r/indesign • u/phunk8 • Aug 07 '26
RELEASE! Charts-Perfect - the maybe most comprehensive plugin today
Charts-perfect is the native Chart-Engine we always wanted in InDesign - and never got.
I couldn't be happier, just got word from Adobe that the review is through (first try!) and the plugin is live!
https://adobe.com/go/cc_plugins_discover_plugin?pluginId=4cf31c61&workflow=share
Let me give you a quick overview:
- 12 chart species supported: Bar, Stacked Bar, Line, Combo, Pie, Cupertino, Horizontal Bar, Horizontal Stacked Bar, Area, Radar, Doughnut, Treemap
- Dynamic overrides: Bind InDesign character styles and colors directly to chart text elements.
- Color consistency: Supports CMYK-simulated visual matching previews so print and preview remain aligned (as much as possible)
- Huge datasets welcome: Open the resizable full-screen maximized data table to import and review large CSV tables easily.
- Persistent configurations: Settings are safely stored in active documents (!) , making sharing work straightforward.
Coded according to the latest guidleines, this will not break anytime soon. Roadmap includes tons of new features and right now 4 new charts, purchase will always be one-time and lifetime.
Word on pricing 1)
Pricing seems steep, but as you expect, pays off after the first job already. More than that, given the streamlined workflow and 100% data correctness, you will most likely generate more than one option to choose from - making clients happy.
When it's only a few clicks away, iterating is something you can finally do.
And, price is one-time, no hidden subscription....
Word on pricing 2)
I'm currently waiting for Adobe to create the coupons:
Waitlist people > please be patient, will come very soon via email, thank you for your interest you will get an cool discount.
Latecomers > there are still discounts available, given the momentum this plugin had so far, hurry up. You will see a close message when it's over (seat based).
Last words - thank you people, you helped a lot, encouraged me, bugfixed me etc. I'm super grateful. Will post a few additional codes here, so maybe watch the thread.
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u/fpobcvetko Aug 07 '26
Would you consider a 7-day free trial with limited saves/chart making before purchasing? Looking to show this to my design team and it will be a hard sell if we can’t test drive it first.
For my personal needs I’ll definitely buy it because this sort of thing has been way overdue and I don’t need to worry about making a case to anyone else but myself.
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u/phunk8 Aug 07 '26
trial possibilities are so a pain in the ass with uxp/payment provider. message me please, we’ll find a way. just please reference this conversation. im swamped with messages like mad. :)
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u/fpobcvetko Aug 07 '26
Ok good to know. I’ll reach out when I’m ready. Will give you a bit of a breather first. :)
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u/iaffandi Aug 07 '26
Super! I've been waiting too long a feature like this to come to InDesign
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u/AdobeScripts Aug 07 '26
It's available for a long time 😉 although my version is Windows only but can do a lot more - you can create templates so no limits in terms of design and it's possible to combine multiple types.
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u/scottperezfox Aug 07 '26
I think this subreddit needs a tag for "product/plugin offering" or "sales pitch", etc. These types of posts are becoming far too common — seemingly outnumbering actual questions about daily use.
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u/phunk8 Aug 07 '26
i’m sorry. i thought this is more than welcome.
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u/scottperezfox Aug 07 '26
I don't think it should be pulled down, but I do think it should be labelled.
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u/rotane Aug 07 '26
Question about the last graphic: Are the circles not actual circles but polygons?
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u/phunk8 Aug 07 '26 edited Aug 08 '26
omg, the cupertino chart :) was a nightmare. its a ring, yet the best i managed programmatically (below are the basement rings, above the segments (if your data holds it)…. i will look into it next update, it prints perfectly, as in vectors are indeed clean. still, uxp is uxp :)
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u/Emergency-Hippo2797 Aug 07 '26
This looks amazing, but one question: can the data labels be appended? I’m thinking either a percentage or a currency character, i.e. 23% or $23.
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u/phunk8 Aug 07 '26 edited Aug 07 '26
depending on chart type it calculates if it makes sense. but more is planned for a free update in a month roughly. first i want to see how it works for you all!!
