Workspace?

A topic by ArcturusAsriv created Apr 25, 2021 Views: 338 Replies: 7

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I’m three-quarters done with my submission and it’s going to be the first pdf I’ve ever created from scratch.

As I reach the finish line, it occurred to me that my workspace is going to limit my output.

I used Photoshop for everything. Images, text, formatting and layout... And I’ll be using it to make the pdf.

It wasn’t until I was half done that it finally hit me that the pdf was going to be image-based without any kind of text searching. It would be much similar to a printed book in that effect.

I recently was suggested to try out Inkscape for handling the text and pdf conversion. I downloaded it and did the first tutorial yesterday. I do not see me learning it fast enough to reconstruct the 30 pages I’ve done so far, however.

So, I’m curious, what programs are you all using for your workspace? What works for you?

Solo RPG VoyagerSubmitted3 years ago(+1)

I wrote Bartell entirely in Google Drive. I used Canva to make the cover and I used Tabletop Simulator to playtest it all.

tallywinkleSubmitted3 years ago(+1)

Usually I've typed up the raw text in a wordprocesser (Sublime Text, Microsoft Word). To put it all together, I've used Microsoft Publisher in the past; this time I started working in Publisher, but struggled to make my game look pretty. I've switch to Canva which has been a bit laggy (probably due to the size of my document - I've also used Canva to create social media content that is just one page and no lag there) but I love its design power and I'm much happier with how my final product is turning out.

Noting down Inkscape to look into later, thanks!

Peter GrahamSubmitted3 years ago(+1)

For Submerged we used Affinity Publisher for our writing / layout, with some google docs when we wanted it to be easier to collaborate. It worked well, but we still want to look into ways to make collaboration a bit easier (like a dropbox / github type thing). We did all our art in Krita, but are likely to switch to Affinity photo/designer for the next project. Hope that helps!

Dice GhostsSubmitted3 years ago(+1)

I tend to use Google Docs as a scratchpad for jotting down ideas and outlining the core of the game and then I do most of the work in Affinity Publisher, which makes working with the layout, art assets, and copy a much nicer experience. I would definitely recommend it (or InDesign if you want to stay with Adobe) and at the moment it's 50% off on their website: https://affinity.serif.com/en-gb/publisher/.

It also allows you to import PDFs too, so you may be able to import your game fairly simply: https://affinity.serif.com/en-gb/tutorials/publisher/desktop/video/285249814/

ArcturusAsrivSubmitted3 years ago (2 edits)

Thanks, everyone. This has been real informative. Making a list of things to check out.

I forgot to mention that I used a private Discord server for the initial writing. It was an easy way to have access on my phone to type it all up, then I just copied and pasted on the pc from Discord to Photoshop.

I don't know about Adobe. I've been trying to break away from using Photoshop because of their 'leasing' and not 'owning' sales model. But it's been hard. It took me about 20 years to get where I am now with Photoshop. I'm no master, but I'm at a place of comfortable confidence. I'm sure there's quite a few people that feel stuck with them for the same reasons. It's a beast to learn.

I downloaded a few other art programs in the last few months to start moving away from Photoshop. Corel, Gimp and Krita are the top contenders. I picked up the Corel bundle not too long ago, and was real impressed with it. The gradients are so much smoother than in Photoshop and everything blends nicer. I also noticed that Inkscape can open Corel files.

But still, if I want to do something, it's easier for me to jump into Photoshop to do it. I'm going to have to force myself to not go there first if I'm going to learn to use another program.

tallywinkleSubmitted3 years ago(+1)

If you're looking for more of an art program, I'd highly recommend Clip Studio Paint. It's really powerful and has a lot of tools, and it's a one time purchase. The base version is very often on sale for $25 USD. I use this primarily for art/drawing (drew my profile picture with it), though and I'm not sure it would be exactly what you might want to replace Photoshop, depending on what you 're usually using it for (ex. I probably wouldn't use it to fully design a TTRPG, but I'd use it to draw small pieces of art to add to a TTRPG. Although maybe it *would* still work and I haven't explored its functionality, who knows!)

Dice GhostsSubmitted3 years ago(+1)

If you've found a flow that works for you, that's great! I would imagine though that using a Discord server would be a little limiting and awkward when having to copy-paste every post bit by bit? I use the Google Docs app on my phone to do a similar sort of thing, which might be worth checking out if you want to try something different.

The adobe licensing model is actually what pushed me to move to the Affinity suite of programs, as they have really good alternatives to Adobe products that are pay once, keep forever. They have Affinity Photo which I think it a really good alternative to Photoshop and it has all the same sort of tools that I had come accustom to in Photoshop: https://affinity.serif.com/en-gb/photo/. You can also switch seamlessly between AF Publisher and AF Photo to edit the art assets embedded in your layout, which is really cool!

I've also used GIMP before too but I found the whole experience really jarring coming from a long time in Photoshop, as I had to relearn how to do all the basics and the new shortcuts for all of the things I was used to.

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Workspace?