The InDesigner

Inspired by a question from a podcast subscriber about creating a text frame that looks like a folder tab, and with the help of a technique suggested by another subscriber, this episode builds on the potential of Paragraph Rules revealed in Episode 49. By combining Paragraph Rules with First Baseline Offset options, a fully-editable, single-object tab-topped text frame is easy. But it gets easier and more interesting when Object Styles and Effects are added to the mix.

Watch the episode here (14:29 | 38.1 MB), or you can subscribe via iTunes.

Posted in Design, Podcasts-Video, Styles, Transparency, Type & Text | 36 Comments » |

This installment is all about building photographic compositions on your InDesign page instead of relying on doing it in Photoshop like we’ve all become used to. Photoshop is great, but under the right circumstances, InDesign can be faster and more flexible. … (read more)

Posted in Graphics & Images, Podcasts-Video, Transparency | Comments Off on Episode 29: Photo Composition (VIDEO) |

I usually stick to things that can be done automatically within InDesign, but every now and then, you can’t avoid the fact that some things just haven’t made it into the product yet. In this episode, I demonstrate two methods for getting a solid-to-transparent gradient … (read more)

Posted in Graphics & Images, Podcasts-Video, Transparency | 5 Comments » |

In response to a subscriber who was concerned about using Transparency without causing output problems, this episode provides guidelines for best practices in documents that contain transparent objects. From layers to flattening to exporting, I lay out my four simple rules for … (read more)

Posted in Podcasts-Video, Printing & Production, Transparency | 9 Comments » |

Add depth and interest to an InDesign layout using the “cheap tricks” demonstrated in this episode, which uses a magazine feature to demonstrate what I called “Poor Man’s Lighting Effects” in Episode 4. In the process of building this example, I put a lot of other features to use including … (read more)

Posted in Design, Layout, Podcasts-Video, Transparency | 3 Comments » |

One of the most long-awaited featues for a page layout program has been transparency support — and InDesign’s got it. But making the transparency you see on the screen translate to the printed page requires a process called Flattening. This episode discusses … (read more)

Posted in Podcasts-Audio, Transparency | 6 Comments » |

The fourth episode of the podcast is now available. It’s the second installment of “Get Out of Photoshop Free”, in which I cover the good, bad and ugly about drop shadows — how easy they are to create and how to make yours more effective — within InDesign. Also, how to avoid creating clipping paths whenever possible by … (read more)

Posted in Graphics & Images, Podcasts-Audio, Transparency | 1 Comment » |

I love Photoshop as much as anyone, but I don’t love jumping back and forth between my page layout and image editing applications for minor tweaks and adjustments. In the latest episode of the podcast, I explain how to take advantage of features that’ll give you more options in your layout without … (read more)

Posted in Graphics & Images, Podcasts-Audio, Transparency | Comments Off on Episode 3: Get Out of Photoshop Free, Part 1 |