1. Introducing the Workspace
Lesson Overview
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to do the following:
• Select tools.
• Use the Application bar and Control panel.
• Manage document windows.
• Work with panels.
• Customize the workspace.
• Save your own customized workspace.
• Change the magnification of the document.
• Navigate through a document.
• Use context menus.
This lesson will take about 45 minutes to complete.
Download the project files for this lesson from the Lesson & Update Files tab on your Account page at www.peachpit.com and store them on your computer in a convenient location, as described in the “Getting Started” section of this book.
Your Accounts page is also where you’ll find any updates to the chapters or to the lesson files. Look on the Lesson & Update Files tab to access the most current content.
The intuitive InDesign interface makes it easy to create compelling layouts like this. It is important to understand the InDesign work area to make the most of its powerful layout and design capabilities. The work area consists of the Application bar, Control panel, document window, menus, pasteboard, Tools panel, and other panels.
Getting started
In this lesson, you’ll practice using the work area and navigating through a few pages of a simple layout. This is the final version of the document—you won’t be changing objects, adding graphics, or modifying text. You will only use this document to explore the InDesign work area.
1. To ensure that the preference and default settings of your Adobe InDesign program match those used in this lesson, move the InDesign Defaults file to a different folder following the procedure in “Saving and restoring the InDesign Defaults file” on page 3.
Note
If you have not already downloaded the project files for this lesson to your computer from your Account page, make sure to do so now. See “Getting Started” at the beginning of the book.
2. Start Adobe InDesign. To ensure that the panels and menu commands match those used in this lesson, choose Window > Workspace > [Advanced], and then choose Window > Workspace > Reset Advanced.
3. Choose File > Open, and open the 01_Start.indd file in the Lesson01 folder, located inside the Lessons folder within the InDesignCIB folder on your hard disk. Scroll down to see pages 2 and 3 of the document.
4. Choose File > Save As, rename the file 01_Introduction.indd, and save it in the Lesson01 folder.
5. To display the document at a higher resolution, choose View > Display Performance > High Quality Display.
Looking at the workspace
The InDesign work area encompasses everything you see when you first open or create a document:
• Menu bar
• Application bar
• Control panel
• Tools panel
• Other panels
• Document window
• Pasteboard and pages
You can customize the InDesign work area to suit your work style. For example, you can choose to display only the panels you frequently use, minimize and rearrange panel groups, resize windows, add more document windows, and so on. The configuration of the work area is referred to as the workspace. You can save your custom workspace setup or choose among special-purpose configurations such as Digital Publishing, Printing and Proofing, and Typography.
About the Tools panel
The Tools panel contains tools for creating and modifying page objects, adding and formatting text and images, and working with color. By default, the Tools panel is docked to the upper-left corner of the work area. In this exercise, you will undock the Tools panel, change it to horizontal, and experiment with selecting tools.
1. Locate the Tools panel at the far left side of the screen.
2. To undock the Tools panel and make it float in the workspace, drag the panel by its gray title bar to pull it into the pasteboard.
Tip
To undock the Tools panel, you can drag either the title bar or the gray dotted bar just below the title bar.
When the Tools panel is floating, it can be a two-column vertical panel, a single-column vertical panel, or a single-column horizontal row.
3. With the Tools panel floating, click the double arrow (
) at the top of the Tools panel. The Tools panel becomes one horizontal row.
Note
The Tools panel must be floating (not docked) to display horizontally.
As you work through the lessons in this book, you’ll learn about each tool’s specific function. Here, you’ll familiarize yourself with how to select the tools.
4. Position the pointer over the Selection tool (
) in the Tools panel. Notice that the tool’s name and shortcut are displayed in a tool tip.
Some tools in the Tools panel display a small black triangle in the lower-right corner to indicate a pop-out menu of related tools. To select one of these tools, click and hold down the mouse button to display the menu; then select the tool that you want.
Tip
You can also Alt+click (Windows) or Option+click (Mac OS) a tool in the Tools panel to alternate between the tools in a menu.
5. Click the Pencil tool (
) and hold down the mouse button to display a menu of tools. Select the Erase tool (
) and notice how it replaces the Pencil tool.
