The Next Wave of InDesign
Written by Rhonda O'Dea, CJE
How do you make the latest, greatest page design software even better? Just ask the designers of Adobe InDesign 2.0. The long-awaited upgrade includes features the yearbook world can really get excited about.
Blending Modes
Those familiar with Photoshop will recognize the darken, lighten, hue, saturation, and luminosity modes now available in InDesign.
The Photoshop style blending modes once again demonstrate Adobe’s commitment to seamless integration between its programs.
Yearbook staffs can create sophisticated spreads with cutting edge photo and text effects that are not possible in PageMaker.
Transparency Controls
Users can apply drop shadow, feathering, and other editable transparency settings to text, graphics, and images in a few quick steps.
If you were not already impressed with the unprecedented level of text control available in InDesign 1.5, you will certainly take a second look at the transparency controls and blending modes incorporated into InDesign 2.0.
Simply use the slider on the Transparency palette to ghost an image, graphic, or text.
New Toolbox
The new toolbox allows for quick formatting of text effects and instant print previewing. Once again, Adobe has maintained a consistent user interface, meaning that PageMaker users can make a smooth transition to a program that offers more sophisticated options.
Indexing Palette
Finally, the feature yearbook advisers and staffs were waiting for is here. InDesign 2.0 has an indexing function, which operates from a palette quickly and easily.
The Indexing palette allows you to index entries as you go, offering the ability to view an alphabetical mini-index right there on the page. From there, the process of creating a book list and a final index is nearly the same.
Technical Improvements
Experienced designers may be impressed with some of InDesign 2.0’s more technical improvements, such as the Flattener styles, which allow for reliable output of transparency effects, the Enhanced Paragraph Composer, formerly the Multi-Line Composer, which now looks at whole paragraphs to set optimal line breaks, and the Direct Export of Adobe PDF files, allowing for electronic reviews, web distribution and high-end printing.
Below are some additional cool features of the new InDesign
Tables
Create-and-format tables that can be used with data from Microsoft Word and Excel and other database programs.
New Preview Mode
In one quick click, users can hide all non-printing items to preview how their page will print.
Faster Performance
Thanks to improved performance, users can work more effi ciently when opening, closing, saving, printing, placing high resolution images, and flowing text documents.
With features like Tables and Indexing, the new InDesign definitely supports the creation of long documents, and yearbook staffs are the natural beneficiaries of these advantages.
InDesign is professional software that is easy to use and can help yearbook students develop skills that will be valuable the world of professional print and design.
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