Welcome to InDesign
Adobe InDesign is a desktop publishing (DTP) software application produced by Adobe Systems. It can be used to create things such as posters, flyers, brochures, magazines and books. from wikipedia
From its first release in 1999 as a desktop publication application, to compete with Quark Express, InDesign has grown deepened its capabilities until with the release of CS4 it is becoming the industry standard both print and online publications. InDesign exports files to Flash CS4, to PDF (portable document format), Adobe's Digital Editions format, .epub, and imports text from most word processors (Select Place then check "Show Import Options"). It is closely tied with the Acrobat technologies, has great type control, is support by Adobe's InDesign server and has a companion program, InCopy, for collaborative work. It is the publication hub for most of the Adobe asset preparation applications.
InDesign Tutorials
Go through some of the following tutorials before we begin working with InDesign in class.
- From Adobe TV :: Lynda.com :: Youtube :: Vimeo :: Layers :: The InDesigner :: InDesign Secrets
Getting started understanding InDesign
- InDesign Docs [various]
- InDesign Docs was a precursor of Adobe TV. There are many helpful tutorials and examples here.
- Getting Started with Adobe InDesign CS4 [1:00:00]
- A free lesson, with support files, Peachpit Press and the book, "Adobe InDesign CS4 Classroom in a Book"
- Introducing InDesign CS4 [3:47]
- Construct sophisticated documents of any length, whether your output is to a printer or to a PDF, eBook, the Web, or Flash. Preview new InDesign features.
- Designing a Business Card in InDesign [?]
- In this tutorial Christy Winter, Associate Designer for Layers Magazine, creates a Business Card in InDesign and shows how using Layers, Libraries and Object Styles can save you time.
- Using Layer Comps in InDesign [?]
- Use CS4 integration to move this postcard design from Photoshop to InDesign.
a little more on using InDesign...
- Getting Started: 01 Starting a New Document [5:15]
- Create a new document in InDesign from the File menu or Welcome screen. Navigate the Welcome screen. Adjust settings for the new document.
- Getting Started: 02 Making a Text Frame [3:59]
- Create new text frames using Smart Guides. Align text using vertical justification and resize text frames. Add placeholder text using the Type tool.
- Getting Started: 03 Character-Level Formatting [5:12]
- Apply character-level formatting attributes to text. Locate and select text and fonts. Increase type size and change the leading value.
- Getting Started: 04 Paragraph-Level Formatting [4:01]
- Assign paragraph-level text formatting attributes. Justify or align text to the left and right margins. Indent text to indicate new paragraphs.
- Getting Started: 05 Making a Paragraph Style [5:30]
- Create and assign paragraph styles to replicate the character- and paragraph-level formatting attributes used on a regular basis.
- Send me any good tutorials for Adobe InDesign CS4 you find useful.
InDesign Help
The online help guide for all of the Adobe applications we will use this semester is always available from within the specific application under the "Help" menu.
Additionally, most applications in the CS4 package load a "Start page" - some times still called the "Welcome Screen" - when you first launch the application. This screen contains links to "Getting Started", "New Features and "Resources". Take a look!
"When you start InDesign without opening a document, the InDesign Welcome Screen appears in the work environment. This screen gives you quick access to InDesign tutorials, recent files, sample files, InDesign Exchange where you can add new capabilities to InDesign features. To disable the start page, check the "Don't show again" box when the Welcome Screen appears."
To turn the Welcome Screen on again, select "Welcome Screen" from InDesign's Help menu. Uncheck the "Don't show again" box if you want the Welcome Screen to appear the next time you start InDesign.
The direct link to Adobe Help on the Web for InDesign is: http://help.adobe.com/en_US/InDesign/6.0/index.html?trackingid=DYNQB
InDesign Terms and Features
Layout: Understand the basics of layout: using Grids, Pages and Spreads, Master pages, Page numbering, TOC styling and generation, Layers, and Text variables. Read more about Layout online.
Styles: A style is a collection of formatting attributes that can be applied to items throughout a document. You can create styles for paragraphs, characters, objects, tables, and cells in a table. Read more about Styles in InDesign online. Styles are powerful understanding how they work and how best to use them can speed-up your workflow, particularly in long documents. InDesign is the Adobe application that most deeply understands font and glyph styling.
Typography: Typography gives visual form to language. AdobeInDesign CS4 gives you the tools you need to set type that suits your content. The fonts you choose and the settings you select for leading and kerning are examples of decisions you can make about the appearance of the text in your document. If you are interested in how type can be controlled in InDesign read more about Typography online.
If you are interested in designing type, beyond single glyph manipulation (done usually in Illustrator) look at FontLab
Books: Book files are collections of InDesign .indd files. Use them to make chapters in longer documents, and more. Read more about Creating Book files (.indb) online. Review this video from InDesign Secrets [19:44]
Dynamic Documents: Design your Adobe InDesign CS4 document so that it can be exported to SWF, XFL, or PDF. For SWF and XFL files, specify the page size according to monitor resolution (such as 800 x 600), and then add buttons, hyperlinks, and page transitions before exporting in either SWF or XFL format. For PDF files, add bookmarks, hyperlinks, buttons, movies, and sound clips to create dynamic documents. Read more about Dynamic Documents online.
Interactivity in InDesign: Building interactivity InDesign, Bookmarks, Buttons, Hyperlinks, Page transitions, and Cross Referencing
