Learning Objectives:
1. Create a New Document and manipulate margins
and columns
2. Place Images and Image clippings.
3. Create and manipulate objects
4. Swatches.
5. Add text and apply text wraps.
6. Export as High Quality PDF and File Packaging.
1.Activity
Create
a and
New
Document
and
manipulate margins
1: Creating
setting
up your multi-page
document
Estimated time: 25 minutes
and columns
Overview:
In this activity you will:
•
•
•
In this first activity, we will create a new multi-page document in InDesign.
We will alter the margins, create guides, and create repeating elements on the A-Master page.
We will explore the program’s layout through this and the other activities.
Instructions:
Set up preferences:
1. Navigate to InDesign’s preferences:
2. On PC, go to Edit > Preferences > Units & Increments…
3. On Mac, go to InDesign CC > Preferences > Units & Increments…
4. Under Ruler Increments, change Horizontal and Vertical from Picas to Inches.
5. Press OK.
TIP: If you make changes to your preferences or load swatches when no documents are open, all new
documents will reflect those preferences and swatches as the default.
Creating your file:
1. Launch Adobe InDesign.
2. Click on File > New > Document.
You will use the Document file type 95% of the time. The book option is used for linking multiple
documents together. Library creates Creative Cloud Libraries where you can share assets, swatches, and
more.
New Document Guide:
Intent:
Print: Will use CMYK colors, resolution will
be print-ready (300 ppi), page sizes will be
common print sizes.
Web: Will use RGB colors, resolution will be
for digital (72 ppi), page sizes will be
common screen sizes.
Digital Publishing: Will use RGB colors,
resolution will be for digital (72 ppi), and
page sizes will be common screen sizes for
epub readers.
Facing pages:
If you plan to create a project that has two-page
spreads, you will want to leave this checked.
Number of Pages:
Print publications need to have pages in
increments that correspond with the
finishing of the printed piece. How you bind
your document will influence how many
pages you need to have. Three-ring bind,
spiral bind, etc.: You will need to work in
two-page increments as every sheet of
paper will have a front and back. Saddlestitch, perfect bind, etc: You will need to
work in four-page increments as every
signature will be comprised of four pages.
Page Size:
Most commercial printing is oriented
around the 8.5” x 11” page size. This means
that variations on that page dimension will
result in the lowest printing costs. See
“Bleed” for more to consider.
Slug:
A slug is a non-printable area where you can
include information specific to the page or
artboard. Slugs are sometimes used to include
information about the version or iteration when
many designs are created.
Bleed:
Bleeds allow you to run artwork to the edge of a page. On a press, the artwork is printed on a large
sheet of paper and then trimmed down to size. The default for bleed is 1/8 of an inch (.125 inches).
Practical Tip: If you want to include bleed with your projects, you will either have to print the page
on to a larger piece of paper or adjust your page size to be smaller than a regular sheet of paper.
Then, you will have to trim your printed piece.
KU Information Technology
Adobe InDesign – Basics | 11
Creating your file (continued):
3. Leave the Intent as Print.
4. By Number of Pages, enter 8. (The book will end up having 16 pages.)
5. Click on the small expansion arrow next to Bleed and Slug.
6. Enter .125 as the Bleed on all sides.
7. Leave all other settings as the default, and click OK.
Save your file:
1. Go to File > Save and save your file to the desktop on your computer.
Navigating the document:
Pasteboard
Document
Bleed: If you
want your design
to extend past
the edge of your
page, you’ll need
to extend
elements that
extend past the
document’s edge
to the bleed line.
Default bleed is
.125” or 1/8 inch.
Margin guide: The
general rule of thumb
is to not extend any
important page
elements within ¼” of
the document’s edge.
Document edge:
Where the document
is trimmed to if using
bleed.
KU Information Technology
Adobe InDesign – Basics | 12
Navigating InDesign:
1
2
4
3
1 – Control Menu: This
menu displays options for
the currently selected tool.
