demo before I made my initial post. I was just curious to see/hear if anybody else used OG to create page layouts.

Pages seems like a good low end page layout application if you are only interested in outputting traditional DTP formats. It will not output to JPEG, TIFF, or PSD. I own a copy as I do use Keynote.

To be honest, though, Pages is not the greatest app to work with. It's isn't a word processor nor a true page layout program in the DTP tradition. If I truly needed a full blown page layout application, I'd probably look elsewhere. For small projects Swift Publisher blows the doors off of Pages.

I did pull the trigger on OG Pro and did upgrade my version of OO to the Pro version. I love these apps and see lots of uses for OG regardless if I settle on it for album design or not.

Regards...
Bill

[QUOTE=Agnostus]you might also have a look at iCalamus

[url]http://www.icalamus.net/index.php?lan=en[/url][/QUOTE]

Hey Martin...

Thanks for the heads up on iCalamus. That is one application I didn't take a look at. I downloaded it and played with it for a day or so. Nice, but not worth the close to $200 US for it's current feature set. It has promise, but I'm sure when it is there the price will be even higher. And...I really didn't like the weak snap feature. The snaps just didn't seem to catch and/or hold while placing an object on page...at least for me. Again...for my money, OG seems like the better fit.

Regards...

[QUOTE=webids]Well... that's it. Please tell me if you think OmniGraffle would be good fit for my tool box. If you have any other suggestions, I'm open and would love to hear.[/QUOTE]

Yes, I don't think Omnigraffle will quite do the trick, either. I can highly recommend Pages. Pages and Keynote are a phonomenal deal at $79. Pages will do everything you want. It is a very powerful DTP, and the nice part is that iTunes and iPhoto are VERY nicely integrated into it. So, you can pull your media into your document in a snap.

You can also try the free alternatives, scribus
[url]http://www.scribus.net/index.php?name=Sections&req=viewarticle&artid=3&page=1[/url]

and inkscape
[url]http://www.inkscape.org[/url]