I have been a casual user of InDesign since 1.0. I upgraded to CS5 this week (from CS4) and having not used the program for a while I started looking around for a good intro/refresher tutorial source.
I looked at the built-in help stuff, but wasn't overly impressed. I went to the local book store and looked through the 4-5 InDesign CS5 books there, and ended up with this one.
It's a nice size for a reference book (about one inch thick), is reasonably priced, printed on quality matte paper and in full color throughout.
The thing that drew me to it is that it's basically a collection of tasks and how to do them, without a lot of detail or expository that insists on telling you everything you could know rather than just what you actually NEED to know.
So If I want to know how to, say, place a graphic, I can look up Graphic in the index which has lots of sub-index items but the primary reference takes you to the Placing Graphics task. Each task is a numbered bullet-point list of step by step instructions. Do this, click that, etc., a very no-nonsense approach. Want to do X? here are the steps to get it done in a page or two of steps with illustrations of the dialogs involved, etc.
The simple version of a task is generally followed by more complex variants for including special options, etc. there are also "For Your Information" and "Did You Know" boxes in a few places that offer additional asides/detail.
A great book to keep on the desk as a quick reference when you're learning InDesign. It doesn't go into great depth, and there's very little introduction if you have no idea what Indesign is for, but for the person who says "I know what I want to do but I don't want to read a 400 page book before I can do anything, just tell me how to do what I want to do", this is the book that I think will give you the quickest answer.
This book almost certainly won't tell you everything you need to know about InDesign, but it will quickly show you how to do the basics of pretty much every task you'll need while using the software, and if you then need more detail or depth, you'll at least know what to look for in the official help or a more detailed book. This is a "how to" book that doesn't concentrate so much on "why".
G.
Author(s): Steve Johnson, Steve Perspection Inc.
Edition: 1
Publisher: Que
Year: 2010
Language: English
Pages: 577
Contents......Page 8
Introduction......Page 18
1 Getting Started with InDesign CS5......Page 22
Installing InDesign......Page 23
Getting Started......Page 25
Viewing the InDesign Window......Page 27
Showing and Hiding Panels......Page 28
Working with Panels......Page 29
Using the Tools and Control Panel......Page 31
Opening a Document......Page 33
Opening a Document with Adobe Bridge......Page 35
Inserting Images or Text in a Document......Page 37
Using the Status Bar......Page 38
Working with Document Windows......Page 39
Checking for Updates Online......Page 41
Getting Help While You Work......Page 43
Saving a Document......Page 45
Finishing Up......Page 47
2 Creating and Viewing a Document......Page 48
Creating a New Document......Page 49
Creating a New Document from a Template......Page 51
Creating a New Document Using Presets......Page 53
Setting Up a Document......Page 55
Changing the Display View......Page 57
Changing the View with the Zoom Tool......Page 59
Viewing and Using Rulers......Page 61
Using Guides......Page 63
Changing Guides & Pasteboard Options......Page 65
Using Smart Guides......Page 67
Using the Grid......Page 69
Moving Around with the Hand Tool......Page 71
Working with the Info Panel......Page 72
Creating and Displaying Workspaces......Page 73
Using Undo and Redo......Page 75
3 Managing Pages and Books......Page 76
Using the Pages Panel......Page 77
Inserting Pages......Page 79
Changing the Page Size......Page 81
Navigating Pages......Page 83
Adding Color Labels to Pages......Page 85
Deleting Pages......Page 86
Moving Pages......Page 87
Working with Page Spreads......Page 89
Rotating Page Spreads......Page 90
Creating Master Pages......Page 91
Working with Master Pages......Page 93
