Adobe InDesign – Level II

Course Description

In this Advanced Adobe InDesign Training class, students will learn advanced tips, tricks, and techniques for publishing with InDesign in a 2-day, hands-on, instructor-led course. This Advanced Adobe InDesign training course will expand on the concepts in the Introduction course and will cover best practices and additional features.

• Learn how to insert special characters, create a heading that straddles columns, and create and format a drop cap.
• Adjust the spacing between letters, words, and lines; set tabs, and create ruling lines that are attached to paragraphs.
• Create a paragraph, character, object, table, and cell styles, and see how they all work together.
• Gain a better understanding of how graphics from Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator are integrated in InDesign; learn how the links to the images are maintained, updated, and managed.
• Learn the best practices for editing images using Photoshop and Illustrator after they have been placed in InDesign.
• Learn how to create, convert, and place tables into InDesign, then learn how to format the table and table cells both locally and more efficiently by using table styles and cell styles.
• Understand how transparency works inside InDesign as it is applied to text, graphics, and native Illustrator files. Learn how to control effects on various objects and text, and how to copy and delete effects.
• Learn how to Preflight your file to ensure there are no errors, Package it so that all of the parts are delivered correctly to the printer, and the best practices for creating a PDF that is Press-Ready.

Course Outline

1. Working with Typography
Adjusting vertical spacing with leading & a baseline grid
Inserting glyphs, special characters, and fractions
Creating a straddle head and balancing columns
Creating and formatting a drop cap
Adjusting letter and word spacing; setting tabs
Adding and formatting a ruling line above a paragraph

2. Working with Styles
Creating and applying paragraph and character styles
Nesting character styles inside paragraph styles
Creating and applying object styles
Creating and applying table and cell styles
Copying styles from another document

3. Importing and Modifying Graphics
Understanding vector and bitmap graphics
Managing links to imported files
Updating modified graphics
Adjusting the display quality of images
Working with clipping paths and alpha channels
Importing native Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator files
Creating anchored graphics with text wrap
Creating and using a Library to manage objects
Using Adobe Bridge to import graphics

4. Creating Tables
Converting text to a table
Adding and deleting rows and columns
Adding borders, fills, and strokes
Adjusting row height and column width
Creating and applying table and cell styles

5. Working with Transparency
Colorizing a grayscale image
Applying transparency settings and effects to graphics
Adjusting transparency in Illustrator files and text
Working with effects

6. Printing and Exporting
Preflighting and packaging files
Creating an Adobe PDF proof
Previewing separations and transparency effects
Changing the Screen Mode
Examining printer settings
Using the ink manager

7. Creating PDF Files with Form Fields
Adding Form fields: text, radio buttons, combo box
Exporting an interactive Adobe PDF file