Firstly, when opening InDesign you will be presented with the first screen where you can customise your page, book, library etc. (very similar to Illustrator)
FILE : NEW DOCUMENT (COMMAND N)
The next stage is to make a number of choices with the new document.
PAGE SIZE ( PRE- SETS) : A4
the one question you can ask yourself is what is the printed trimmed size of what ever I am going to produce : From this DIALOGUE BOX you can easily customise you page size.
For Columns, Margins & Bleed and Slug they will help you further with your Page Layout.
The Gutter is the SPACE BETWEEN THE COLUMNS.
BLEED & SLUG
The Bleed is the margin outside the document. It makes cutting a lot more accurate and there is then room for mistake! In the Dialogue Box you can customise the Bleed and Slug. Always use a 3mm bleed when creating a document for TOP, BOTTOM, INSIDE & OUTSIDE
The Slug is always larger than the Bleed area. The Slug area is often used for printers marks. Sometimes is useful to specify an area outside of print.
InDesign is very much there to create multiple document and on this Dialogue Box there is a setting to select how many pages you want an any stage.
UNCHECK FACING PAGES
The page after customising you Dialogue Box
The RED margin is the bleed. There is the tool palate which is vert similar to Photoshop & Illustrator.
The PAGES PALETE
This gives you Thumbnails of you pages. In this you can customise where you pages go and also lets you add more pages. (insert additional pages)
As well as adding additional pages you can also remove them.
When there are facing pages the page palate will look like this.
READERS SPREAD means that what you see on page is what you will see when the document is printed.
The next stage stage is to add content - Colour - Imagery - Shapes & Text
When creating text, the text has to be in-between a text frame.
PLACEHOLDER TEXT.
If you have a text frame you can choose Fill With Placeholder TEXT
Overflow Boxes
This red box indicates that you have some text hidden. The box always to create another box with the rest of you text inside it.
The Purple lines on the page are very useful for accurately positioning frames. Guides will also appear to let me know when something is aline.
The main purpose of InDesign is to carefully and accurately place Text and Image.
If your working in PHOTOSHOP, and what ever image your are working you on you must make sure that the image is right to drag across in to InDesign. The Resolution must be a suitable DPI :300.
The image must be CMYK or GRAYSCALE.
The FORMAT must be a TIFF file or a PSD file. Never a JPG.
The SIZE is very important, make sure the image is the actual size. By doing this you will stay away from pixilated images. The DIALOGUE BOX in Photoshop is how you Customise this.
When working with ILLUSTRATOR Files is there a similar list?
Only CYMK, GRAYSCALE, TIFF AND AI (ILLUSTRATOR FILE)
When working with Images on InDesign you use the you use the RECTANGLE FRAME TOOL.
FILE AND PLACE
The image will then appear in the Rectangle frame box
Yoy never have to make a Rectangle Fram Tool (Box) to place an image. You can simple just go file and place and select where you would like the image.
SIZING.
Never make the size or the image bigger in INDESIGN as this will weaken the resolution. When enlarging you will create problems. Always leave at actual size.
Illustrator files
You would make a folder and save everything in that folder. When getting your file printed you would bring along all the images SEPARATE.
The reason indesign works like this is because if you including the actual images, then very quickly the indesign document would really struggle and wouldn't work.
VEIW : DISPLAY PERFORMANCE will buff up the images for a quick viewing of the images.
There is another option when working with ILLUSTRATOR FILES. YOU CAN COPY AND PLACE. This saves you going file and place. This means there is no link between you Illustrator and indesign file. This also means that you can use the illustrator file in indesign the same as just using it in illustrator. Never do this will PHOTOSHOP files.
ARRANGE will allow you to bring images or text to the FRONT OR BACK.
Pressing W will hide everything and show you a PRINT PREVIEW
TEXT WRAP : What this allows you to do is not place an image over text. This will insure that you don't hide text. WINDOW : WRAP PALET.
You can then make the text work around the image,
COLOUR
The easiest way to apply colour is to use the Swatches Palete. At the top left of the palate box there is FILL and STROKE. This will determine how the colour will be placed
When working with text you have the same options. You can apply colour to the text frame. So you can fill. You can also apply colour to the text between the frame. Simply select the box of the text and change the colour.
NEW COLOUR SWATCH-
Use this to add different colour swatches.
This first workshop has taken me through the first basic steps in to INDESIGN. The next thing i need next week is to simply bring a ruler. We will put everything together and practise what we have learned today.