Working with Page Numbers and Sections......Page 95
Working with Chapter Numbers......Page 97
Creating and Using Text Variables......Page 99
Creating a Book......Page 101
Managing Books......Page 103
Creating a Table of Contents......Page 105
Starting an Index......Page 107
Creating an Index Entry......Page 109
Creating an Index......Page 111
Managing an Index......Page 113
Adjusting Layouts......Page 115
4 Working with Text......Page 116
Using Type Tools......Page 117
Creating Type in a Text Frame......Page 118
Creating Type Using Frame Tools......Page 119
Creating Path Type......Page 121
Importing Text......Page 123
Flowing Imported Text......Page 125
Working with Overflow Text......Page 127
Using Smart Text Reflow......Page 129
Typing and Selecting Text......Page 131
Editing Text with Autocorrect......Page 133
Copying and Moving Text......Page 134
Changing Fonts......Page 135
Changing Font Size......Page 137
Text Leading......Page 138
Text Kerning......Page 139
Text Tracking......Page 140
Scaling or Skewing Text......Page 141
Aligning Paragraphs......Page 142
Indenting and Spacing Paragraphs......Page 143
Creating a Drop Cap......Page 144
Applying a Paragraph Rule......Page 145
Adding Bullets and Numbering......Page 147
Setting Tabs......Page 149
Working with Glyphs......Page 150
Inserting Special Text Characters......Page 151
Working with Hidden Text......Page 152
Setting Text Frame Options......Page 153
Creating Columns......Page 155
Wrapping Text Around an Object......Page 157
Creating Type Outlines......Page 159
Adding Page Numbers to Continued Text......Page 160
5 Placing and Working with Graphics......Page 162
Placing Graphics......Page 163
Placing Graphics with Options......Page 164
Setting Place Import Options......Page 165
Placing Multiple Graphics......Page 167
Placing Graphics from Adobe Bridge......Page 169
Adding Captions to Graphics......Page 171
Copying or Moving Graphics......Page 173
Using the Links Panel......Page 174
Managing Linked Graphics......Page 175
Editing a Linked Graphic......Page 177
Displaying XMP Graphic Information......Page 178
Creating Specialty Frames for Graphics......Page 179
Selecting and Moving Frames and Graphics......Page 181
Fitting Graphics in Frames......Page 183
Nesting Graphics in Frames......Page 185
Formatting Graphics in Frames......Page 186
Controlling Graphics Display Performance......Page 187
6 Working with Objects and Layers......Page 190
Creating Shapes......Page 191
Creating Lines......Page 193
Creating Multiple Objects in a Grid......Page 194
Using the Selection Tool......Page 195
Using the Direct Selection Tool......Page 197
Resizing Objects......Page 199
Moving Objects......Page 200
Duplicating Objects......Page 201
Grouping and Combining Objects......Page 203
Aligning Objects......Page 205
Distributing Objects......Page 207
Arranging Object Stack Order......Page 209
Transforming Objects......Page 210
Repeating Object Transformations......Page 211
Using the Free Transform Tool......Page 212
Scaling Objects......Page 213
Shearing Objects......Page 214
Rotating Objects......Page 215
Locking and Unlocking Objects......Page 217
Hiding and Showing Objects......Page 218
Creating Inline Objects......Page 219
Creating Anchored Objects......Page 220
Creating and Deleting Object Layers......Page 221
Setting Layer Options......Page 223
Showing and Hiding Layers and Objects......Page 224
Locking Layers and Objects......Page 225
Merging Layers and Groups......Page 226
Working with Objects on Layers......Page 227
Using the Measure Tool......Page 228
Using Live Screen Drawing......Page 229
7 Applying and Managing Color......Page 230
Changing Color Settings......Page 231
Changing Color Profiles......Page 233
Working with Color Modes......Page 235
Applying Colors......Page 236
Using the Eyedropper Tool......Page 237
Working with the Color Panel......Page 239
Working with the Swatches Panel......Page 241
Managing Color Swatches......Page 243
Working with Swatch Libraries......Page 245
Creating Tint Swatches......Page 246
Creating Gradient Swatches......Page 247
