GETTING STARTED MYGRAPHICSLAB: ADOBE INDESIGN CS6
USE THE APPLICATION BAR Use the Application bar at the top of the screen for easy access to workspace controls Point at controls to display tool tips From left to right: Bridge button, Zoom Level menu, View Options menu, Screen Mode menu, and Arrange Documents menu To show and hide the Application bar, choose Window > Application Bar The Control panel displays under the Application bar for modifying the selected object or text; you can move or close the Control panel
MANAGE DOCUMENT WINDOWS Manage multiple document windows with controls in the upper-left corner of the screen Choose options from the Arrange Documents menu in the Application bar to control the stacking or tiling of the windows Choose Float All In Windows from the Arrange Documents menu to display each document in its own window You can also tear off an individual document s tab to display it in its own window
MANAGE DOCUMENT WINDOWS (CONTINUED) The Window > Arrange submenu provides the same controls as the Arrange Documents menu Click a document s tab to display it in the window You can also choose the document s name from the bottom of the Window menu Choose New Window from the Arrange Documents menu in the Application bar to open the current document in a second window
CONFIGURE THE TOOLS PANEL Click the double-arrow icon at the top of the Tools panel to alternately display the panel in two columns or one column You can also change the Tools panel display using the Floating Tools Panel drop-down menu in the Interface pane of the Preferences dialog box Drag the Tool panel s title bar or the horizontal bar below it to move the panel to any position onscreen. Click the double-arrow icon at the top of the Tools panel to display the panel horizontally, as two columns, or as one column. Drag it to another panel until a blue line displays to dock it To alternately show and hide the Tools panel, choose Window > Tools
SELECT TOOLS Click a tool to select it Point at a tool to display its tool tip and learn its name You can also select a tool by pressing the keyboard shortcut shown in the tool tip (except when the Type tool is selected) To select a tool temporarily, hold down its keyboard shortcut, perform an action, then release to revert to the previous tool Click the small triangle next to a tool to display a menu of hidden tools Selecting a hidden tool replaces the current tool in the Tools panel Buttons and menus at the bottom of the Tools panel let you apply colors and control document display
OPEN AND CLOSE PANELS Choose a panel s name from the Window menu to open or close it Choosing among workspaces (Window > Workspace) automatically opens specific panels You can also click a panel s Close button in the upper-right corner to close it You can open various textformatting panels from the Type menu in addition to the Window menu Press Tab to hide all panels (except when the Type tool is in use)
EXPAND AND COLLAPSE PANELS Click a panel s icon to expand it Click its icon again to collapse it In an open panel group, click a tab to display that panel
FLOAT PANELS Drag a panel s icon out of a panel group to create a floating panel Drag the panel s title bar to reposition it onscreen You can drag other panels into or onto this panel to create a panel group Click a tab to display a different panel within a group Click a panel s doublearrow icon in the upperright corner to minimize or maximize it (collapse or expand) Drag a panel s lower-right corner to resize it
DOCK PANELS Drag a panel to another panel until a blue line displays to dock it
DISPLAY PANEL MENUS Click the panel menu icon in the upper-right corner to display a menu of additional related options
CHOOSE AMONG WORKSPACES Choose an option from the Window > Workspace menu to control which panels display (and where they appear) The selected workspace also controls the keyboard shortcuts and menu customization in use InDesign s default workspace is Essentials; the Advanced workspace shows all of the controls you are likely to need Choose Window > Workspace > Reset to restore the panel position specified in a workspace
CREATE A NEW WORKSPACE Choose Window > Workspace > New Workspace to save your panel configuration and menu/keyboard shortcut customizations as a workspace Choose your new workspace from the Window > Workspace menu You can delete workspaces you create; you cannot delete the default workspaces provided with InDesign
USE THE ZOOM TOOL Select the Zoom tool to zoom in and out of areas of a document Press Z to select the Zoom tool (except when the Type tool is selected) Click the Zoom tool to zoom in and out by preset increments Press the Option/Alt key to zoom out Drag the Zoom tool to view specific areas
CHOOSE A MAGNIFICATION LEVEL Choose an option from the Zoom Level menu in the Application bar You can also enter a specific value in the field and press Return/Enter If you close the Application bar, a Zoom Level menu/field displays in the lower-left corner of the document window
CHOOSE A PRESET MAGNIFICATION LEVEL Choose an option from the View menu Zoom In and Zoom Out work by preset increments The keyboard shortcuts shown in the menu are worth remembering, particularly for Fit Page in Window and Actual Size
TURNING PAGES Click the First Page, Previous Page, Next Page, and Last Page buttons in the lower-left corner of the document window to turn pages You can also choose these options from the Layout menu The Layout menu also lets you navigate to the Next Spread and Previous Spread
DISPLAYING A SPECIFIC PAGE Double-click a page icon in the Pages panel to display a specific page in the document window You can also choose Layout > Go to Page and enter a page number The Page Number field/menu in the lower-left corner of the document window also lets you enter or choose a page number to display Use the Hand tool to drag to a specific page or area of a page
SET PREFERENCES Choose InDesign > Preferences > General (Mac) or Edit > Preferences > General (Windows) to modify default settings Click an option in the list on the left to display and modify those preferences When no documents are open, preference settings become the defaults for all new documents you create When a document is open, preference settings affect that document only
CUSTOMIZE KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS Choose Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts You can choose a shortcut set, such as PageMaker 7.0 or QuarkXPress 4.0, and save your own sets Select a Product Area, then select a command View the Current Shortcuts, then click in the New Shortcut field and press the new shortcut A note in the lower-left corner indicates if the shortcut will override a current shortcut Keyboard shortcut modifications are saved with workspaces You can also edit the commands that display in menus by choosing Edit > Menus
USE CONTEXT MENUS Control-click (Mac) or right-click (Windows) to display a menu of relevant options A menu will display for editing text, modifying an object, displaying layout aids such as guides, and more
CREATE A NEW DOCUMENT Choose File > New > Document OR Press Ctrl+N (Windows) or Command+N (Mac) OR Click the New Document button in the InDesign Welcome screen The New Document dialog box lets you specify several document-wide settings You can change any of these settings after you open the document
SAVE A DOCUMENT PRESET A document preset is a predefined collection of settings for a specific kind of document (for example, an ad or an envelope of a specific size) After you save a document preset, it s available in the Document Preset menu in the New Document dialog box each time you create a new document
SWITCH AMONG OPEN DOCUMENTS The name of each open document is displayed on a tab at the top of the document window Clicking a tab makes that the active (frontmost) document The names of all open documents are displayed at the bottom of the Window menu; you can make a hidden document active by choosing its name from the menu
SAVE A DOCUMENT AND TEMPLATE When you save an InDesign document, you must choose a folder and assign a name The Format menu lets you save either an InDesign document or an InDesign template A template is an InDesign document that serves as the starting point for documents that share the same layout
OPEN A DOCUMENT WITH MISSING FONTS When you open an InDesign document, you will receive an alert if any fonts it used are not available on the current computer The Find Font button lets you replace missing fonts with fonts that are available on the host computer If you click OK, the document opens and missing fonts are displayed with a generic replacement font and highlighted with a pink background to warn you that the original font is not available
SAVE A DOCUMENT FOR PREVIOUS VERSIONS OF INDESIGN Each new version of InDesign can open documents created by previous versions of InDesign; however, to use an older version of InDesign to open a document created by a more recent version, you must export the InDesign file in a special format (IDML) If you simply use the Save or Save As command to save an InDesign CS6 file, you won t be able to open it directly in an earlier version; you must choose File > Export