It is contextual and will
change based on what you
are doing.
2 – Tools Menu: This menu
contains the different tools
you will use. Wherever you
see a tool with an arrow at
in the corner, it contains
additional nested tools. You
can access the nested tools
by clicking and holding the
tool.
3 – Jump Menu: The Jump
Menu tells you what page
you are currently on and
allows to move between
other pages in your
document.
4 – Panels: Each workspace
contains a set of default
panels or windows that help
you to make additional
modifications to your
document. Panels can be
grouped, stacked, or
docked. You can add more
panels by selecting Window.
Zoom In/Out: You can zoom in
and out by pressing the Ctrl + + or
Ctrl + -. You can also use the
magnification glass icon to select
a specific area. Ctl + 0 fits the
document to the window.
Keyboard shortcuts: Each tool has
a keyboard shortcut. You can see
these by hovering over each tool
in the Tools Menu. Press the V
key to return to the selection
tool.
Previewing your document: You
can switch between design mode
and preview mode by pressing
the W key on your keyboard.
2. Place Images and Image clippings.
Placing Images (Objective 4)
1. File> Place
2. Select Item (01 Coverimage.
jpg)
3. Select Open
The cursor is now loaded with the
picture.
To size the image as it is placed:
1. Click, hold and drag to the
desired sized on the page
2. Release mouse button
To place the image at full size:
1. Click once on the page
Create an image place holder:
1. Select the Rectangle Frame Tool
2. Click hold and drag to desired place
3. Click Selection Tool
4. Select place holder (white handles appear)
5. Follow Placing Images instructions above
with 04_SmallHiking.jpg and
05_SmallWaterfall.jpg
Create a text box:
1. Select the Type Tool
2. Click hold and drag to desired size
3. Release mouse. Cursor will be ready to
type in text box.
Format Text:
1. Select the desired text with the Type Tool
2. (To change color) Click the Fill drop down
arrow and click on desired color
3. (To change font) Select desired font and
text size from drop down list
STOP: End of poster exercise
Often, the images that we want to place in the document are larger and don’t fit completely
in the frame we want. InDesign offers tools to ensure that you are able to fit the images
exactly within the frames you want.
To do this, go to the Objects menu and then to the Fitting submenu. You will see that
there are a few fitting options for you.
The Fill Frame Proportionally command adjusts the image in the frame so that it fills
the frame completely. However, this can result in some of the image being cropped off as
shown in the following example.
Adobe InDesign CC
The Fit Content Proportionally command fills the whole content within the frame
without cropping the image.
Fit Frame to Content changes the frame size with respect to the size of the image.
Fit Content to Frame scales the image to fit in the frame. However, use this only when
needed as the scaling can be disproportionate.
Centre Content centers the image within the frame.
40
Image transparency or if you are an image editor, the alpha channel, is very important to
ensure that the image you are inserting into the document blends with it instead of
appearing like an amateur cut-and-paste job.
There are two ways to get the separate image or the alpha channel from the background
and for both of these, we need to switch over to Photoshop.
One of the ways is to use the Clipping tool in Photoshop to draw a path around the object
we want to isolate from the background. This method, although useful, can result in sharp
edges and might not look professional especially when the clipped image is inserted into
the document. Hence, we will focus on the other way which is to isolate the alpha layer
from within Photoshop to get a better anti-aliased object that blends with the document.
In this example, let us say that you want to isolate the bird from the background. Place
the image into InDesign and go to the Edit menu and select Edit with and in the submenu,
choose Adobe Photoshop. You can also choose any other image editor you are accustomed
to, if it shows up in the Edit with menu.
Remember that although you can work with JPEGs, it is better to use Photoshop PSD files
as they preserve the channel information much better.
In this case, the selection of the bird has been made using the Magnetic Lasso tool (you
can also use the Pen tool if you need more precise cut outs) and loaded the selected part
of the image as a new Alpha channel called Alpha1.
