Course Content
The InDesign Environment
- Setting Preferences, Defaults and Presets
- Using the tools and panels
- Control panel
- Using contextual menus
- Opening and closing documents
- Navigating a document
Document Layout
- Setting up pages and basic layout options
- Using rulers, guides, grids and layers
- Targeting and Selecting pages
- Working with pages and spreads
- Automatic page numbering and sections
- Using master pages including “parent/child” masters
- Using the all new powerful find & change.
Laying out pages with frames
- Creating and using Frames
- Using the frame tools
- Creating text and graphic frames
- Setting frame properties
Working with Text
- Linking text frames
- Importing and exporting text
- Placing text in frames
- Threading text through frames
- Setting text frame properties
- Smart text handling
- Editing text
- Finding and changing text
- Checking spelling
- Baseline Grid
Formatting Type
- Formatting characters
- Formatting paragraphs
- Working with tabs
- Controlling hyphenation and justification
- Optical kerning and alignment
Working with Styles
- Creating and applying paragraph styles
- Nested & next paragraph styles
- Overriding local formatting
- Copying & loading styles from other documents
- Object styles
- Redefining Paragraph, Character & Object styles
Importing Graphics
- Placing multiple images
- Fitting content to frames
- Fitting frames to content
- Managing links and embedded images
- Introduction to working with clipping paths
- Importing native Photoshop files
- Full resolution preview
Combining Text and Graphics
- Drawing Shapes
- Drawing basic shapes
- Drawing basic freeform shapes
Effects & Transparency
- Creating transparency
- Using effects – Drop Shadows, Feathering and Gradient.
- Flattener Preview
- Importing files with transparency
- Photoshop effects – within InDesign – Bevel & Embossing, Inner & Outer Glows etc.
Selecting and Transforming Objects
- Moving objects
- Using the Transform panel
- Grouping and ungrouping objects
- Anchored Objects
- Alignment tools (greatly expanded even from CS2!)
- Pathfinder
Using Colours
- Defining and applying colours
- Importing colours from colour libraries
- Mixed Inks
- Loading colours from other applications
- Creating and applying gradients
Tables
- Creating tables
- Merge/Unmerge Cells
- Table headers and footers
- Viewing cell frame edges
- Saving Table and Cell styles
Exporting InDesign Documents
Printing
- Preparing for commercial printing
- Installing and selecting a PPD
- Separation Preview
- Printing a document
- Performing a preflight check before printing
- Packaging files for hand off
File Management with Adobe Bridge
