Photoshop edits images. Illustrator draws graphics. InDesign organizes everything into a clean, readable layout.

InDesign = layout control

Used for:

• Magazines
• Posters
• Books
• Flyers
• Newsletters

Key Areas:

Tools Panel (left) → selection, text, shapes

Control Bar (top) → changes depending on tool

Panels (right) → pages, layers, color

Document Window → where the magic happens

Everything is a Frame.

There are 3 main types:

• Text Frames → for typing
• Image Frames → for photos
• Shape Frames → for design elements

Use any of the Frame tools, or a Shape tool, or draw your own shape using Pen tool.”

You can convert any frame to fit the content:

Object > Content

let’s practice

Open a new document in Adobe InDesign.

Pay attention to the settings

InDesign: Units of Measure

Designers use special measuring units.

The default unit for InDesign application is a pica.

You can change it to inches if you are working on a simple project.

51p0 x 66p0 is your standard letter size 8.5″x11″

You can also specify the number of pages you need for your project. You can always add or delete pages later.

Set up margins.

Margins are just guides that define the distance between margin guides and each edge of the page.

Here is your page. The margins are the pink guides off the page edges.

Tool box is on the left.

Panels are on the right.

Here are the tools you need to get started:

Selection Tool (black arrow) – move stuff

Direct Selection Tool (white arrow) – edit anchor points and move images inside frames

Type Tool (T) → add/edit text

Frame Tools → make image boxes

The panels you need (If you don’t have them opened – Window > …):

Pages Panel

Character Panel

Align Panel – good design isn’t decoration—it’s alignment and spacing.

Pages panel is to arrange, duplicate, and recombine pages and spreads.

Let’s create a simple 1-page layout:

Requirements:

• Title (large text)
• One main image and a few support images
• Short description in 2 text areas (linked)
• Use alignment (not random placement!)

Theme ideas:

• Favorite animal
• Art style
• School event

step 1: planning

Decide on a theme.

Create a folder on your drive to hold everything related to this project.

Find a few images related to your topic and save them in that folder.

step 2: header

Use Type tool. Draw a text area and type your header.

Experiment with font settings

step 3: images

Use a Frame tool and draw a frame for your main image.

To place an image inside a frame: File > Place. Navigate to your folder and choose the image.

If the image is not the right size – you have a few options:

• Use Selection tool and click on the circle in the center of the image. You should se the yellow bounding box for the image that you can resize. The yellow bounding box is your image dimensions.
• Use Direct Selection tool and click anywhere in the image box to see the yellow bounding box.
• From the Menu bar: Object > Fitting. Choose your option.

Add more image frames for minor images.

Use any frame shape…

step 4: text blocks

Use Type tool to drag a text frame.

Use Character Panel to choose a font and a font size (I recommend 8).

Paste your text

If your text is too long – it will not fit into the text frame – you will see a red square in the bottom right.

Draw another text frame.

Now we are going to link the text areas so the text from the first area flows into the second one.

It is called threading

Click on the red square – your cursor will look like this.

Now click inside the 2nd text frame. You will see the rest of the pasted text there!

If a part of the text is still hidden (red square) – resize the text frame or add another one.

step 5: alignment

Everything should be aligned in a good design.

Move and resize the frames, remove unnecessary elements or add extra graphics. Use margins as a reference, you can add guides, use Align panel to make sure all elements are perfectly aligned.

Change Paragraph alignment to justify…left for more professional look.

To hide the frames outlines to preview the final design: View > Overprint View. Make sure you uncheck that view after you are done.

step 6: exporting

File > Adobe PDF Presets….

Choose the Smallest File Size and proceed with exporting.

Congratulations! You are done!