What is InDesign?
InDesign is a layout program from Adobe that graphic designers use to combine text and images. It has powerful control over typography and although it may be a little intimidating to learn at first, you'll pick it up quickly and never go back to laying out your graphics and type in Illustrator or Photoshop!
New Table of Contents
- You Still Use Quark?!
- Making Changes Easier with Master Pages
- Avoiding Disaster with Paragraph and Character Styles
- Understanding InDesign Layers
- InDesign Shortcuts
- InDesign Training and Resources on Amazon
- How to Match Colors and Styles Across Multiple InDesign Documents
- InDesign Help: Speeding Up Formatting and Changes
- How to Set Up a Consistent Baseline in InDesign
- InDesign Project Walkthrough
- Are You a Quark User?
- Wacom Tablets are Helpful for All Creative Suite Products!
- Helpful InDesign Links and Websites
- New Guestbook
You Still Use Quark?!
The first step to learning InDesign is to put away Quark. InDesign is quickly becoming the industry leader for layout work.
If you'd like some more information, Creative Curio has a series of articles about InDesign. For the first post, click here.
If you'd like some more information, Creative Curio has a series of articles about InDesign. For the first post, click here.
Making Changes Easier with Master Pages
Picture it: you're all done designing and laying out a beautiful 500 page book and the client comes back to you and says, "We really need to make those blue subtitles red and delete the book's title at the bottom of all the right hand pages. Oh, and we need to send it to the printer today."
Ok, so maybe that's an extreme example, but can you just see it? Forget today! Changing all those elements on every page would take a century! If only you had set up your master pages and paragraph styles before you started%u2026
Want to learn how? Check out Making Changes Easier with Master Pages!
Ok, so maybe that's an extreme example, but can you just see it? Forget today! Changing all those elements on every page would take a century! If only you had set up your master pages and paragraph styles before you started%u2026
Want to learn how? Check out Making Changes Easier with Master Pages!
Avoiding Disaster with Paragraph and Character Styles
The paragraph and character styles are lifesavers when it comes to making changes in InDesign. Don't be lazy when setting up your documents and skip this step! You will certainly regret it later when you have to manually change the font size on every page!
Paragraph styles are pretty easy to understand, but character styles can be a little more confusing. They are just as important, though!
Paragraph styles are pretty easy to understand, but character styles can be a little more confusing. They are just as important, though!
Understanding InDesign Layers
Layers are treated differently in ever Adobe program. It can get confusing for sure, but it's still necessary to understand how they work and to actually use them. It will make your work flow faster and less complicated, with fewer needs to spend hours correcting problems.
Understanding InDesign Layers on Creative Curio was added to the Adobe LiveDocs documentation on November 8, 2007 by one of the Adobe writers, so you know it's a great resource!
Understanding InDesign Layers on Creative Curio was added to the Adobe LiveDocs documentation on November 8, 2007 by one of the Adobe writers, so you know it's a great resource!
InDesign Shortcuts
Shortcuts will make using any program more intuitive and you will be glad you can work as fast as you can think. No more hunting around for the Move Tool or the Pen Tool, just learn the key command!
Shortcut Shindig - InDesign is a one-stop shop for the essential InDesign shortcuts!
Shortcut Shindig - InDesign is a one-stop shop for the essential InDesign shortcuts!
InDesign Training and Resources on Amazon
![Adobe Indesign CS3 [OLD VERSION]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41jXjW3EQNL._SL75_.jpg)
Adobe Indesign CS3 [OLD VERSION]
Amazon Price: $815.00 (as of 07/11/2009) 
Adobe InDesign CS3 Classroom in a Book
Amazon Price: $34.64 (as of 07/11/2009)
Real World Adobe InDesign CS3
Amazon Price: $31.49 (as of 07/11/2009)
Adobe InDesign CS3: Video Training Book
Amazon Price: $36.49 (as of 07/11/2009)
Total Training for Adobe Indesign Cs3 Essentials
Amazon Price: (as of 07/11/2009)
How to Match Colors and Styles Across Multiple InDesign Documents
I always love sharing little tips and tricks I've learned while working on a project. This is a quick little InDesign tutorial on loading swatches and paragraph styles from a previous document into a new one.
