Photoshop translation and multilingual desktop publishing

Desktop publishing projects frequently have graphic assets, including bitmapped photo images, which include text which must be localized. Photoshop is the most popular software for manipulating complex, bitmapped graphics.

Photoshop files are capable of storing several types of information, including text layers. Text in Photoshop files frequently needs to be translated and localized for document translation projects. Text layers in graphics editable with Photoshop may be found in document assets like:

  • Maps
  • Diagrams
  • Hotel venue diagrams
  • Logos in marketing materials

GPI desktop publishing specialists can manipulate logos and text layers in your Photoshop files to achieve optimal results in document translation projects. Our staff has intense expertise in working with embedded fonts, text paths and other complex issues related to Photoshop files.

Best practices to optimize your Photoshop files for translation

  • The main best practice for managing your Photoshop assets it to make sure to always save the original, source .PSD files for translation projects. Photoshop source .PSD files have accessible, editable text layers, allowing your translation services company to translate and manipulate text within photo images.
  • If derivative files (e.g. JPEG or GIF) are the only ones available, replacing source English text with translated and localized text can be considerably more expensive than manipulating text layers in Photoshop.
  • If a photo image (with text) is also going to be used in Arabic, or another bidirectional language with a face or object in "profile," an alternate photo facing the other way should be taken to accommodate eye movement in non-western languages.

Further resources on Photoshop

GPI has developed a series of best practices for graphics localization with all products, including Photoshop. GPI can provide training and/or consulting with your workflow to ensure that your graphics in Photoshop and other formats are localized in an optimal fashion. GPI has extensive experience in localizing graphics into Arabic and other bidirectional languages.

For more information go to our request a quote, or call us at +1 866-272-5874.