6. Click the Erase tool again, hold down the mouse button to display the menu, and choose the Pencil tool. This is the default tool that displays.
7. Point at each tool in the Tools panel to see its name and keyboard shortcut. For tools with a small black triangle, click the tool and hold down the mouse button to see its menu of additional tools. The tools with menus for hidden tools include:
• Content Collector tool
• Type tool
• Pen tool
• Pencil tool
• Rectangle Frame tool
• Rectangle tool
• Free Transform tool
• Eyedropper tool
Note
Controls at the bottom or far right of the Tools panel let you apply colors and change the screen mode.
8. Click the double arrow (
) in the Tools panel to turn it into a two-column vertical panel. Click the double arrow again to return to the default Tools panel.
Tip
To select a tool, click its icon in the Tools panel or press the tool’s keyboard shortcut (provided there is no text insertion point). The keyboard shortcuts are shown in the tool tips. For example, when you are using the Selection tool, you can press T to switch to the Type tool. In addition, you can press and hold a tool’s keyboard shortcut to select a tool temporarily. When you release the key, you revert to the previously selected tool.
9. To dock the Tools panel again, drag the gray dotted line (
) at the top of the Tools panel to the far left edge of the screen. Release the Tools panel when a blue line appears along the edge of the workspace.
10. If necessary, choose View > Fit Spread In Window to reposition the pages in the center of the document window.
Reviewing the Application bar
At the top of the default workspace is the Application bar, which lets you launch Adobe Bridge, change the magnification of the document, show and hide layout aids such as rulers and guides, change the screen mode among options such as Preview and Presentation mode, and control how multiple document windows display. At the far right, you can select a workspace and search Adobe Community Help resources.
Note
Adobe Bridge is a separate application that is available to InDesign Creative Cloud users.
• To get familiar with the controls in the Application bar, point at each to display its tool tip.
• To show and hide the Application bar in Mac OS, choose Window > Application Bar.
Tip
When you hide the Application bar in Mac OS, the view scale controls display in the lower-left corner of the document window.
• In Mac OS, the Application bar, document windows, and panels can be grouped into a single unit called the Application frame. This mimics working in a Windows application. To activate the Application frame, choose Window > Application Frame.
• You cannot hide the Application bar when Window > Application Frame is selected in Mac OS, and you cannot hide the Application bar at all in Windows.
Reviewing the Control panel
The Control panel (Window > Control) offers quick access to options and commands related to the current page item or objects you select. By default, the Control panel is docked at the top of the screen (below the Application bar in Mac OS and below the menu bar in Windows). However, you can dock it below the document window, convert it to a floating panel, or hide it altogether.
1. Choose View > Screen Mode > Normal so you can see the frames that contain graphics and text.
2. In the Tools panel, select the Selection tool (
).
3. Click the text “Just hum along...” at the top of the right-facing page. The Control panel now provides options for controlling the position, size, and other attributes of the selected object (a text frame).
4. In the Control panel, click the X, Y, W, and H arrows to see how you can reposition the selected text frame and change its dimensions.
Tip
You can also move and resize objects by entering values in these fields and by dragging objects with the mouse.
5. In the Tools panel, select the Type tool (
).
6. Drag to select the text “Just hum along....” The Control panel now provides options for controlling paragraph and character formatting. Click on the pasteboard (the blank area outside the pages) to deselect the text.
7. Choose View > Screen Mode > Preview to hide the frame edges again.
The Control panel can be moved if you don’t like it docked at the top of the document window.
8. In the Control panel, drag the vertical dotted bar at the left into the document window. Release the mouse button to make the panel float.
9. To dock the Control panel again, click its panel menu button (
) at the far right and choose Dock At Top.
Reviewing the document window and pasteboard
The document window contains all the pages in the document. Each page or spread is surrounded by its own pasteboard, which can store objects for the document as you create a layout. Objects on the pasteboard do not print. The pasteboard also provides additional space along the edges of the document for extending objects past the page edge (called a bleed). Bleeds are used when an object must print to the edge of a page. Controls for displaying different pages in the document are in the lower-left corner of the document window.
