Good way to build a grid in Photoshop, Illustrator or InDesign?

[M A V I C]

I need to create a wall of video screens. Something along the lines of this:



If this were all flat it would be easy, but I need to add perspective. I know I could just adjust each image individually, but it would be much easier if I could just create a flat grid and then manipulate it as a whole.

What's the best way to build something like this?

Thanks.

[mikebw]

Lots of ways to do it, but what does the end result need to be? If you are making a static image just build it layer by layer and then flatten them and play around with the Lens Correction filter. Could do some other things if you have After Effects or Maya.

[M A V I C]

The end result will be pretty much like the sample, though I may need to create a side view as well. I don't have AE nor Maya. This will be used in print & web as a static graphic.

[laarree]

All of those apps have grid features.

What I would do (might not be the cleverest way to do it, bu it would work) is use a tool like Contact Sheet II thru Photoshop or Bridge to create a high-res grid of uniformly sized images with a set distance between rows and columns. Take the resulting composite image and transform/warp it to taste. If you have Photoshop CS4 Extended, you can wrap the image around a 3D cylinder using the new 3D features in this version to get a more geometrically accurate perspective distortion.

[Seacrest]

There are warp tools for this in both Illus and Photoshop.
I'd personally build flat in AI, and export to PS for the warp effect.

[laarree]

FWIW, I built this and exported to gif in about a minute in Illustrator.

[Seacrest]

Showoff.

[JoeM]

My, you're all a bit...warped.

[M A V I C]

I'm trying to do this in a way that's editable so I can easily change it if need be. For the most part I understand the approaches you're describing, but they're not easy to tweak. For example, using warp or any transforming in PS only works the first time. Photoshop then treats the object as a rectangle again.

laarree, I'm impressed you did that in Illustrator so quickly. How did you do that?

For the piece I need to do, I am only using one image. So it needs to be warped the same as the lines...

[Blankity Blank]

Since you're dealing with a lot of small, individual images, (Edit - Whoops. I see now you're only using one repeating(?) image for the grid. Even with that, I'd still go with InDesign, adding Step and Repeat, for the initial set-up. That is if I have the right idea about what you're doing.) I'd import them into InDesign, arrange them roughly into the order in rows and columns so you get the overall visual look you want for the wall as a whole, then use the Align and Distribute controls to clean up the rows and columns into the final grid. From there import it into Photoshop for the warp and reflection. That would leave you with a master grid in InDesign that you can go back to and easily rearrange images to change the 'color', size, etc. of the overall grid.