Chapter 6. Creating a Comic Book Page

The comic book project allows you to practice a lot of skills you learned in previous projects and try out some new techniques and features. For example, you’ll learn a quick-and-easy method for creating a grid of images that involves setting up automatic resize options for graphic placeholder frames. You will also learn a range of different techniques for reusing design elements, colors, and styles among documents, including working with the Content Collector tool as well as libraries. To ensure no spelling errors are left behind, you will perform a spelling check as well as find and replace text in the document. You’ll learn to use two new drawing tools, the Pencil and Pen tool, so you can create freeform shapes. In addition, you’ll find out how to place text on a path. Finally, you’ll create text- and object-based hyperlinks, and export the comic page for viewing on the web (Figure 6.1).

ACA Objective 4.1

To create a reusable custom page size (Figure 6.2):

1. Choose File > New > Document.

2. From the Page Size menu, select Custom.

3. In the Custom Page Size dialog box, enter a descriptive name for the page size in the Name field.

4. Enter your desired dimensions in the Width and Height Fields, and click OK.

The newly created page size appears at the top of the Page Size menu in the New Document dialog box. Each time you create a new document, you can now select the custom page size.

ACA Objective 3.2

ACA Objective 4.2

To create a rectangular frame grid (Figure 6.3):

1. Select the Rectangle Frame tool ().

2. Start dragging a rectangle on the page, but do not release the mouse button.

3. As you drag, tap the Up Arrow key to increase the number of rows you are creating and tap the Right Arrow key to increase number of columns.

If you accidentally create too many rows, tap the Down Arrow key to decrease number of rows. To decrease number of columns, tap the Left Arrow key.

4. To increase or decrease the space (gutter) between the rows and columns, press Ctrl-tap (Windows) or Command-tap (Mac OS) the appropriate arrow keys.

5. Release the mouse button when you’re finished creating the grid.

A grid of frames appears on the page.

Pressing the arrow keys to create multiple, evenly spaced objects works for any type of frame you create—ellipses, polygons, rectangles, even text frames. InDesign even automatically threads the text frames. You can also create a grid of images when pressing the arrow keys, as you drag with a loaded graphics icon that has multiple images loaded in it.

ACA Objective 4.2

To change a gap position (Figure 6.4):

1. Position the Gap tool between objects whose edges are aligned.

2. Drag the gap in the direction the arrows are pointing.

When working with the Gap tool:

To reposition the gap for objects closest to the dragging point, Shift-drag in the direction the arrows are pointing.

To change the distance between objects, Ctrl-drag (Windows) or Command-drag (Mac OS) in the direction the arrows are pointing.

To move objects that snap to the gap, Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) in the direction the arrows are pointing.

To have some real grid and gap fun, try working with combinations of the shortcut keys listed. For example, Ctrl+Shift-drag (Windows) or Command+Shift-drag (Mac OS), would change the distance for objects closest to the dragging point.

Consider the following to make the Gap tool work more efficiently:

For images, enable the Auto-Fit option in the Object > Fitting > Frame Fitting Options dialog box.

For text frames, enable auto-sizing (Object > Text Frame Options).

ACA Objective 4.4

To specify a fitting option for a placeholder frame (Figure 6.5 and Figure 6.6):

1. Using the Selection tool (), select an empty graphics frame.

2. Choose Object > Fitting > Frame Fitting Options to display the Frame Fitting Options dialog box.

3. Select the preferred option from the Fitting menu.

4. In the Align From area, click one of the small squares to set the reference point.

The reference point controls the original placement position of the image in the frame before it is resized. With the center point active, the image is centered in the frame.

5. Click OK.

When you place photos, the Fill Frame Proportionally setting ensures the photo completely fills the frame and is not distorted. If the reference point is set to the center, the photo crops vertically or horizontally. With the Selection tool, click the Content Grabber in the frame to change the position of the image if necessary, or select one of the image’s bounding box handles and Shift-drag to resize the image and change the crop.