InDesign Help: Speeding Up Formatting and Changes
The Help files provided with your Adobe software should be the first place you turn when you are trying to figure out how to do something. I used the help files to learn how to use style shortcuts and also how to create inline graphics (Adobe calls them Anchored Objects) and I give you a quick step by step in this article. Check it out!
How to Set Up a Consistent Baseline in InDesign
I've talked about setting up a consistent baseline before, but I realized I've not explained exactly how to do it; I've only mentioned it briefly at best.
First, you should be familiar with the points and picas system, and also how to use them.
It will require a bit of planning, but your documents will turn out much more organized and consistent.
Learn how to set up a consistent baseline in InDesign.
First, you should be familiar with the points and picas system, and also how to use them.
It will require a bit of planning, but your documents will turn out much more organized and consistent.
Learn how to set up a consistent baseline in InDesign.
InDesign Project Walkthrough
Need to see what it's like to work on an InDesign Project from start to finish?
When I published the first five articles above, I had several users request that I do a complete project walk-through. Of course I like fulfill my reader's requests as much as possible, so I obliged.
The first article was on Grids, Guides and Baselines and I talked about setting up my project file before I even opened InDesign.
Next I went over Setting Up Master Pages and Styles, where I continue down the road of good file prep practices and look at the Master Pages and text styles. These are all very important steps! Don't skip them for the sake of saving time at the beginning. You'll regret it later when you have a messy file and you'll probably be embarrassed to pass it on to another designer.
If you need some help Working with Text and Images, look no further! All the setup details are out of the way and it's time to start compiling everything and watch the final document take shape.
The document is almost done, just some formatting with Lists, Tabs and Final Details left.
And I had one more reader request, so I went back and added another article, Bleed and Layering Master Pages. In this article, you'll get an in-depth view about how to use Master Pages creatively to minimize the amount of work you need to do.
The first article was on Grids, Guides and Baselines and I talked about setting up my project file before I even opened InDesign.
Next I went over Setting Up Master Pages and Styles, where I continue down the road of good file prep practices and look at the Master Pages and text styles. These are all very important steps! Don't skip them for the sake of saving time at the beginning. You'll regret it later when you have a messy file and you'll probably be embarrassed to pass it on to another designer.
If you need some help Working with Text and Images, look no further! All the setup details are out of the way and it's time to start compiling everything and watch the final document take shape.
The document is almost done, just some formatting with Lists, Tabs and Final Details left.
And I had one more reader request, so I went back and added another article, Bleed and Layering Master Pages. In this article, you'll get an in-depth view about how to use Master Pages creatively to minimize the amount of work you need to do.
Are You a Quark User?
If you're a Quark user looking to start learning InDesign, or an InDesign user needing to learn Quark, visit my Quark and InDesign Squidoo lens!
Wacom Tablets are Helpful for All Creative Suite Products!
Not sure if you'll like the Wacom tablet? Need more information about it? Visit my Wacom Tablet Review.
Wacom Intuos3 6 x 8-Inch Pen Tablet
Amazon Price: $249.99 (as of 07/11/2009)
Bamboo Fun (Medium) Black Tablet with Pen, Mouse & Graphics Software
Amazon Price: Too low to display (as of 07/11/2009)
Helpful InDesign Links and Websites
- You Still Use Quark?!
- The first article in the InDesign series on Creative Curio.
- InDesign Secrets
- Great blog with tons of articles on the features of InDesign. By one of the authors of Real World Photoshop (an invaluable Photoshop resource)
- InDesign Project Walk-Through
- The first article in the InDesign Project Walk-Through series on Creative Curio.
by LaurenMarie
Hi, I'm Lauren and I run a blog, CreativeCurio.com, all about Graphic Design. I've been in the Graphic Design industry since 2003, but there are tons... (more)