1. To make sure the panels are back in the correct position, choose Window > Workspace > Reset Advanced.
Tip
You can use the pasteboard as a work area or a storage area. For example, many users work on complex drawings on the pasteboard, or they import multiple image and text files at one time and store them on the pasteboard until they’re needed.
2. To see more pages in the document and the document’s pasteboard, choose 25% from the Zoom Level menu on the Application bar.
3. If necessary, click the Maximize button to enlarge the document window.
• In Windows, the Maximize button is the middle box in the upper-right corner of the window.
• In Mac OS, the Maximize button is the green button in the upper-left corner of the window.
4. To view the page bleeds set up for this document, choose View > Screen Mode > Bleed.
5. Choose View > Screen Mode > Preview and then View > Fit Spread In Window to restore the view.
6. Choose View > Fit Spread In Window and scroll as necessary to see pages 2 and 3 of the document.
Now you’ll move to another page.
7. In the lower-left corner of the document window, click the down arrow next to the Page Number box to display a menu of document pages and master pages.
8. Choose 4 from the menu to display page 4 in the document window.
9. Click the arrow to the left of the Page Number box to turn to pages 2–3.
Working with multiple document windows
When you open multiple documents, each document displays in its own tab of the main document window. You can also open multiple windows for a single document so you can see different parts of the layout at one time. Here, you’ll create a second window so you can see how changes to the headline might affect the entire page. The techniques you use here for arranging document windows can be used with different views of the same document and for any other open documents.
1. Choose Window > Arrange > New Window For 01_Introduction.indd.
A new window titled 01_Introduction.indd:2 opens. The original window is now titled 01_Introduction.indd:1.
2. If necessary, in Mac OS, choose Window > Arrange > Tile to display both windows onscreen.
Tip
The Application bar provides quick access to options for managing windows. Click the Arrange Documents button to see all the options.
3. Select the Zoom tool (
) in the Tools panel.
4. In the second window, 01_Introduction.indd:2, draw a marquee around the white box containing the words “Just hum along...” to zoom in on the text.
Notice that the other window stays at its original magnification.
5. Choose Window > Arrange > Consolidate All Windows. This creates a tab for each window.
6. Click the tabs in the upper-left corner (below the Control panel) to control which document window displays.
7. Close the 01_Introduction.indd:2 window by clicking the Close Window button on the tab. The original document window remains open.
Note
In Mac OS, resize and reposition the remaining window by clicking the Maximize button at the top of the document window.
8. If necessary, choose View > Fit Spread In Window.
Working with panels
Panels provide quick access to commonly used tools and features. By default, panels are docked at the right side of the screen (except the aforementioned Tools panel and Control panel). The panels that display by default are different depending on the selected workspace, and each workspace remembers its panel configuration. You can reorganize panels in various ways. Here, you’ll experiment with opening, collapsing, and closing the default panels in the Advanced workspace.
Expanding and collapsing panels
In this exercise, you will expand and collapse a panel, hide the panel names, and expand all the panels in the dock.
1. In the default dock to the right of the document window, click the Pages panel icon to expand the Pages panel. This technique is handy if you want to open a panel, use it briefly, and then close it.
Note
A dock is a collection of panels that are “glued” together.
You can choose from several techniques to collapse a panel.
2. When you’ve finished using the Pages panel, click the double arrow (
) to the right of the Pages panel name or click the Pages panel icon again to collapse the panel.
Now you’ll open a panel by choosing it from the menu bar.
Tip
To display a hidden panel, choose the panel name from the Window menu (or a submenu of the Window menu). If the panel name has a check mark, it is already open and in front of any other panels in its panel group.
3. Choose Window > Text Wrap to display the Text Wrap panel.
4. To add the Text Wrap panel to the bottom of the dock, drag it by its title bar below the Character Styles panel. Release the mouse button when the blue line appears.
5. To view the Text Wrap panel’s controls, choose Window > Text Wrap.
6. To close the Text Wrap panel, drag it off the dock and click its close box.
7. To reduce the size of the panel dock, drag the left edge of the panel dock to the right until the names are hidden.
8. To expand all the panels in the dock so you can see all their controls, click the double arrow () in the upper-right corner of the dock.