In most cases, logos, diagrams, and illustrations should not be cropped or distorted as they will lose their meaning. Imagine seeing only half of a logo on a page! For these types of graphics, use Fit Content Proportionally as the frame-fitting option. The graphic is sized so that it fits in the frame completely. The frame may be wider or narrower than the placed graphic. To adjust the size of the frame so it matches the size of the placed graphic, choose Object > Fitting > Fit Frame To Content.

ACA Objective 3.1

ACA Objective 4.4

With the loaded graphic icon, you can place an image into an empty placeholder frame, create a graphic frame as you click (to place the image at 100%), or create a graphic frame as you drag (to place the image at any size). Once you place one image, the loaded graphic icon is ready to place the next image.

To place multiple images into empty placeholder frames (Figure 6.7):

1. Choose Edit > Deselect All before placing content into InDesign.

2. Choose File > Place.

3. Deselect Show Import Options.

4. Navigate to the images to place, and select the images to import.

To select a contiguous range of images click the first image, then Shift-click the last image. To select multiple, noncontiguous images, Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) the images.

5. Click Open.

The number next to the loaded graphics icon () shows how many objects are loaded. The preview provides a visual of the currently loaded object.

6. Press the arrow keys to toggle through the loaded images until the one you want to place is loaded.

7. Position the loaded graphic icon over an empty graphic frame and click.

8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 until all images are placed.

With the images inserted into the frames, you can resize, transform, and position them further as needed.

Back in Chapter 3, you learned how creating an alternate layout retained links to parent objects from the original layout. Remember that this allowed you to make text and formatting changes in the parent layout, and use the Links panel to update the modified page objects in the child layout. Placing and linking individual page elements in InDesign uses the same parent-child analogy. True, you could easily choose Edit > Copy and Edit > Paste to duplicate page elements. If you wanted to make changes to all those duplicated page elements, however, you would need to edit each object manually. Using the placing and linking tools saves you all that extra effort. By creating a parent-child relationship between the original object and the copies you place in your document, you can make changes to the parent and quickly update all of its children.

ACA Objective 4.5

Instead of copying and pasting the heading across the different pages, you can use the Content Collector tool () and Content Placer () tool to place linked elements. The tools work in conjunction with the Content Conveyor, a panel that stores collected objects until they are used or removed.

With the Content Collector tool, you select page elements and load them into the Content Conveyor. Then, with the Content Placer tool, you can place objects from the Content Conveyor onto your pages.

To load content into the Content Conveyor (Figure 6.8):

1. Select the Content Collector tool in the Tools panel. The Content Conveyor panel displays as soon as you select this tool.

2. With the Content Collector tool, click on page elements to add to the Content Conveyor.

3. With each page object you click on, the number next to the Content Collector icon increases, indicating the number of objects in the Conveyor.

You can also load content from the Content Conveyor. Select the Content Collector tool to show the Content Conveyor, then click the Load Conveyor and select an option from the Load Conveyor dialog box.

Selection loads all selected objects on the page.

Pages loads content from one or more pages.

All Pages Including Pasteboard Objects loads every page object.

Create A Single Set loads all the page objects collected into a set.

With the Content Conveyor loaded with page objects, you can start placing them into your document.

To place and link content from the Content Conveyor (Figure 6.9):

1. Select the Content Placer tool (). It is hidden below the Content Collector tool.

2. Select Create Link in the Content Conveyor.

3. The number next to the loaded cursor shows how many objects are loaded from the Content Conveyor, similar to when you place multiple images.

4. Press the arrow keys to toggle through the objects to load the object you want to place.

5. Navigate to the placement location, such as another page.

6. Click to place the content on the page.

7. Repeat steps 4 to 6 to continue placing additional objects.

8. Click the close box on the Content Conveyor when you are finished placing objects.

By default, objects placed from the Content Conveyor are removed after placement. There are three different placement options to select in the Content Conveyor before placing content:

Place Remove From Conveyor And Load Next lets you place an object once, and removes the object from the Content Conveyor after placement.

