Technology Presentation: InDesign CS6 Shelby Williams

What is InDesign? InDesign is a publishing software application produced by Adobe Systems. It can be used to create works such as posters, flyers, brochures, magazines, newspapers and books (Wikipedia).

First, open InDeisgn Then, there will be an introduction screen where you will pick to create a new “document” From the beginning, it ask you the intent of your design (Web? Print?) which makes life easier on the designer because you don’t have to worry about the minor details. It is a simpler design software ideal for new designers which gives them more time to focus on the content of their project. Step One

You will need some sort of idea of the number of pages and how big you are going to want your page to be. This is the next screen that will pop up that will want you to select some dimensions. You can always adjust it later but it asks for the intent, number of pages, width, height, columns and margins. Step Two

From here you can insert a picture or background that you would like. Step Three

These are the different tools that are available that can be used to alter or add to the document. This is where you can play around with different things to see what works and what doesn't’t. One of the main tools is the “Text Tool” where you can add text to it, especially important if you’re making a brochure, flyer, or anything with information on it. Step Four

Some Other Important Tools Selection Tool- Selects & moves items around Pen Tool- Creates custom free form picture ares or shapes Rectangle Tool- Creates shapes Fill Control- Adds selected color to element or text Line Tool- Adds linear elements to the page Free Transform Tool- Scales or rotates an element

Layers Each thing you add to the document, is a new layer. It stacks and orders objects which gives you a way to control the layout. You may find that two objects overlap in a wrong fashion so you can select the layer and move it forwards, backwards or just remove it in general for a better look. Using layers makes life a lot easier on an artist.

Frames Everything you do in InDesign is placed in frames. There are two types: text and image frames. The text frame is self explanatory but after you create an image frame, you can select a shape or draw one yourself. You can fill it in with an image or color.

Copy & Paste One major feature of the Adobe Creative Suite is the ability to copy and paste between applications. This makes it easier to insert text, links, pictures and other objects hassle-free.

Go to Windows > Layers and that will activate the layer panel that will show up on the right side of the screen.

How’s it different than Photoshop? Photoshop prefers you work with the RGB color mode. For print design, it is better to work with the color mode CMYK. The difference between the two are the options of colors.

Strengths Best for multiple page projects Master page system lets you create elements that exist on every page of project Intuitive word wrap tool Can link elements from other programs without converting them to pixels Ideal for exporting to.EPS format

Where can I get a free trial? Go to At the top right hand corner there is a button that says “Free Trial” Click, Download & Create !

Works Cited Fussell, Grace. Photoshop VS InDesign: Which is Best for Print Design? Tuts, 9 Jun Web. 4 March Gendelman, Vladimir. Adobe Illustrator vs. Photoshop vs. InDesign-Print Design Guide. Company Folders, 24 Sept Web. 4 March Illagan, Patrick. Tutorial Tuesdays-Adobe InDesign Tutorials for Beginners. You the Designer, 26 Feb Web. 4 March Selby, Gavin. Quick Tip: Creating New Documents, InDesignCS5. Tuts, 5 Nov Web. 4 March Valuyskaya, Lisa. Adobe InDesign Tips I Wish I’d Knew When Starting Out. Smashing Magazine, 17 March Web. 4 March Valuyskaya, Lisa. Adobe InDesign Tips I Wish I’d Knew When Starting Out. Smashing Magazine, 17 March Web. 4 March 2015.