Use Preview to Update Repeated Formats

Everybody who works on a periodic publication - weekly newsletter, monthly magazine etc, comes against this task: there is an ad or a column with set format. For each new issue you only need to change photos and a few bits of text.

I found that using Preview for updating existing formats is quicker and easier than via Media Browser.

Here I have an estate agent advertising with us. Each month we put in a new selection of properties for sale.

First, in the ad which is a Pages document, define photos already in place as image placeholders. Click to select and then: Format>Advanced>Define as Media placeholder (kb shortcut: control+option+command+I)

So, when new photos come I put them in a specially created, 'ad hoc' folder.
Then I select all photos in the folder (Command+A) and open them all in one Preview window - Command+O. Or simply place them close to one another on the Desktop and drag cursor over them to select.

Preview opens all photos at once with a 'drawer' on the side of the window with thumbnails of pictures.


Click on the thumbnails one by one and drag to the Pages document to be updated. As you drag the photo over the allocated placeholder slot it is highlighted with a blue frame. Let go - and the old photo is replaced with the new one.

You may find this method quicker and more efficient than going through the Media Browser because working through Media requires additional step - arranging pictures in iPhoto BEFORE using them in your Pages project. But your iPhoto may already be cluttered with numerous images, albums and folders.

Of course, if for some reason you find it more reassuring to use the Media Browser, you can import your 'ad hoc' folder into the Media - just drag and drop it onto the open MB window.

Please also check this more recent article:
Preview Drawer trick: a quick way of selecting and importing photos into Pages

Please read an older article:
Designing ads in Pages: the Golden Apple