Place Multiple And Keep In Conveyor lets you place an object multiple times.

Place And Keep In Conveyor And Load Next doesn’t remove the object from the Content Conveyor after placement, and loads the next object into the cursor.

ACA Objective 4.5

ACA Objective 5.1

If you make changes to the parent object, the Link Badge on the child objects change to a modified link (). Additionally, the Links panel also shows modified links (Figure 6.10).

To update the modified links:

Click the Link Badge, or choose Update All Links from the Links panel menu.

ACA Objective 4.5

This is a great shortcut to use when you want to quickly place and link a single object elsewhere in the document or on the page.

To use the Place And Link command (Figure 6.11):

1. Using the Selection tool, click a page object to select it.

2. Choose Edit > Place And Link.

3. With the loaded cursor, click on any page to place the object.

ACA Objective 5.1

That would not be a good thing, as it would require retyping the caption text plus making the size and shape changes once more. Thankfully, there is a way to control which changes (local edits) that you make to a child object are preserved when updating the links.

To preserve certain changes applied to child objects (Figure 6.12):

1. Select the objects on the page or in the Links panel.

2. From the Links panel menu, select Link Options.

3. In the Link Options dialog box, select any of the following settings to preserve changes made to them:

Appearance: Keeps fill color, stroke color and weight, corner options, and effects changes.

Size And Shape: Keeps changes made to width, height, transformations (such as rotation), and other object shape changes, like moving an anchor point to a different position with the Direct Selection tool.

Interactivity: Keeps buttons and forms settings, animation, timing, and object states (you will learn more about these in the next chapter).

Frame Content: Retains edited content within the frame, such as images, text, or video.

Others: Leaves changes to a number of other edits, such as Text Frame Options, text wrap, and hyperlinks intact.

4. Select Warn If Link Update Will Overwrite Local Edits to display a warning dialog box if any local edits will be changed when updating modified links.

5. Click OK.

With the Link Options set for the child objects, you can now update the links.

ACA Objective 4.3

Text is checked against a dictionary for the language that is applied to the text. You can change the language by selecting text, and selecting a language from the Language menu in the Control panel (character formatting controls) or the Character panel. Changing the language for selected words can be handy when French words appear in English documents for example. A language can also be applied through character and paragraph styles (Figure 6.13).

To check spelling for a document (Figure 6.14):

1. Choose Edit > Spelling > Check Spelling.

The Check Spelling dialog box opens, and the first suspect word in the text is highlighted.

2. Select the correctly spelled version of the highlighted word from the Suggested Corrections, or enter the correct spelling in the Change To field.

3. Click Change to update just this occurrence of the error, or click Change All to fix all occurrences of this error. The next suspect word is highlighted.

To ignore a spelling error, because it might be a company name or special term that does not appear in the dictionary, click Ignore or Ignore All. Alternatively, you can click Add to include the word in the User Dictionary, so that future occurrences will not be flagged as an error.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the spelling check is complete, and click Done.

ACA Objective 4.3

In addition to performing simple text changes throughout a document, such as replacing the word “captain” with “colonel,” you can also use Find/Change to:

Search for advanced pattern-based text strings with GREP, a language that codes the finding of patterns in text, for example, any text in brackets, and make changes.

Search for Glyphs, and replace them. Glyphs are special characters you can insert into text with the Type > Glyphs panel. Double-clicking a character in the panel inserts it at the text insertion point.

Search for object formatting, such as stroke or fill colors, and change the settings.

Search for text formatting, such as font and size, and replace the settings.

To search and replace text (Figure 6.15):

1. Choose Edit > Find/Change.

2. Click the Text tab in the Find/Change dialog box.

3. Enter the text to search for in the Find What field.

4. Enter the replacement text in the Change To field.

5. Under Direction, select Forward to search from the current page through to the following pages.

6. Click Find Next to find the first occurrence of the search word.

7. Click one of the change options:

Change: Replaces only the found text.