Creating Mixed Inks......Page 249
Using Colors from the Kuler Panel......Page 251
Overprinting Colors......Page 253
Proofing Colors on the Screen......Page 254
8 Applying Fills, Strokes, and Effects......Page 256
Applying Fill and Stroke Colors......Page 257
Changing Stroke Attributes......Page 259
Creating Stroke Styles......Page 261
Applying Gradients......Page 263
Using the Gradient Tool......Page 265
Using the Gradient Feather Tool......Page 266
Creating Blends and Effects......Page 267
Applying Shadow Effects......Page 269
Applying Glow Effects......Page 270
Applying Bevel and Emboss Effects......Page 271
Applying Feather Effects......Page 272
Applying Corner Object Effects......Page 273
Converting Shape Objects......Page 275
Setting Object Defaults......Page 276
9 Working with Points and Paths......Page 278
Drawing with the Pen Tool......Page 279
Selecting and Moving Points and Segments......Page 281
Converting Points......Page 283
Adding and Deleting Anchor Points......Page 285
Splitting Paths......Page 287
Joining Anchor Points......Page 289
Using the Smooth Tool......Page 290
Using the Pencil Tool......Page 291
Erasing to Reshape Paths......Page 293
Working with Pathfinder......Page 294
Creating a Compound Path......Page 295
Working with Clipping Paths......Page 297
10 Working with Tables......Page 300
Creating Tables......Page 301
Importing Text into Tables......Page 303
Entering and Editing Text in a Table......Page 305
Modifying a Table......Page 307
Adjusting Table Rows and Columns......Page 309
Adjusting Table Cells......Page 311
Aligning Content in Table Cells......Page 312
Creating Table Headers and Footers......Page 313
Adding Strokes and Fills......Page 315
Alternating Fills and Strokes......Page 317
Adding Diagonal Lines in Cells......Page 319
Adding a Border to a Table......Page 320
Adjusting Tables in the Text Frame......Page 321
11 Working with Styles......Page 322
Using the Paragraph Styles or Character Styles Panel......Page 323
Changing the Basic Paragraph Style......Page 324
Creating Paragraph Styles......Page 325
Creating Character Styles......Page 327
Creating GREP Styles......Page 329
Creating Style Groups......Page 330
Loading and Importing Styles......Page 331
Applying and Overriding Styles......Page 333
Creating Nested Styles......Page 335
Creating Object Styles......Page 337
Creating Table and Cell Styles......Page 339
Using Quick Apply......Page 341
12 Finalizing a Document......Page 344
Using Spell Check......Page 345
Using Custom Dictionaries......Page 347
Finding and Changing Fonts......Page 348
Using Find and Change......Page 349
Searching for Text......Page 351
Searching Using GREP......Page 353
Searching for Glyphs......Page 354
Searching for Objects......Page 355
Working with Hyphenation......Page 356
Keeping Lines Together......Page 357
Changing Justification Options......Page 358
Using the Story Editor......Page 359
Adding Footnotes......Page 361
Creating and Working with Notes......Page 363
Changing Case......Page 365
13 Creating an Interactive Document......Page 366
Defining Hyperlink Destinations......Page 367
Creating Hyperlinks......Page 369
Converting and Stylizing Hyperlinks......Page 371
Using the Hyperlinks Panel......Page 373
Creating Cross-References......Page 375
Creating Bookmarks......Page 377
Adding Media......Page 379
Setting Media Options......Page 381
Adding Animation with Motion Presets......Page 383
Working with Animations......Page 385
Changing Animation Order......Page 387
Adding Page Transitions......Page 388
Using the Buttons Panel......Page 389
Creating Buttons......Page 391
Working with Events and Actions......Page 393
Working with Button States......Page 395
Setting Button Tab Order......Page 396
Creating Multi-State Objects......Page 397
Using the Preview Panel......Page 399
14 Automating the Way You Work......Page 400
Creating a Library......Page 401
Using and Updating a Library......Page 403
Changing Library Item Information......Page 404
Searching and Sorting Libraries......Page 405
Creating and Using Snippets......Page 407
Creating Conditional Text......Page 409
