OUGD405: Design Proces - Software Workshop: InDesign

SESSION ONE

As with the Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop software we were also required to attend two workshops which will introduce us to the InDesign software as part of the Design Process module. 

Our first workshop focussed on introducing the software its self and basic tools and functions such as document set-up and the placing of type and image.

• InDesign - Industry standard page layout software e.g. For print (advanced print features)

• Many similarities in environment and tools to Illustrator and Photoshop

• File > New > Document
• Paper Size -Depends on what you are designing
• Columns - For newspaper/magazine design - will appear on every page
• Margins - Allows you to position your content to create consistency
• Bleed and Slug - Most important option when working for print. 
• Bleed - To accomodate for inaccuracies in trimming, design bleeds of of the page, Standard amount 3mm
• Slug -Area outside the of the page, larger than the bleed area, used for printer's marks

• Black Outline - Where the page will be trimmed
• Blue Outline - Margin guide
• Red Guide - Bleed Guide

• Pages > Insert new pages - Easy and quick way to navigate throughout the document

• File > New > Document > Select Facing Pages

• Layout > Create Guides - Enables you to dived to page into columns and rows with more accuracy than dragging guides

• InDesign - Same principle for type and image. All content has to be contained within a frame

• Type > Fill with placeholder text, allows you to make decisions on format when you have no content

• When working with frames - You can work with content of the frame or the frame itself

• You can use a number of text frames within one document

• File > Place >Select file

• When Text is two large for the text frame - Can flow text into a new textframe

Considerations when preparing images for Photoshop

1. Actual Size

2. Colour mode - Appropriate: CMYK or Greyscale

3. Resolution - 300 DPI

4. .tif or .psd - Not .jpeg

Considerations when preparing images for Illustrator

1. Colour mode - CMYK

2. Save as .ai

• To import images - File > Place

• Indesign creates a frame and places the image inside of it

• Create a frame > File > Place 
• Content grabber - Allows you to select the content of the graphic frame

SESSION TWO

• Illustrator file in Indesign - appears pixelated despite Illustrator file being made up of vectors
• The file is a low resolution representation of the image - Only purpose is to allow us to arrange type and image

• When the file is sent to print Indesign find the document using the 'Links' palette locates the original file and prints the high resolution image
• Indesign uses low resolution images to keep the file manageable

• When saving Indesign files important to back-up illustrator file and save image in the same place

Options for displaying images

View > Display Performance

• Default - 'Typical Display' keeps file manangeable

• 'High Quality Display' when using image for highly accurate layout

• 'Fast Display' no preview of the image just a grey box to keep speed of computer when working with a large complicated Indesign file

• Placing a large fil into Indesign - Use the Content grabber to resize it

• Change te setting for personal login - Allow us to edit all .tif files in Photoshop

• Ctrl > Right Click > Open With > Photoshop

• Opens file directly in Photoshop from Indesign

• Image > Image size - Adjusts size of image for Indesign

• Image > Mode > CMYK - Correct colour mode for Indesign

• Image in Indesign automatically updates

• Lasso Tool

• Select > Inverse

• File > Save As > Photoshop File - Allows for transparency unlike .tif files

• Place file into Indesign and layer over existing images

• Keyboard shortcut 'W' - allows you to preview document

• Change what the 'W' shortcut does

• Bleed selection shows you what will bleed off of the page

• Text Wrap useful when working with several images and text

• Window > Text Wrap

• Text alters around the image

• When working with a Photoshop image with transparency using 'Alpha channel' wraps the text around the shape of the image

• Text wrap can also be used on text frames

• Can create are own frames by using the pen tool to create a shape then select Object > Content 

• By choosing the 'Text' option from the content list I am able to fill the shape with placeholder text

Illustrator artwork

• By using the 'copy' and 'paste' tools to place illustrator artwork into Indesign it become part of the document

Application of colour

• Allows you to create a new colour swatch