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Introduction
In this first episode, we'll master the entire Adobe InDesign interface, from the menu bar, tool panel, control panel, up to the pages and layers panel, using a 4-page travel magazine. Let's get started. Hello, welcome to the complete Adobe InDesign series from Cerdas Inovasi Digital. In this series, we'll learn InDesign from scratch to proficiency, including pages, frames, typography, styles, tables, magazines, brochures, books, and exporting to printable PDF. In the first episode, we'll first get familiar with the InDesign interface so you know where each tool is located before starting to layout pages.
Step 1: Open document (Ctrl-O)
First, we'll open a document. Press Ctrl O or select the File menu and then Open. Select the travel magazine file and double-click it. The document is now open and displays two adjacent pages called a spread. The gray area around it is the paste board, where you temporarily place objects that won't be printed.
Step 2: Menu bar
At the top, there is the menu bar. The File menu contains Place for inserting images and text, Export, and Package. The Layout menu controls pages, margins, columns, and guides. The Type menu is for text and styles. The Object menu controls frames, fitting, and effects, followed by the Table menu for tables. The View and Window menus control the display and panels.
Step 3: Tools panel
On the left side, there is the tool panel. From top to bottom, the tools are: Selection Tool, Direct Selection Tool, Page Tool, Gap Tool, Type Tool, Line Tool, Pen Tool, Rectangle Frame Tool, Rectangle Tool, and so on. The small triangle in the corner of the icon indicates there are other tools inside. Hold and click on the Rectangle Frame Tool, and the Ellipse Frame Tool and Polygon Frame Tool will appear.
Step 4: Control panel and Properties
Select the title frame with the Selection Tool. The Control Panel below the menu directly displays the origin point, X and Y positions, width W and height H, scale, rotation, fill, and stroke. The Properties Panel on the right displays the same information. Once we select the Type Tool, the Control Panel changes to character settings, font, size, and leading. Click the Pages tab.
Step 5: Pages and Layers panel
The top section contains the print page, and the bottom section contains thumbnails of all pages, arranged in spread format with complete page numbers. Double-click page four to navigate there. Then click the layer tab. All frames are organized within the layer, complete with an eye icon to hide and a gamebook icon to lock.
Step 6: Document panel and status bar
The icon column on the right is the do panel which is duplicated. Click the swatches icon to open the color list, then the paragraph style icon for the paragraph style list. Below there is the status bar, a page number box to navigate between pages, and a green pre-flight light that displays 'no errors' if the document is safe. Press Wii to enter preview mode without guide lines.
Done!
Done. We have now learned about spread and paste board, menu bar, tool panel and hidden tools, control panel, property panel, pages, and layers, do panel, status bar, and preview mode. In the next episode, we will create a new document, page size, facing pages, columns, margin, and bleed. Need a layout design for a magazine, book, brochure, product catalog, company profile, or annual report? Cerdas Inovasi Digital provides layout and print design services, as well as opens InDesign courses from beginner to advanced levels. Want to master the entire series, 104 episodes from the interface to magazine and book projects? All episodes, complete with pdf step-by-step guides, exercise files, and project files, are available for premium tutorial subscribers. Subscribe starting at Rp69.000 per month, save 28% with the 12-month package, or pay once Rp999.000 for lifetime access. Want just one class? Buy a single class with lifetime access. Subscribe now at the premium page cerdasinovasidigital.com Contact us via WhatsApp, or visit cerdasinovasidigital.com Thank you for watching, see you in the next episode.
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Cerdas Inovasi Digital Team
Software developers, BIM & 3D engineers, and AI practitioners
53 video classes1,286 episodes
We build software, BIM models, games and AI automations for clients every day, and turn that hands-on work into step-by-step classes: every step is shown on screen and comes with a PDF guide you can keep.
