Should I Use Linked or Embedded Graphics?

Answer

Everybody tends to have their own preference to Embedded vs Linked graphics and there are advantages and disadvantages of both.

Embedded Graphics:

The same graphic is used in all outputs, the graphic is stored in the database (your Author-it library) so can never be "misplaced", but if you have a large amount of graphics it will impact on your library size. Modifying the original graphic will not effect the graphic in Author-it - although if you double-click the graphic from the File Object preview window, it will open the graphic in the associated Graphics editor (such as PaintShop Pro. Photoshop, MS Paint etc) you have installed on your machine.

Linked Graphics:

You can use a different graphic in each output type, but the graphic is stored externally (eg, on your PC or a network drive). When your output is generated, Author-it looks for the linked graphic at the path specified on the file object and copies it to your generation folder so it can be included when distributing your files - however, if the files are moved or the path is changed this can easily lead to misplaced graphics and error messages in the resulting output.

To avoid this, if you're using linked graphics we recommend you store them in one folder (or a limited number of folders), and specify the location of this folder on the File Object template/s. For example, the default templates that are included with Author-it have a "Linked Graphics Directory template" - this template specifies the directory that the linked files are stored in, and all the other Linked type templates are based on this template, thereby inheriting this property. This means if you want to move your linked files, you only have to change the one template - it then automatically updates the other templates that are based on this template, and then each File Object based on those templates.

The biggest disadvantage (which also results in a number of support calls!) is misplaced graphics. On the other hand, the biggest advantage is you also retain a great degree of control - if the original graphic is modified, Author-it is updated automatically.

One of the biggest points to consider is the nature of your graphics - do they change often and who will need to access and modify the original file? Who has access to the linked files (particularly on a network and in a large company where they may be inadvertently moved or deleted)? Sometimes, you may choose to use a combination of both embedded and linked.