Change All: Replaces all occurrences of the found text.

Change/Find: Replaces the found text, and immediately moves forward to the next occurrence.

InDesign offers two types of libraries, both of which appear as a panel.

Object libraries: These libraries are files that you create; they are stored on your local computer. They can only contain objects, such as text frames, image frames, and groups of objects; these objects may or may not have contents (Figure 6.16). While you can share your library files with other designers, you can’t provide live updates to the objects in them. You simply each have your own copy of the library.

Creative Cloud libraries: These libraries are part of the Adobe Creative Cloud, and are used to store objects similar to object libraries, as well as color themes, colors, paragraph and character styles, and Adobe Stock images. The same libraries and assets appear across Adobe applications (such as Photoshop and Illustrator) and Adobe mobile apps (such as Adobe Capture CC). You can share CC Libraries among users, which makes them a great tool for working collaboratively with other designers (Figure 6.17).

ACA Objective 4.5

1. Choose File > New > Library.

2. Click No in the CC Libraries dialog box.

3. Specify a name and location for the library, such as Comic Book Library, in the File Name (Windows) or Save As (Mac OS) dialog box.

4. Click Save.

The library panel opens as a blank panel, and you can start adding library items to it.

1. Select an object on the page.

2. Select Add Item from the library panel menu.

To add item information (Figure 6.20):

1. Select the item in the library.

2. Select Item Information from the library panel menu, or click the Library Item Information button at the bottom of the panel.

3. Enter the name in the Item Name field.

4. Select an option from the Object Type menu.

5. Enter a short description in the Description field. Click OK.

You can use the item names and descriptions as criteria for finding a specific item or displaying a subset of items.

To show a subset (Figure 6.21):

1. Select Show Subset from the library panel menu.

2. Select the parameter type, for example, Description from the Parameters menu.

3. Enter the text for the description. Click OK.

To place a library item on the page, you can either (Figure 6.22):

Drag the item from the library panel onto the page.

Select the item, and select Place Item(s) from the library panel menu.

ACA Objective 4.5

1. Choose Window > CC Libraries to show the CC Libraries panel.

2. Click the libraries menu at the top of the panel, and select Create New Library.

3. Enter the name for the library and click Create.

An empty library is created, and you can start adding InDesign page elements, colors, color themes, and more. You can even search across Adobe Stock, an online resource that has millions of beautiful images, photos, and videos that you can use in your designs.

1. Select the destination library from the library menu in the CC Libraries panel.

2. Drag the artwork from an InDesign page into the CC Libraries panel, or click the Add Graphic button at the bottom of the panel.

Depending on what you have selected on the InDesign page, you will also be able to add character styles, paragraph styles, fill color, or stroke color. For example, if you have a shape selected with a red fill, clicking the Add Fill Color button at the bottom of the CC Libraries panel adds the color below the Colors heading in the CC Libraries panel. If you have text selected that has a paragraph style applied to it, clicking Add Paragraph Style adds the style to the panel.

The library item is added to the library under the Graphics heading, and automatically named. When items are displayed in the list view, a badge on the right indicates this graphic’s artwork is created in InDesign. A graphic’s artwork can also be added from other applications. For example, artwork added from Adobe Illustrator will display an Ai badge.

You can also add colors, color themes, paragraph styles, or character styles directly from the various panels. To add these to a library (Figure 6.25):

1. First, select the library at the top of the CC Libraries panel.

2. Show the panel from which you want to add an item.

3. Select the item, and click the Add To Library button at the bottom of its panel.

Items from object libraries can also be moved to CC Libraries.

1. Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the added artwork, and select Rename.