Adobe InDesign CC
Now, click the Channels tab and drag this Alpha1 channel onto the Load channel as
selection icon, which is the first icon from the left in the bottom of the panel.
Next, go the Layers tab and click on Add layer mask icon to create a layer mask with the
transparency (be sure to unlock the layer if its locked).
43
Adobe InDesign CC
You will see that the bird has been isolated and the background has been made
transparent.
Save the image and return to InDesign to see the changes happen automatically.
Since the image is linked, any change that you do in Photoshop will reflect automatically
in InDesign. If you zoom into the image, you will find less of sharp edges and a much
more refined outline.
You can now fit the image into the frame by applying the image fitting commands
discussed in the previous chapter.
3. Create and Manipulate Objects.
https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/drawing-pen-tool.html
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Adobe InDesign CC
24. InDesign CC ─ Swatches Panel
4. Swatches
The Swatches panel or the colors panel is the main place to define colors or swatches for
your objects.
You can change colors or define custom colors based on the objective of your document.
If your primary destination is on-screen, you can define and select any CMYK or RGB color.
If you want to ensure printer compatibility, you can define any of the PANTONE colors
which are commonly used by printing presses.
Changing the color of an object, be it text or image (if it is non-transparent and in
grayscale) is simply a matter of selecting it and applying a desired color from the Swatches
panel.
If you want to edit a color, you can right-click on the color and select Swatch Options…
This opens the Swatch Options dialog box.
In this dialog box, you can manually adjust the CMYK values to get the target color you
want. In the Color Type dropdown menu, there are two options – Process and Spot.
Process is used when working with on-screen documents and is usually the default. Spot
is used if you want to define colors for printing.
In addition to editing an existing swatch, you can also create new swatches with the
appropriate color values.
Once you are done creating or editing the swatch, you can select any frame and click the
desired swatch to apply the color to the frame.
57
In addition to the Swatches panel, you can also use the Color panel to select and define
colors.
The Color panel can be invoked by going to the Window menu, then to the Color submenu
and finally selecting the Color panel or simply press F6 on the keyboard.
When you open the Color panel, you can choose if you want it to display either the Lab,
CMYK or RGB color space.
The bottom of the color panel shows the tint ramp (if it’s a single color) or the Lab, CMYK
or RGB spectrum. Hovering over this tint ramp or spectrum, turns the cursor into the
Eyedropper tool, which you can use to select the desired color.
You can play around with the Color panel just like you would on the Swatches panel but
make sure you add color to your existing swatch collection by clicking Add to Swatches in
the Color panel options. Doing so, will enable you to reuse the color within, as well as
outside the document. Otherwise, it might be difficult to exactly reuse the same color as
the color selection from the Color panel is unnamed.
Applying Gradients
Using gradients can lend some great effects to the document. For using gradients, create
an empty gradient swatch by going to the options of the Swatches panel and selecting
New Gradient Swatch and click Ok.
Right-click the new gradient swatch, which you will see now and select Swatch Options to
open the Gradient Options dialog box.
Adobe InDesign CC
In this case, the default gradient color is from white to black. Clicking the first stop (the
small white icon) in the Gradient Ramp allows you to define the CMYK color which you
want as the starting point of the gradient. You can also change this to RGB to Lab by
selecting the appropriate option from the Stop Color dropdown menu.
The Stop Color dropdown menu also allows you to select an existing swatch as your
gradient color.
You can also add a multi-stop gradient by clicking the Gradient Ramp. If you notice, you
will see a diamond shaped handle on top of the Gradient Ramp. That allows you to define
the extent of the gradient.
If you want to remove any of the gradient stops, click and drag the stop out of the ramp.
60
Adobe InDesign CC
Blending Gradients
You can fine tune the gradients you have created to have a more consistent look with the
rest of the document.
For this, let us create two gradient swatches – one will be a radial gradient and one will
be a linear one. Select the frames that you want these gradients to be applied.
