InDesign CS3 Lessons 1 and 2

Work Area When First Opened

FILE Menu > NEW option

This is what a new document looks like when first opened.

FILE MENU > OPEN option Note the icon used for an InDesign file. The file extension is.indd This is what is looks like when you have opened an existing file.

TOOLS Panel The tools panel contains tools for selecting objects, working with type, drawing, and viewing, as well as controls for applying and changing color fills, strokes, and gradients. Note that several of the tools have a down-pointing arrow in the bottom, left corner. Position the pointer over the tool and hold down the mouse button. Additional tools will appear for that specific tool. This is an example of what shows for the Pen tool. If you don’t see the Tools panel, go to WINDOWS > Tools.

CONTROL Panel What displays in the control panel at the top of the window depends on what type of object you have selected. If you don’t see the Control Panel, go to the WINDOWS menu > Control option.

PANELS To the right of the window, you will see various panels. What types of panels you see will is dependent on what type of object you have selected, opened, etc. To open the various panels, click the WINDOW Menu. Three different panels are shown in this example.

Individual Panels Each individual panel also have a subset of options. When you open the panel, you will see multiple tabs across the top. Clicking each of these tabs will display something different. Here is an example of the GRADIENT option. Note the three tabs available for this one option.

Individual Panels (cont’d) #1 Clicking the Panel Menu button up the upper, right corner displays the Panel Menu. #2 Clicking one of the options listed on the control list, may give you yet another dialog box.

Customizing Your Workspace InDesign allows you to view documents at any level between 5% and 4000%. When a document is open, the current magnification percentage is displayed (1) in the lower left corner of the document window, and (2) at the top of the document in the title bar of the window, next to the filename. InDesign gives you several ways to customize the workspace. Click the VIEW MENU to see the list of options. Note that there are also quick keys available to quickly change the workspace. You can use the ZOOM tool Once you click the zoom tool, your pointer will change to a magnifying glass with a (+) sign. Hold down ALT key to change it to (-) sign. You can also RIGHT-CLICK > ZOOM

Viewing Multiple Pages To view a document containing multiple pages, you can: 1.Use the navigation buttons in the bottom left corner. 2.Click the down-pointing arrow and select and select the specific page. 3.Use the PAGES Panel. Simple click on the page you want to view.

Scrolling Through a Document You can use the HAND tool to move to different areas or pages of a document. Once you click the tool, your pointer turns to a hand. When you click and drag with the mouse, the hand changes shape so that it looks like a fist. If you double-click the Hand tool, the document will change back to the fit the spread in the window. You can also click the Selection Tool, position the pointer over the document, and hold down the SPACEBAR. When you do this, the pointer again turns to a hand. You can use the Navigator Panel. WINDOWS Menu > Object & Layout > Navigator You can either: Use the slider at the bottom to move around. Click in the small window and move around.

Using HELP (HELP > InDesign Help) Note that you can expand and contract the various topics just as you can in Windows Explorer.

Custom Page Settings InDesign lets you save your common page defaults, including page size, number of pages, and margins. This lets you build new documents quickly using these saved document parameters, which are called presets.

Using the PRESET To use the Custom Preset, you would go to FILE menu > New option as usual. Then, in the “Document Preset” window, you would click the down- pointing arrow to locate the actual preset file. Otherwise, you would simply leave the preset at [Default] as shown here. Then, a new document would be created using all the specifications from the document preset, including the page size, margins, and number of pages.

Units of Measure You can only use any supported unit of measurement in any dialog box or panel. If you are using values other than the default value of measurement, simply type the indicator for the unit you want to use. – P for picas – Pt for points – In or “ for inches You can change the default units by choosing: EDIT menu > Preferences > Units & Increments NOTE: Typing in 50p3 is the abbreviation for 50 picas and 3 points

Master Pages A master page is like a template that you can apply to many pages in your document. Any object that you add to a master page appears on document pages where the master page has been applied. If you don’t see this panel, go to the WINDOW Menu > Pages option. Master Page icons Page icons To view the master page, double-click it. The master page will then be displayed in the document window. To go back to the document, double-click the page icon for the page you want to go back to.

Master Pages ANOTHER WAY TO VIEW MASTER PAGES You can also access/view the master pages by clicking the down-pointing arrow at the bottom of the window. OTHER CHOICES… Right click… Then select…

Renaming a Master Page Select the master page you want to rename. In this case, it is the default “A Master” name. Click the Panel Pages menu button. Select Master Option from the menu. In the Name box, type the new name of the master page.

Master Pages

Adding Guides Layout Menu > Create Guides Guides can be dragged from the top or side rulers to add guidelines. NOTE: Holding CTRL down while dragging will add that guide across all pages in a spread.