2. Type the new name, and press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS).

To add a graphic to the page (Figure 6.27):

1. From the library menu at the top of the CC Libraries panel, select a library.

2. Drag the graphic from the library to the page.

You can also right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) a graphic and select Place Copy or Place Linked. Place Copy detaches the placed graphic from the item in the library. Place Link maintains a link to the parent object in the library. When a linked item, such as a sound effect graphic created in Illustrator, is placed, a modified or missing link warning might appear in the Links panel (this happens when the item has been edited or removed from the library). You update these links just like any other link in InDesign: Select the object and select Update Link from the Links panel menu.

To work with other library items, such as styles, select text on the page, and click the style name in the library in the CC Libraries panel. Styles are automatically added to the paragraph or character styles panel for the document you are working on. The same applies when using colors from a CC library. The colors are added to the Swatches panel.

Library items that are graphics can be edited in their native applications, for example, to edit an item with an Id badge.

To edit an InDesign graphic in the library (Figure 6.28):

1. Double-click the item in the library. It will open in InDesign, as a randomly named file.

2. Make the changes, for example, changing the fill color.

3. Choose File > Save, then File > Close.

The item in the library is updated, and any designers you’ve shared the library with will see the updated item in their libraries, once the Creative Cloud has synchronized the files.

Anchor points.

Line segments that connect two anchor points.

Direction lines that attach to anchor points and control the curvature of line segments.

Two InDesign tools let you create freeform paths:

The Pencil tool () follows the movements of your mouse (or pen, if you happen to work with a drawing tablet). It automatically adds anchor points and joins those with line segments. For smooth corners that are attached to curved lines, it even adds the direction lines.

The Pen tool () is a more technical drawing tool. You add each anchor point and construct the path as you work with it, joining anchor points with line segments and adding direction lines where a path requires a curve.

ACA Objective 3.2

To draw the path (Figure 6.29):

1. Select the Pencil tool.

2. Start dragging across the page while pressing the mouse (or start dragging with a pen). A dotted line appears.

3. Release the mouse or pen when you are finished drawing.

After you create a path, you can select it with the Selection tool and apply stroke settings, such as color, weight, and stroke type to the path.

To create a closed shape that can have a fill color when drawing with the Pencil tool, move the Pencil tool close to the start point, and press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS). When a small circle icon appears next to the Pencil tool icon on the page, release the mouse button (Figure 6.30).

Which tool could you use to edit a path and reposition anchor points?

Yes, the Direct Selection tool (). When you click on the edge of an unselected path, all the anchor points are visible. If you look at a path drawn with the Pencil tool, you’ll likely spot some unintended wobbles along it. Although you could use the Direct Selection tool to select anchor points, redirect direction lines, or reposition lines and edit them, that quickly becomes a tedious task for paths with lots of anchor points. A more efficient alternative is the Smooth tool. As its name suggests, you can use it to smooth the paths you have drawn.

To smooth a path (Figure 6.31):

1. Select the path.

2. Select the Smooth tool. All the anchor points on the path are now visible.

3. Drag over the path while pressing the mouse button.

4. If needed, repeat multiple times to get a smoother result.

To erase part of a path (Figure 6.32):

1. Select the path, then select the Eraser tool.

2. Drag over the section of the path to erase it.

3. Release the mouse button.

ACA Objective 3.2

If you click and drag instead of clicking, you create an anchor point with a direction line. This allows you to create curved line segments.

1. Select the Pen tool.

2. Click at the starting point for the line.

3. Position the pointer at the next point on the zigzag line and click.

4. Continue to click until the zigzag line is finished.

5. Using the Selection tool, click the path and adjust its stroke settings.

To create a closed path (Figure 6.34):

1. As you are drawing the path with the Pen tool, position the pointer over the start point. A small circle indicates you are about to close the path.

2. Click to close the path.

A few tips for adding direction lines:

Drag in the direction that you are drawing.

The longer the direction line is, the longer the line segment will be.

Consider making the direction lines about 30% of the length of the line segment between the two anchor points.