To fine tune the gradients, select the Gradient panel and adjust the gradient’s start and
end points.
You can also select the Gradient Swatch Tool from the toolbar and simply drag a line within
the frame in the direction you want the gradient to be applied.
61
InDesign CC
32. InDesign CC ─ Text Wrap & AnchorAdobe
Objects
5. Adding Text and Text Wrapping
Text Wrapping
Text wrapping is making the text reflow along the boundaries of the frame or the object.
Text wrapping options can be set using the Text Wrap panel from the Window menu.
Let us take an example of text wrapping around an object. When you insert an image over
text, the text normally wraps itself around the frame of the image (which is usually
rectangular) but not the image itself (which can have a contour). The Text Wrap panel
allows you to define the image around which the text should wrap itself.
Place the image in the document and open the Text Wrap panel. With the image frame
selected, select the third option to wrap the text around the object. It is better if the
imported image has some transparency or alpha channel applied to it.
In the Contour Options type, select either Alpha Channel or Detect Edges to wrap the text
around the image. In the following example, we see that the text has been wrapped around
the bird’s body contour.
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6. Exporting as High Quality Pdf and Packaging
Export to PDF
1. File > Export
2. Select location to save
3. Enter desired name
4. Choose Desired PDF format
5. Click Save
6. Under Pages: Select All or Range
(specify)
7. Select Pages (single page) or
Spreads (side-by-side book view)
8. Recommended Options:
Optimize for Fast Web View
Create Tagged PDF
View PDF after Exporting
(opens in Adobe Acrobat)
9. Click Export
Package
Packaging allows you to share your
completed InDesign documents
with all the placed images, texts,
fonts, etc. that you have linked to
the document.
1. File > Package
2. Click Package
3. Ignore Printing Instructions
dialog box and click Continue
(Most commercial printers ignore
this file in your packaged folder.
If you need to communicate with
them, it is suggested that you call
or email.)
4. Select location you want the
packaged folder save.
5. Select:
Copy Fonts
Copy Linked Graphics
Update Graphic Links in
Package
6. Click Package
(At this point you will most likely
receive a warning about the fonts.
Most of the time if you are sending
to a commercial printer for printing
only, it is not a problem; however, it
is always suggested that you check
the font license.)
7
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Best Short Cut Keys in InDesign (Cntrl on PC/ Cmd on Mac)
Ctrl+z
Ctrl+s
Selecting Tools
V, Escape
a
p
\
f
m
l
r
s
i
k
g
c
h
z
Ctrl+Space
x
Shift+x
w
Working with Type
Shift+Ctrl+b
Shift+Ctrl+i
Shift+Ctrl+y
Shift+Ctrl+u
Shift+Ctrl+/
Shift+Ctrl+k
Shift+Ctrl+h
Shift+Ctrl+L, R, /c
Shift+Ctrl+F (all lines) / J (all but last line)
Shift+Ctrl+>/<
Moving Through the Document
Undo
Save
Arrow Keys
Ctrl+[
Shift+Ctrl+[
Ctrl+]
Shift+Ctrl+]
Shift+Ctrl+click and drag
Move selection**
Send object backward
Send object to back
Bring object forward
Bring object to front
Resizes image and frame at the same time
Selection Tool
Direct Selection tool
Pen tool
Line tool
Rectangle Frame tool
Rectangle tool
Ellipse tool
Rotate tool
Scale tool
Eyedropper tool
Measure tool
Gradient tool
Scissors tool
Hand tool
Zoom tool
Temporarily select Zoom In tool
Toggle Fill and Stroke
Swap Fill and Stroke
Switch between Normal View and Preview Mode
Bold
Italic
Normal
Underline
Strikethrough
All caps (on/off)
Small caps (on/off)
Align left, right, or center
Justify all lines
Increase or decrease point size*
8
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214-768-1824
ittraining@smu.edu