InDesign CS5 Essentials

Introduction
Welcome
What is InDesign CS5?
Using the exercise files

1. Workspace
Understanding the Application window
Navigating pages
Zooming and magnifying
Managing more than one document window
Setting rulers and measurements
Positioning panels correctly
Saving time by making workspaces
Setting the view quality of artwork
Adjusting View and Preview settings
Rotating pages and spreads
Displaying a new view with the New Window feature
Setting application and document preferences

2. Getting to the Features
Using the Tool panel
Learning and editing keyboard shortcuts
Working with spring-loaded tool shortcuts
Using contextual menus
Choosing menu items with Quick Apply

3. Creating a Document
Creating new documents
Saving and reverting documents
Using multiple Undo and Revert
Setting margin and column guides
Using ruler guides
Bleeding colors or images off the side of the page
Saving objects in libraries
Exporting and importing page snippets
Saving for CS4 with IDML

4. Managing Pages
Inserting, deleting, and moving pages
Changing page size
Adding page numbering
Changing page numbering with sections
Creating and applying master pages
Overriding master page items

5. Text
Understanding text frames
Typing and editing text
Filling with placeholder text
Inserting special characters
Importing text
Threading text frames
Setting text frame columns and insets
Setting vertical justification and first baseline position
Putting text on a path
Using the Story Editor
Checking spelling
Using Find/Change
Tracking text changes

6. Graphics
Importing graphics
Importing from Mini Bridge
Using the Links panel
Embedding links
Editing graphics in their original app
Fitting graphics to a frame
Taking advantage of image transparency and clipping paths
Adding live captions
Colorizing images
Turning image layers on and off

7. Formatting Objects
Selecting objects
Applying basic strokes and fills
Using advanced strokes
Adjusting transparency
Adding drop shadows
Applying feathering
Copying formatting with the Eyedropper tool
Finding and changing object formatting
Making polygons and starbursts

8. Interactive Documents
Making interactive documents
Adding hyperlinks
Building bookmarks
Creating buttons
Animating an object

9. Color
Creating color swatches
The danger and power of unnamed colors
Building tint swatches
Creating gradient swatches
Applying gradients

10. Managing Objects
Positioning objects with the Page Gap tool
Stacking objects
Creating and controlling layers
Managing objects in the Layers panel
Nesting objects
Editing frame and path shapes
Adding rounded corners and other corner options
Grouping objects
Locking objects
Aligning and distributing
Understanding text wrap
Using anchored objects

11. Transforming Objects
Duplicating objects
Rotating objects
Scaling objects
Mirroring objects
Using the Transform Again feature

12. Character Formatting
Applying basic character styling
Applying advanced character formatting
Changing case
Understanding OpenType features
Using Find/Change for text formatting
Using Find Font

13. Paragraph Formatting
Applying formatting to a paragraph
Spanning a paragraph across multiple columns
Splitting a paragraph into multiple columns
Using drop caps
Adjusting text hyphenation
Fine-tuning justified text
Setting tabs
Aligning to a baseline grid
Controlling orphans and widows with Keep Options
Adding rules (lines) above or below a paragraph
Adding automatic bullets
Working with numbered lists

14. Styles
Creating and applying paragraph styles
Using character styles
Applying styles automatically with Nested Styles
Using object styles
Using Quick Apply with styles
Cleaning up a local formatting mess

15. Tables
Creating a table
Adjusting rows and columns
Formatting a table
Adding headers and footers
Applying table styles
Adding Microsoft Word and Excel tables

16. Preflighting
Checking your document with the Preflight panel
Creating a custom preflight profile
Checking color with the Separations Preview

17. Packaging, Printing, and Exporting
Packaging for output
Using the Print dialog box
Exporting a PDF
Exporting an interactive PDF
Exporting text
Exporting SWF files

Conclusion
Finding more information and help
Goodbye