Let’s take a look at drawing a wavy line as an example (Figure 6.35):

1. Select the Pen tool.

2. Click and hold the mouse, and drag up to create the first anchor point with a direction line.

3. Release the mouse button, and move the pointer to the position for the next anchor point.

4. Click and hold the mouse button, and drag down to create another anchor point with a direction line.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you’ve finished creating the path.

6. Using the Selection tool, click the path and adjust its stroke settings.

For more advanced information on using the Pen tool, please refer to InDesign Help.

ACA Objective 3.2

InDesign’s Type On A Path tool () allows you to set text on the path itself instead of inside the shape. This is a great way to work creatively with text. For example, in poster designs or, as in the comic book project, to change the way the sound effects appear on the page.

To add type on a path (Figure 6.37):

1. Position the Type On A Path tool over the path.

2. Click the path when a small plus sign appears ().

3. Type the text you want to add to the path.

4. Format the text, changing the font, size, and color as required for your design.

5. If needed, select the path and change the stroke and/or fill settings as well.

The text flows with the path shape. Its start position will vary depending on the text alignment you selected when formatting the text. For example, if you center align the text, it will position itself in the center of the path, or if you left align text, it will be placed at the leftmost point of the path.

For text that is placed on a line, use the bracket that is positioned on the alignment side of the text. For example, to move left-aligned text along the path, select the left bracket.

To move the text along the path (Figure 6.38):

1. Select the path with the Selection tool.

2. Position the pointer over the left bracket until you see the cursor change.

3. Drag the bracket along the path to a new position.

When you release the mouse button, the text is placed at its new position.

For text that is placed on a closed path, you can use any of the brackets to position the text along the path.

To edit the type on a path settings (Figure 6.39):

1. With the Selection tool, select the type on a path.

2. Choose Type > Type On A Path > Options.

3. In the Type On A Path Options dialog box, select Preview so you can see the changes you make.

4. From the Effects menu, select one of the effects that controls the way the text appears on the path.

5. From the Align menu, select an option to control the vertical position of the text in relationship to the path itself (To Path).

6. To add more space between the text characters along the path, decrease the spacing amount (yes, that sounds backwards, but it works). Note that you can apply additional kerning or tracking amounts to text as part of text formatting as well.

7. Click OK.

As you can see, type on a path is a fun feature. It can draw the attention to a word or phrase on the page and make text stand out.

InDesign provides a number of different ways to add hyperlinks:

You create a hyperlink for selected text.

You can select an entire object and convert it to a hyperlink.

You can convert an object to a button and set a button action that takes you to a web page. You will learn how to do this in the next project.

In this section, we’ll focus on working with the Hyperlinks panel (Window > Interactive > Hyperlinks).

ACA Objective 4.6

1. Open a web browser and navigate to the web page you want to link to.

2. Select the text in the web address field in the web browser, and press Ctrl+C (Windows) or Command+C (Mac OS) to copy the address.

3. Choose Window > Interactive > Hyperlinks to show the Hyperlinks panel.

4. Select the text that will become the hyperlink source (the clickable link).

5. Choose New Hyperlink from the Hyperlinks panel menu, or click the Create New Hyperlink button at the bottom of the Hyperlinks panel.

6. Select URL from the Link To menu.

7. Click inside the URL field under Destination, and press Ctrl+V (Windows) or Command+V (Mac OS) to paste the copied web address into the field.

InDesign automatically applies a character style called Hyperlink to the text. It applies a blue color and underline to the text, which makes the link more noticeable in the text.

8. Under PDF Appearance settings, select Invisible Rectangle from the Type menu to prevent the creation of a visible box around the link in an interactive PDF, and select [None] from the Highlight menu to ensure that when you click the link, the appearance does not change.

9. Click OK.

The Hyperlink panel shows a green traffic light symbol to the right of the hyperlink to confirm that the web address can be accessed online. For web addresses that do not work, the traffic light changes to red.