Using and Running Scripts......Page 411
Using Data Merge......Page 413
Working with XML......Page 415
Exporting XML or IDML......Page 417
15 Exporting a Document......Page 418
Exporting a Document......Page 419
Understanding Export File Formats......Page 420
Exporting as a Print PDF......Page 421
Setting PDF General Options......Page 423
Setting PDF Compression Options......Page 425
Setting PDF Marks and Bleeds Options......Page 426
Setting PDF Output Options......Page 427
Setting PDF Advanced Options......Page 428
Setting PDF Security Options......Page 429
Exporting with PDF Presets......Page 430
Exporting PDF Files in the Background......Page 431
Setting PDF Media Options......Page 432
Exporting as an Interactive PDF......Page 433
Exporting as an EPS......Page 435
Exporting as a Flash Movie......Page 437
Exporting as a Flash File......Page 439
Exporting Cross-Media Files......Page 441
Exporting as a JPEG......Page 443
16 Printing and Outputting a Document......Page 446
Printing a Document......Page 447
Printing with Presets......Page 448
Setting General and Setup Print Options......Page 449
Setting Marks and Bleed Options......Page 451
Setting Graphics Options......Page 453
Previewing Color Separations......Page 454
Setting Output Options......Page 455
Setting Trapping Options......Page 457
Setting Advanced Options......Page 459
Setting Color Management Options......Page 461
Creating a Print Summary......Page 462
Printing Spreads in a Booklet......Page 463
Using Live Preflight......Page 465
Inserting File Information......Page 467
Creating a Package......Page 469
Using Document Fonts......Page 471
17 Customizing the Way You Work......Page 472
Setting General Preferences......Page 473
Setting Interface Preferences......Page 474
Setting Type Preferences......Page 475
Setting Advanced Type Preferences......Page 477
Setting Composition Preferences......Page 478
Setting Units & Increments Preferences......Page 479
Setting Dictionary Preferences......Page 481
Setting Spelling Preferences......Page 483
Setting Notes Preferences......Page 485
Working with Appearance of Black Preferences......Page 486
Setting Story Editor Display Preferences......Page 487
Setting File Handling Preferences......Page 489
Setting Clipboard Handling Preferences......Page 491
Defining Shortcut Keys......Page 492
Customizing Menus......Page 493
Configuring Plug-Ins......Page 494
Customizing the Control Panel......Page 495
18 Collaborating with Others......Page 496
Sharing Text with Buzzword......Page 497
Reviewing Content with CS Review......Page 499
Tracking Text Changes......Page 501
Sharing Content with Adobe InCopy......Page 503
Setting Up User Identification......Page 504
Exporting Content from InDesign......Page 505
Using the Assignments Panel......Page 506
Creating an Assignment......Page 507
Checking Content Out and In......Page 509
Updating Content......Page 510
Working with InCopy......Page 511
19 Working Together with Adobe Programs......Page 512
Exploring Adobe Programs......Page 513
Exploring Adobe Bridge......Page 514
Getting Started with Adobe Bridge......Page 515
Getting Photos from a Digital Camera......Page 516
Working with Raw Images from a Digital Camera......Page 517
Working with Images Using Adobe Bridge......Page 519
Setting Preferences in Adobe Bridge......Page 521
Applying Image Adjustments......Page 523
Creating a Web Photo Gallery......Page 524
Automating Tasks in Adobe Bridge......Page 525
Using Mini-Bridge......Page 526
Exploring CS Live Services......Page 527
Sharing My Screen......Page 528
Reviewing CS Documents......Page 529
Exploring Adobe Device Central......Page 531
Checking Content Using Adobe Device Central......Page 532
Using Adobe Extension Manager......Page 533
New Features......Page 534
Adobe Certified Expert......Page 540
A......Page 546
B......Page 548
C......Page 549
D......Page 552
E......Page 554
F......Page 555
G......Page 556
I......Page 558
J......Page 559
L......Page 560
M......Page 561
O......Page 563
P......Page 565
R......Page 568
S......Page 569
T......Page 573
W......Page 576
Z......Page 577
