Table of Contents
Contact Sheet
Make a contact sheet of your files in seconds: drop in images, PDFs and Illustrator files, and get neat pages of labelled previews, with file names, sizes and page numbers. Great for proofs, catalogues of artwork and checking a folder of customer files.
See it in the shop · Version 1.6.7 · Needs PowerScripts 3.8.42 or later
Where to find it
Open the PowerScripts panel (Window > Extensions > PowerScripts) and choose Contact Sheet from the Tools scripts. The script has three tabs: Options, Layout and Page Sizes. You don't need a document open.
Quick start
- Choose a Page Size, for example A4.
- Drag your files onto the file list (or press Select Files).
- Press Create Contact Sheet.
A new document opens with your previews laid out over as many pages as they need.
Supported files: .ai, .bmp, .eps, .gif, .jpg, .jpeg, .pdf, .png, .psd, .svg, .tga, .tif, .tiff
Options
Options
Page Layout
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Page Size | The size of each page. Add your own sizes on the Page Sizes tab |
| Automatically Layout Previews | Fill each page with previews at the Preview Width and Height below. Untick to set the grid yourself |
| Previews Across, Previews Down | The grid, when you set it yourself |
| Scale Previews to Fit | Make the previews as big as the grid allows |
Previews
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Preview Width, Preview Height | The size of each preview box |
| Preview Padding | The gap between the artwork and its frame |
| Gutter | The gap between previews |
| Rasterize Previews | Turn each preview into an image at this resolution. Keeps the file small and fast, and nothing needs relinking later |
| Embed Files | Embed the files instead of linking them. This can make the file very big |
| Rotate to best fit | Turn previews Clockwise or Counter Clockwise when they fit the box better that way, or None |
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Preview all Pages from the PDF file | A preview for every page. Untick for the first page only |
| Crop PDF files to | Which box of each PDF page to show: CropBox, TrimBox, BleedBox, MediaBox, ArtBox, or just round the artwork (Shapes) |
Labels
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Page Title | A title at the top of each page, for example CONTACT SHEET |
| Filename | The file name under each preview |
| Original artwork size | The artwork's real size under each preview |
| Artboard Number | The page number on each page |
Files
- File list: drag and drop files here. For PDFs, set the pages to show (Page Start and Page End). Tick and untick files to sort them before clearing.
- Place AI and SVG files: place Illustrator and SVG files as linked files. Untick to copy their artwork onto the sheet.
- Select Files, Clear All, Clear Checked, Clear Unchecked: add files, or clear all, the ticked or the unticked ones.
- Create Contact Sheet: does it.
Layout
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Page Border | The margin round each page |
| Font | The font for the title and labels |
| Frame Offset | The gap between the preview and its frame |
| Frame Stroke | The width of the frame's outline |
| Title Font Size | The size of the page title |
| Label Offset | The gap between the frame and its label |
| Filename Lines | How many lines a long file name can wrap onto |
| Label Font Size, Label Align | The labels' size, and Left, Center or Right |
| Background | The colour behind each preview |
| Fit Frame to imported artwork size | Make each frame the size of its artwork, instead of the full preview box |
| Remove Extension from Filename | Show logo instead of logo.png |
Page Sizes
The list of page sizes in Page Size: add, change or remove sizes (Name, Width, Height).
How to...
Proof a folder of logos for a customer
- Drop the files in. Tick Filename and Original artwork size, and set a Page Title, for example the customer's name.
- Leave Rasterize Previews ticked to keep the file light.
- Press Create Contact Sheet, then save it as a PDF to send.
Tips
- Save your layouts as presets (see Using Presets), for example “A4 proof, 3 across”.
- For one artboard per PDF page at full size (instead of previews), use PDF MultiPage Import.
Good to know
- A damaged or unsupported file doesn't stop the contact sheet: it gets a red placeholder with the file name and why it couldn't be shown.
- PDF pages are placed one at a time straight onto the sheet, so big PDFs work smoothly.
What's new
- 1.6.7: Safer when copying AI and SVG files onto the contact sheet. Needs PowerScripts 3.8.42 or later.
- 1.6.6
- Fixed: a damaged or unsupported file no longer stops the contact sheet: it gets a red placeholder showing the file and why.
- Fixed: the Filename label option works.
- Improved: general bug fixes, reliability and speed.
- 1.6.5
- Improved: more stable PDF importing: PDF pages are loaded one at a time straight onto the contact sheet, so big and multi-page PDFs are much lighter and no temporary documents open.
- Improved: better detection of PDF page counts and sizes.
- Improved: .tiff and .gif files can be added to the list.
- Improved: more stable opening of AI and SVG files, which are now copied onto the contact sheet instead of moved.
- Fixed: “Place AI and SVG files” was spelled wrong.
- Older changes: PowerScripts Release Notes