Adobe InDesign CS3 is a program mainly used by graphic designers to create 2 dimensional designs. This program allows you to create and edit
text, create shapes and either fill them in with color or text. And the line tool is useful for creating barcodes for products that the design will be
made for. You can use different types of paper (legal, letter, or tabloid) depending on what it is that you are working on. What is interesting about
this program is that no matter how far you zoom into the page at an object, it will never pixel-ate and become blurry.
Link to Adobe Information Page
- How to open up a new document:
- Double-click, or right click open Adobe InDesign CS3
- On the menu that pops-up, click Create New > Document
- Here you decide what you want the parameters to be
- Number of pages
- Page size
- Letter
- Legal
- Tabloid
- Custom sheet
- Height, width, and orientation of the page
- Vertical
- Horizontal
- Number of columns, and the gutter space* in between them
- Margins
- Top
- Bottom
- Inside
- Outside
- You can either change each margin individually, or press the lock button to change them all simultaneously
- Click Ok
- Your new page is set up
Everything you create in InDesign has a box around it. Whether it is a rectangle, or a diagonal line, or text, it will be boxed. This makes
it easy to line everything up on a document and make the numbers work, using the rulers. There is a ruler at the top of the page, and to
the left of the page. These measurements get smaller or larger depending how you zoom in or out. Because of the boxed off objects, it
is easy to line things up by using the ruler guides. You simply click on the ruler and drag out to the document, and the ruler guide will
then be placed on the page. When guide is selected, you can right-click to change its parameters. You can make thinks snap to the
guides for an easy line up. And you can hide or show the guides at any time, as well as locking and unlocking them, so that you do not
accidentally do something you do not want to do.
Toolbars:
Top:
Everything on the screen is controlled by the top toolbar. For instance, when you create a line, you can adjust the line weight by going to
the middle of the top toolbar and selecting the drop down menu to your desired line weight. You can also rotate the image and mirror it as
well in the top toolbar. You will have limited options on the top toolbar, until you select an object, then the options will highlight and you can
use them.
Left:
The left toolbar is essentially the “creation” toolbar, which has some of your basic tools. It is separated by a horizontal line basically by
class of what the tool does.
Here is a list of all of the tools from top to bottom, shortcut key, and how they work:
Very useful tools highlighted in Red.
- Selection Tool (V, Escape)
- This will allow you to select an e ntire object and move it around.
- Direct Selection Tool (A)
- This will allow you to not only move the entire
object around, but click one point and move only that point around.
- This will allow you to not only move the entire
- Pen Tool (P)
- This allows you to click anywhere on the page and it will create a point.
When you click somewhere else on the page, the two points will automatically
connect to each other and form a line. You can also click and drag to bend the line.
- This allows you to click anywhere on the page and it will create a point.
- Type Tool (T)
- In other words, text tool
- You click on the page and drag out a box whatever size you want it. Then click inside
the box and the flashing bar for typing will appear; begin typing.
- Pencil Tool (N)
- Just click and drag around, and little dots will appear where you went over. They will
be in different thickness and some will be more spread out, however, when you release
the mouse button, it will form into the same thickness line. Will be curved not straight.
- Just click and drag around, and little dots will appear where you went over. They will
- Line Tool (\)
- Click anywhere on the page, then drag the line out anywhere and let go. A diagonal
but perfectly straight line will appear. To make vertical or horizontal lines, hold shift while
clicking.
- Click anywhere on the page, then drag the line out anywhere and let go. A diagonal
- Rectangle Frame Tool (F)
- This is mainly used for purposes of lining things up, and going by the numbers. For instance,
you can drag out a ruler guide, lock it, then drag a rectangle frame and snap it to the guide to
see where you want to align an object. Most use this first instead of an actual rectangle to
see how it fits.
- This is mainly used for purposes of lining things up, and going by the numbers. For instance,
- Rectangle Tool (M)
- Just click and drag anywhere to make a rectangle, release to finish it. To make a rectangle
that is scaled in proportion (square), hold shift while clicking and dragging.
- Just click and drag anywhere to make a rectangle, release to finish it. To make a rectangle
- Button Tool (B)
- I am not quite sure what this is used for, but it is a tool so it is most likely used for something.
When you click the tool, a menu will pop-up, you adjust the size of the button here, hit ok then
it will appear on the screen.
- I am not quite sure what this is used for, but it is a tool so it is most likely used for something.
- Scissors Tool (C)
- This tool will cut lines in different sections. If there is a 2 foot line, just click the line in the middle
with the tool selected to cut it in half to two 1 foot sections. You can cut as many different sections
in many different sizes as you need.
- This tool will cut lines in different sections. If there is a 2 foot line, just click the line in the middle
Text Wrap: Information will come soon.
*Gutter space is the space that is left in between the columns