You can edit the hyperlink at any stage by double-clicking it in the Hyperlinks panel, or by clicking the link and selecting Edit Hyperlink from the Hyperlinks panel menu.

ACA Objective 4.6

To create a hyperlink from an object (Figure 6.41):

1. Select the object, such as a text frame or image, on the page.

2. Choose New Hyperlink from the Hyperlinks panel menu.

3. Select URL from the Link To menu.

4. Click inside the URL field under Destination, and press Ctrl+V (Windows) or Command+V (Mac OS) to paste the web address into the field.

5. Click OK.

The hyperlink object now displays a dashed line around the object, when the document screen mode is set to Normal, indicating that it is now a hyperlink.

InDesign supports two web-based image formats you can export to:

JPEG: JPEG is a lossy file format that applies file compression, reducing the file to a smaller size that is more suited for use on the Internet. Because it is lossy, it reduces the quality of the image. Think of it as a format that crumbles up a piece of paper. The higher the amount of compression, the tinier the paper ball. However, also consider what would happen if you try to iron out the piece of paper again after you’ve crumbled it up. Because of this lossy quality, JPEG is not well suited for designs that contain a lot of text, as the text would appear fuzzy. Additionally, JPEG also does not support transparency; this means that InDesign pages are exported with a white background. JPEGs are best suited for designs that contain a lot of photos.

PNG: Also applies compression to reduce the file size of the document it creates, but it does so in a lossless way. Additionally, it supports transparency, which might be helpful if you design a logo in InDesign that needs to be placed on a colored or tinted background online. Without transparency support, the logo would appear on a white background. PNG is also a great format to use for text-heavy pages as the text remains much crisper. It is also a format that works well when you need to supply images for use in Microsoft Office applications, such as Word and PowerPoint.

ACA Objective 2.5

Can you think of a reason why? Because it contains text that might end up appearing fuzzy.

To export the comic book page as a PNG (Figure 6.42):

1. Choose File > Export.

2. Enter the name for the file in the File Name (Windows) or Save As (Mac OS) field.

3. Select PNG from the Save As Type (Windows) or Format (Mac OS) menu.

4. Click Save. The Export PNG dialog box opens.

5. Under Export, select the content to export. To export a specific page, enter the page number in the Range field.

6. Under Image:

Select the preferred quality setting from the Quality menu. Maximum quality provides the best result, but could result in a larger file size.

To specify the Resolution, select an option from the menu or enter a value. For PNG files used in Microsoft Office, for example, 150 ppi works well.

From the Color Space menu, select RGB. Remember, that is the color space used for digital media and web publishing.

7. Under Options:

Select Transparent Background to create a PNG that supports transparency.

Select Anti-Alias to create smoother edges.

To restrict the exported page to the page area itself, deselect Use Document Bleed Settings.

Select Simulate Overprint if your page contains any transparency effects, such as drop shadows, directional feather, or different opacity levels.

8. Click Export.

The PNG file is now created.

ACA Objective 2.5

To export a page to JPEG (Figure 6.43):

1. Choose File > Export.

2. Enter the name for the file in the File Name (Windows) or Save As (Mac OS) field.

3. Select JPEG from the Save As Type (Windows) or Format (Mac OS) menu.

4. Click Save. The Export JPEG dialog box opens.

5. Under Export, select the page to export.

6. Under Image, select a Quality option. Keep in mind that the lower the quality, the more lossy the resulting image will be. Leave the Format Method set to Baseline. In the early days of the Internet, Progressive download was preferred, so the image would be downloaded incrementally. With faster Internet speeds today, that is no longer required.

7. Under Options, select Simulate Overprint if the page you export contains transparency.

8. Click Export.

Wow, well done! You have completed another project, and you are nearly at the end of the projects covered in this book. For the final project, you’ll start by revising previously learned skills to get more practice, and then learn how to add very cool interactive elements such as movies and slideshows to an InDesign project that is exported as an eBook file.