Create a PDF contact sheet or presentation with Adobe Output Module

Using the Adobe Output Module script, you can create Adobe PDF contact sheets and presentations in Adobe Bridge. Contact sheets let you easily preview and catalog groups of images by displaying a series of thumbnails on a single, printable page. PDF presentations let you use a variety of images to create a multipage document for slide show presentation. You can set options for image quality in the PDF, specify security settings, and set the document to open automatically in full-screen mode in Adobe Acrobat. You can also add the filename as a text overlay below each image in the PDF.

Note: The Adobe Output Module creates PDF contact sheets that contain multiple images, with thumbnails that are all the same size. To create a print layout that contains one image in various sizes, use the optional Picture Package plug-in for Photoshop CS4.
  1. Select the files or the collection or folder that contains the images you want to include in the contact sheet or presentation.
  2. Choose Window > Workspace > Output.
    If the Output workspace is not listed, select Adobe Output Module in Startup Scripts preferences.

    Adobe Bridge displays the Output panel at the right side of the window and the Folders panel at the left. The Content panel with your selected photos appears at the bottom of the window, and the Preview panel appears in the middle.

  3. In the Output panel, select PDF.
  4. Choose a layout option from the Template menu.
  5. With your photos selected in the Content panel, click Refresh Preview to view the contact sheet in the Output Preview panel.
    Note: The Output Preview panel displays only one PDF page.
  6. Customize the appearance of the contact sheet by specifying options in the Document, Layout, Overlays, and Watermark areas of the Output panel.
  7. (Optional) Change the images in the PDF by navigating to them in the Folders or Favorites panel, and then selecting them in the Content panel. You can also use the Preview panel to preview the images and refine your selection. Drag thumbnails in the Content panel to rearrange the order of the images on the page.
  8. Click Refresh Preview at any time to update the PDF and see the changes in the Output Preview panel.
  9. For presentations, specify the following options in the Playback panel:
    Open In Full Screen Mode
    Opens the PDF in full-screen mode in Adobe Acrobat.

    Advance Every [x] Seconds
    Specifies how long each image is displayed before the presentation advances to the next image. The default duration is 5 seconds.

    Loop After Last Page
    Specifies that the presentation automatically starts over after reaching the end. Deselect this option to stop the presentation after the final image is displayed.

    Transition
    Specifies the transition when moving from one image to the next. Choose a transition from the Transition menu. Depending on the transition, you can also specify a Direction and a Speed.

  10. If you’d like to automatically open the PDF in Acrobat after you save it, select View PDF After Save at the bottom of the Output panel. Otherwise, just click Save.
  11. In the Save (Windows) or Save As (Mac OS) dialog box, enter a name for the PDF, select a destination for the saved file, and then click Save.