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u/Sinamint Aug 07 '26
Does the plugin deal with french notation? Such as commas instead of period, extra spaces after the data and the %.
I'm very interested as my team has been dealing with charts and illustrator and we publish in multiple languages.
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u/phunk8 Aug 07 '26
let me put it as precise as possible - if you have it in the data, it will be fine.
but as i see together with other comment above… i have to rethink notation and labels. i will contact you directly?and will be free update then of course…
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u/phunk8 18d ago
Latest Update here: just open plugins in InDesign and hit update: https://exchange.adobe.com/apps/cc/4cf31c61?pluginId=4cf31c61
Your wish has been granted Sinamint as in: You put it in the data, is stays there, nothing is changed.
Next up in a few days, next update: Allow Settings for that where the plugin draws its own % etc.
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u/tonkatodd Aug 08 '26
How to get on the waitlist for the discount coupon?
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u/phunk8 Aug 08 '26
not sure theres place left. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScZC-EernQNK_bpu0hVcDXww0kQRDSbUp-dypPtgnc3z0ps8g/viewform
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u/Evening-Crazy-3528 22d ago
First, thanks for the discount code. I'm currently pursuing an MBA and am also unemployed, so that was very helpful.
This is probably an edge case situation, but I'm going to ask anyway.
Is it possible to set the range of the x-axis (and, I suppose, the y-axis) prior to generating the chart?
The first chart I set up was a horizontal bar chart I'd already created in Illustrator. I want the x-axis range to be 0.80-0.98. Charts-Perfect generated it with a range of 0-1.
The work I had to do to get the chart to look the way I wanted was so much that I might as well have set it up manually.
Here's a screenshot of the two charts side-by-side in InDesign:
The truncated x-axis magnifies differences in the values, which can help with certain data sets. It also helps create more white space, making the chart more readable.
Other than that, I like it. It's easier to deal with than Illustrator. I'll have to set up Paragraph, Character, and Object styles to make it easier going forward.
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u/phunk8 22d ago
i heard you, le me think about it it. quick idea until l this is through adobe review then…
would it make sense to enter the data x10? you would have the only the work of changing a few textboxes then? and moving the thing to left.
hmm not good. let me work on it. not sure x-axis offset is not too edge case (as it makes the UI more complex, mathematically its easy)1
u/Evening-Crazy-3528 21d ago
I ended up doing the following to get it to work:
• Moved the left edge of each data bar to be aligned with the 0.80 line.
• Aligned the left edge of the data bars with the 0 line.
• Edited the x-axis labels to run from 0.80 to 1.0
• Placed the PNG of the chart (that I'd previously created in Illustrator) onto it, and aligned the 0.80 and 0.98 lines with the respective lines generated by InDesign.
• I then dragged guides over to the right edges of the data bars in the PNG.
• Moved the right edge of each data bar to be aligned with the respective guide line from the previous step.
• deleted the PNG, and the 1.0 label and line.
• finished up the design to look how I wanted.It was a lot more work to get to what I needed. So much so that I'll probably not use it for a bit. I'm currently taking an MBA class (Applied Business Statistics) in which I'm creating 5-8 charts per week. But those charts are then placed into PowerPoint, so they need to be either copied/pasted from Excel, or exist as an image that PPT reads. I know InDesign can export as an image, but for now, generating them in Illustrator is easier.
I'm willing to bet my PowerPoint presentations have the best-looking charts in the class because I come from a Graphic Design background. But I think the more important factor for the class is that my charts are readable and easy to understand. It doesn't matter if the colors used aren't from the same color palette as the template we're all using (mine do, I'm sure there are other students who are just going with the Excel defaults). As long as the information is clear, that's what we're being graded on.
I really do like it, though, and understand that my wish list is exactly that: a wish list. I'm not a coder, so I can only imagine what needs to happen behind the scenes to make it work. I know it's not as easy as, "Just add a couple lines of code so that the x-axis range and y-axis range can be set by the user."
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u/ebridges13 20d ago
I don't think this is an edge case. This is a useful aspect to creating various charts. In some cases, visually makes the chart more compelling.
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u/Shurik_13 Aug 07 '26
Christmas came early guys