If you click the double arrow () again, the panels collapse back to icons without names. For the next exercise, you will leave the panels expanded.
Rearranging and customizing panels
In this exercise, you will drag a single panel out of the dock to create a free-floating panel. Then, you will drag another panel into that panel to create a custom panel group. You will also ungroup the panels, stack them, and minimize them.
1. With the dock expanded, drag the tab of the Paragraph Styles panel to remove the panel from the dock.
Tip
A detached panel is called a floating panel. Click the double arrow on a floating panel’s title bar to expand or minimize it.
2. To add the Character Styles panel to the floating Paragraph Styles panel, drag its tab into the gray area to the right of the Paragraph Styles panel tab. Release the mouse button when the blue line appears along the perimeter of the Paragraph Styles panel.
This action creates a panel group; you can drag any panel into a group.
Tip
Grouping the Character Styles and Paragraph Styles panels can be helpful if you are formatting text and don’t need the other panels to be expanded.
3. To ungroup the panels, drag one of the panel tabs out of the panel group.
Tip
As you become comfortable with InDesign, experiment with configuring the panels and workspace to best meet your needs. You will soon find out which panels you use the most, where you like to keep them, and what size is best for your needs.
You can also stack floating panels in a vertical arrangement. You’ll try that now.
4. Drag the tab of the Character Styles panel to the bottom of the Paragraph Styles panel. Release the mouse button when a blue line appears.
The panels are now stacked rather than grouped. Stacked panels attach vertically to each other. You can move the panels as a unit by dragging the topmost title bar. Next, you’ll experiment with resizing the stacked panels.
5. Drag the lower-right corner of a panel to resize it.
6. Regroup the panels by dragging the tab of the Character Styles panel up next to the Paragraph Styles panel tab.
7. Minimize the panel group by double-clicking the gray area next to a panel’s tab. Double-click the area again to expand the panels.
8. Minimize the panel group by double-clicking the gray area next to a panel’s tab. Double-click the area again to expand the panels.
Leave the panels this way to be saved with a workspace in a later exercise.
Using panel menus
Most panels have additional panel-specific options. To access these options, you click the panel menu button to display a menu with additional commands and options for the selected panel.
In this exercise, you will change the display of the Swatches panel.
1. Drag the Swatches panel out of the dock at the right to create a free-floating panel.
Note
If necessary, click the double arrow () in its title bar to expand the panel.
2. In the upper right of the Swatches panel, click the panel menu button () to display the panel menu.
You can use the Swatches panel menu to create new color swatches, load swatches from another document, and more.
3. Choose Large Swatch from the Swatches panel menu.
4. Leave the panels this way to be saved with a workspace in a later exercise.
Customizing the workspace
A workspace is a configuration of panels and menus. (The configuration of document windows is not saved in workspaces.) InDesign provides a variety of workspaces for special purposes, such as Digital Publishing, Printing and Proofing, and Typography. You cannot modify the provided workspaces, but you can save your own. In this exercise, you will save the panel customizations from the previous exercises. In addition, you will customize the appearance of the interface.
Tip
To further customize the workspace, you can control which commands appear in the InDesign menus by choosing Edit > Menus. For example, you might prefer shorter menus for use on a smaller laptop screen, or you might want to streamline the commands available to a new user. You can save the menu customization with your saved workspaces.
1. Choose Window > Workspace > New Workspace.
2. In the New Workspace dialog box, type Swatches and Styles in the Name box. If necessary, select Panel Locations and Menu Customization. Click OK.
3. Choose Window > Workspace to see that your custom workspace is selected. Choose each workspace to see the different default configurations. Click the menus to see the commands available in addition to looking at the panels.
4. Choose Edit > Preferences > Interface (Windows) or InDesign > Preferences > Interface (Mac OS) to customize the appearance of InDesign.
5. Choose Dark from the Color Theme menu to see the darker interface look. Experiment with the other options, and then choose Medium Dark again.
