Adobe InDesign CS6 Level 1: Fundamentals to Intermediate (New version CC will be taught 30 days after the release from Adobe)

Class Description

This course explores the use of the most powerful desktop publishing program on the market. Students will understand the most common uses of the Adobe Suite of products, and how they all work together. Students will use frames to place text and graphics, learn typography and paragraph formatting, and explore how to draw and manipulate objects and graphics. Prerequisite: Macintosh or PC experience required, some experience with word-processing, presentation or desktop publishing programs is helpful.

Class Prerequisites

Solid computer skills, Mac or Windows.

Length and Cost

$895: Includes free retakes for 8 months, Length of Workshop: 2 Days
Class Begins at 9am, ends at 4-4:30pm

About InDesign and Desktop Publishing

  • Understand the relationship between InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Dreamweaver and word processing programs.
  • Use Bridge to find, view, rename, open and organize your files.

Document Creation & Modification

  • Overview of toolbox, panels, page navigation and online help.
  • Create a new document. Save the new document settings.
  • Create a new document and save the new document settings. Learn the differences of the new “Intent” for Print, Web or Digital Publishing. Level 1 class focus will be for Print.
  • Overview of the NEW Alternate Layouts in the Pages panel.
  • Use the NEW Liquid Layout feature to easily resize a document.
  • Set up page size, margins, columns, and bleeds for a new document.
  • Use the pages panel to add, move, and delete pages and more.
  • View the page, using the NEW Split window.

Objects, drawing & Selecting

  • Draw and manipulate the 3 types of frames.
  • Select multiple objects using the marquee select, select all and shift select.
  • Draw paths and objects and work with strokes and fills.
  • Use transform panel to scale, rotate and modify objects.
  • Draw frames & change line color, style and width of strokes.
  • Text frame options for text frames and other options for graphic frames.

Text: Place and Format

  • Create Text frames with single or multiple columns.
  • Place text using automatic, semi-automatic and manual text placement.
  • Thread and unthread text flow from one text frame to another on the same page or another page.
  • Character Formats: Apply fonts, change size, kerning & tracking etc.
  • Use the control panel, info panel and shortcuts for text formatting.
  • Paragraph Formats: Indent paragraphs, adjust the space before or after the paragraphs and add drop caps.
  • Apply paragraph rules above and below a paragraph and change offset values.
  • Work with tabs to align a column of text or figures.
  • Use find and change to replace text; spell check, dynamic spelling.
  • Create a basic table. Convert text to a table. Basic formatting of text and cells.

Graphics

  • Place photos and graphics such as TIFF, JPG, AI, PDF and PSD.
  • Use fitting commands to change size of a graphic relative to its’ frame.
  • Change the size of frames and graphics.
  • Use the selection tools and the target selection to select the frame or the graphic and easily move graphics within a frame.
  • Modify the corners of any graphic frame.
  • Apply text wrap to control the way text wraps around a graphic. Change the outset, and the shape.
  • Use the NEW Content Collector Tool for repurposing content.
  • Understand the Links Panel to Edit Original, Update and Relink graphics.
  • Use the Eyedropper tool to pick up formatting from one object to apply to another.

Color, Gradients, Effects & Transparency

  • Create new Process, Spot & Pantone+ colors with the swatches panel. Create Tints.
  • Create Gradients to be applied to fills, strokes and text.
  • Use the Gradient Tool to adjust the angle of a linear gradient or the center point of a radial gradient.
  • Apply Transparency to objects.
  • Apply Drop Shadow to text or an object.
  • Understand how to use transparency settings effectively; considerations for pre-press

Styles

  • Understand Paragraph and Character Styles and how they are beneficial for text formatting.
  • Create and apply styles to paragraphs using menus and panels.
  • Create character styles and apply to words or phrases within a paragraph.
  • Change the attributes of a style.
  • Redefine a style from document text.

Master Pages

  • Understand Master Pages and how they are used.
  • Modify the default master page with graphics, margins, columns and guides.
  • Create automatic page numbering.
  • Apply a master to a page or range of pages.
  • Create and remove local overrides.

Export and Print

  • Save an InDesign file (.indd) InDesign Template (.indt)
  • Save an InDesign CS6 document down to a previous version; understand the benefit of saving a file as an InDesign Markup (.idml)
  • Create Adobe PDF files: Export to PDF, set preferences and create PDF Export presets.
  • Printing Options
  • Package a file for sending to an outside printer.