Adobe InDesign Core Skills: Level 2

Prerequisites

Students should have experience with InDesign and working knowledge of the skills covered in Core Skills: Level 1. Specifically, you should be familiar with the workspace, be able to create documents and pages, and work with objects, text, typography, and styles. 

Course Outline

Working with Objects
Creating and modifying graphics frames - Review - Creating multiple frames in one step
Adding metadata captions to graphics frames
Placing and linking graphics frames
Changing the shape of a frame
Modifying the shape of frames
Creating a QR code

Flowing Text
Placing text and threading text (Review the basics)
Creating text frames while flowing text
Creating threaded frames automatically
Flowing text automatically

Editing Text
Finding and changing a missing font
Editing text by dragging and dropping
Using the Story Editor
Tracking changes

Working with Typography
Setting tabs
Adding a rule above a paragraph
Working with paragraph shading

Working with Color
Working with tint swatches
Working with gradients
Working with color groups

Working with Styles
Nesting character styles inside paragraph styles
Creating and applying object styles
Creating and applying table and cell styles

Importing and Modifying Graphics
Getting started
Adding graphics from other programs
Comparing vector and bitmap graphics
Managing links to imported files
Updating revised graphics
Adjusting display quality
Working with dropped backgrounds
Working with alpha channels
Importing native Adobe graphic files
Using an InDesign library to manage objects
Using Adobe Bridge to import graphics
Exploring on your own

Creating Tables
Getting started
Creating a table
Converting text to a table
Changing rows and columns
Formatting a table
Adding graphics to table cells
Creating a header row
Creating and applying table and cell styles
Exploring on your own

Working with Transparency
Getting started
Importing and colorizing a grayscale image
Applying transparency settings
Adding transparency effects to imported vector
and bitmap graphics
Importing and adjusting Illustrator files that
use transparency
Applying transparency settings to text
Working with effects
Exploring on your own

Printing and Exporting
Getting started
Managing colors
Previewing transparency effects
Previewing the page
Creating an Adobe PDF proof
Creating a Press-Ready PDF and saving a PDF preset
Printing a proof and saving a print preset
Packaging files
Exploring on your own

Creating Adobe PDF Files with Form Fields
Getting started
Set up a workspace for forms
Adding form fields
Setting the tab order of the fields
Adding a button to submit the form
Exporting an interactive Adobe PDF file
Testing your form in Adobe Acrobat Reader
Exploring on your own