6. Click OK.
7. Choose Window > Workspace > Advanced.
Changing the magnification of a document
Controls in InDesign let you view documents at any level from 5% to 4000%. When a document is open, the current magnification percentage is displayed in the Zoom Level box in the Application bar (above the Control panel) and next to the filename in the document’s tab or title bar.
Using the view commands
You can easily enlarge or reduce the view of a document by doing any of the following:
• Choose a percentage from the Zoom Level menu in the Application bar to enlarge or reduce the display by any preset increment.
Note
if you close the Application bar in Mac OS, the zoom controls appear in the lower-left corner of the document window.
• Type a percentage in the Zoom Level box by placing an insertion point in the box, typing the desired viewing percent, and then pressing the Enter or Return key.
• Choose View > Zoom In to enlarge the display by one preset increment.
• Choose View > Zoom Out to reduce the display by one preset increment.
• Choose View > Fit Page In Window to center and display the targeted page in the window.
• Choose View > Fit Spread In Window to center and display the targeted spread in the window.
• Choose View > Actual Size to display the document at 100%. (Depending on the dimensions of your document and your screen resolution, you may or may not see the entire document onscreen.)
Tip
You can also change the magnification using key commands. Use Ctrl+= (Windows) or Command+= (Mac OS) to increase the magnification, and Ctrl+- (Windows) or Command+- (Mac OS) to decrease the magnification.
Using the Zoom tool
In addition to the view commands, you can use the Zoom tool to magnify and reduce the view of a document. In this exercise, you will experiment with the Zoom tool.
1. Choose View > Fit Spread In Window to position pages 2 and 3 in the center of the window.
2. Select the Zoom tool (
) in the Tools panel and position it over the text at the right. Notice that a plus sign appears in the center of the Zoom tool.
3. Click once. The view changes to the next preset magnification, centered on the point where you clicked. Click again to further increase the view scale.
Now you’ll reduce the view.
4. Position the Zoom tool over the text and hold down the Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) key. A minus sign appears in the center of the Zoom tool.
5. While holding the Alt or Option key, click three times to reduce the view scale.
You can also use the Zoom tool to drag a marquee around a portion of a document to magnify a specific area.
6. With the Zoom tool still selected, hold down the mouse button to drag a marquee around the text, and then release the mouse button.
Tip
Keyboard shortcuts let you quickly change the view to 200%, 400%, and 50%. In Windows, press Ctrl+2 for 200%, Ctrl+4 for 400%, and Ctrl+5 for 50%. In Mac OS, press Command+2 for 200%, Command+4 for 400%, and Command+5 for 50%.
The percentage by which the area is magnified depends on the size of the marquee: the smaller the marquee, the larger the degree of magnification.
Because the Zoom tool is used frequently during the design and editing processes, you can temporarily select it from the keyboard at any time without deselecting the tool you are using. You’ll do that now.
7. Click the Selection tool () in the Tools panel and position it anywhere in the document window.
Note
Mac OS may override the zooming keyboard shortcut. You can disable system shortcuts in System Preferences > Keyboard.
8. Hold down Ctrl+spacebar (Windows) or Command+spacebar (Mac OS) so that the Selection tool icon becomes the Zoom tool icon, and then click to magnify the view. When you release the keys, the pointer returns to the Selection tool.
9. Hold down Ctrl+Alt+spacebar (Windows) or Command+Option+spacebar (Mac OS) and click to zoom out.
10. Choose View > Fit Spread In Window to center the pages again.
Navigating through a document
There are several different ways to navigate through an InDesign document, including using the Pages panel, the Hand tool, the Go To Page dialog box, and controls in the document window.
Turning pages
You can turn pages using the Pages panel, the page buttons at the bottom of the document window, the scroll bars, or a variety of other methods. The Pages panel provides page icons for all the pages in your document. Double-clicking any page icon or page number in the panel brings that page or spread into view. In this exercise, you will experiment with turning pages.
1. If necessary, click the Pages panel icon to expand the Pages panel.
2. Double-click the page 1 icon to center the first page in the document window.
3. Double-click the page 4 icon to display it in the document window.
4. To return to the first page of the document, use the menu in the lower-left corner of the document window. Click the down arrow and choose 1.
Tip
To turn pages, you can also use commands in the Layout menu: First Page, Previous Page, Next Page, Last Page, Next Spread, and Previous Spread.
Now you’ll use the buttons at the bottom of the document window to change pages.
5. Click the Next Spread button (the right-facing arrow) next to the Page Number box until the fourth page is displayed.
6. Click the Previous Spread button (left-facing arrow) next to the Page Number box to switch pages until the first page is displayed.
7. Choose Layout > Go To Page.
8. In the Page box, type 2. Click OK.
Using the Hand tool
The Hand tool in the Tools panel lets you “push” the pages of a document around until you find exactly what you want to view. In this exercise, you will experiment with the Hand tool.
1. Choose 400% from the Zoom Level menu on the Application bar.
Tip
When you’re using the Selection tool, you can press the spacebar to temporarily access the Hand tool. When you’re using the Type tool, press the Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) key to use the Hand tool.
2. Select the Hand tool (
).
3. Click and drag in any direction to move the page around, and then drag downward and to the right in the document window to display page 1.
4. With the Hand tool still selected, click the page and hold the mouse button down to display a view rectangle.
• Drag the rectangle to view a different area of the page or a different page.
• Release the mouse button to display the area that the view rectangle encompasses.
• When the view rectangle is displayed, press the arrow keys on the keyboard to increase and decrease the rectangle’s size.
5. Double-click the Hand tool in the Tools panel to fit the page in the window.
Using context menus
In addition to the menus at the top of your screen, you can use context menus to display commands relevant to the active tool or selection. To display context menus, you position the pointer over a selected object or anywhere in the document window and click with the right mouse button (Windows) or press Control and hold down the mouse button (Mac OS).
1. Using the Selection tool (), click any object on the page, such as the text frame containing the words “If you don’t know the words....”
2. Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the text frame. Note what options are available.
Tip
You can display a context menu when the Type tool is selected and in text. The Type context menu lets you insert special characters, check spelling, and perform other text-related tasks.
3. Select different types of objects on the page and display their context menus to see what commands are available.
Exploring on your own
Now that you have explored the work area, try some of the following tasks using either the 01_Introduction.indd document or your own document.
• Choose Window > Utilities > Tool Hints to display information about the selected tool. Select various tools to learn more about them.
• Choose Window > Info to display the Info panel. Notice the information provided about the document when no objects are selected. Click to select individual objects and see how the Info panel changes as you select them.
• Learn more about existing key commands and how you can change them by exploring the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog box (Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts).
• Review the menu configurations and how you can edit them in the Menu Customization dialog box (Edit > Menus).
• Try organizing your panels to meet your needs, and create your own workspace by choosing Window > Workspace > New Workspace.
Tip
For complete and up-to-date information about using InDesign panels, tools, and other application features, use the Help menu and the Search box in the Application bar.
Review questions
1. What are some ways you can change the magnification of a document?
2. How do you select tools in InDesign?
3. What are three ways to display a panel?
4. How do you create a panel group?
Review answers
1. You can choose commands from the View menu to zoom in, zoom out, fit the page to the window, and more. You can also use the Zoom tool in the Tools panel and click or drag over a document to enlarge or reduce the view. In addition, you can use keyboard shortcuts to magnify or reduce the display. You can also use the Zoom Level box in the Application bar.
2. You can click to select a tool in the Tools panel, or you can press the tool’s keyboard shortcut. For example, you can press V to select the Selection tool from the keyboard; press and hold the keyboard shortcut to temporarily select the tool. You select tools hidden in pop-out menus by positioning the pointer over a tool in the Tools panel and holding down the mouse button. When the menu appears, select the tool.
3. To make a panel appear, click its icon, click its tab, or choose its name from the Window menu. For example, choose Window > Object & Layout > Align. You can also access type-specific panels from the Type menu. For example, choose Type > Glyphs.
4. Drag a panel off the dock to create a free-floating panel. Drag the tab of any other panel into the tab bar of the new, free-floating panel. A panel group can be moved and resized as one panel.