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Adobe InDesign Essentials

Length 2 days
Version CC 2024

Course overview

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Why study this course

Adobe InDesign® enables you to create a diverse range of print design and marketing materials with the only limitations being your knowledge!

You'll learn time-saving techniques and best practice workflows for producing marketing materials, annual reports, flyers, brochures, newsletters, and long documents. We'll delve into graphic design-related topics such as colour, image resolution, design layout, typography basics, printing, and PDF concepts, so you will be able to produce professional projects straight away.

To fast-track and reinforce your InDesign training, Nexacu has their own courseware (step-by-step workbooks) that you can take with you after the course.

Nexacu Public Schedule

Nexacu is part of the Lumify Group, offering you an extensive public schedule of Adobe end user training in Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines. You can now access the schedule of courses and book, by clicking on the button below.

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What you can expect with Nexacu Adobe Training

Small classes (average 4 to 6)
Adobe Authorised Training Centre (AATC) with industry experienced, certified instructors
Course eBook and sample files
Class exercises relevant to industry
AATC Adobe endorsed certificate upon course completion
After-course support
Free course resit (6 months) *

* Free resit applies to all public courses; does not include custom or private training.

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What you’ll learn

After completing this course, students will have the knowledge to:

Use the InDesign interface and customise preferences
Understand workspaces and workflows
Understand layout and design
Work with text including styles
Work with objects including images
Work with colour
Work with parent pages and layers
Design forms
Create and format tables
Import graphics
Export PDFs and control settings

Adobe at Lumify Work

Adobe's suite of applications includes some of the most widely used multimedia creation software in the world. Learn Adobe's market-leading apps for graphic design, image manipulation, video editing, animation, and more.
Nexacu, part of the Lumify Group, is an Adobe Authorised Training Centre (AATC).

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Who is the course for?

This course is intended for anyone wishing to learn the basics of Adobe InDesign, to give their documents a well-designed, professional look, whether in print or on the web.

Course subjects

The InDesign Interface

Operating Systems and InDesign Versions
Shortcuts and Modifier Keys
Dialogue Boxes – Efficiency Tips
The Start Workspace
File Types, IDML Format
The InDesign Interface
InDesign Preferences
InDesign Panels, Sizing, and Docking
Workspaces and Customising
The Tools Panel
The Tool Hints Panel
The Control Panel
InDesign Online Help and Help PDF
The Pasteboard
The Context Menu
Zooming and Scrolling
Adding and Navigating Pages
Document Tabs
Control Panel Reference Points
Frames: Selecting, Resizing, and Moving
Selecting Text and Shortcuts
Hidden Characters
Screen Modes and Previewing
Undoing, Redoing, and Reverting

Creating Documents

Best Practice Workflows
Filing Optimisation
Pre-production Specs
Collating Assets
Backing Up Files
New Documents: Margins, Guides, and Columns
Document Bleeds
Page Sizes
Modifying an Existing Document Setup
Creating Document Presets
Document Rulers and Ruler Guides
Smart Guides
Creating and Using Template Files
Adding and Deleting Pages

Text and Images Primer

Creating Text Frames
Overset Text
Adding Placeholder Text
Importing Text Files
Importing Images
Resizing Images and Frames
Fitting Images Proportionally
Placing Multiple Images
Placing Multiple Images in a Grid (Gridify)
Cropping Images
Creating Shapes: Rectangles, Ellipses, Polygons, and Lines
Corner Effects
Live Corners Options
Rotating Text, Images or Shapes
Grouping Objects
Stacking Objects

Working with Text Frames

Text Frame Indicators
OpenType Properties
Text Frame Inset
Text Frame Vertical Justification
Text Frame Columns
Threading Text Frames
Text Flow: Manual and Autoflow
Import Options for Placing Text
Import Options for Word Files
Using Glyphs and Special Characters
Inserting Break Characters

Formatting Text

Selecting a Type Face and Type Style
Setting Type Size
Leading (Line Spacing)
Kerning and Tracking
Capitalisation, Superscript
Baseline Shift
Paragraph Alignment
Space Before and After
Indenting Text
Hyphenation
Paragraph Rules
Bulleted and Numbered Lists
Splitting and Spanning Text Across Columns
Dropped Capitals
Setting Tabs
Paragraph and Character Styles
Creating and Editing Styles
Style Overrides
Importing and Exporting Styles

Colours and Gradients

Colour Modes
RGB - Primary Colours
CMYK - Process Colours
Out of Gamut Colours
Spot Colours
Applying Colour to Objects
The Colour Panel
Saved and Unsaved Colours
The Swatches Panel
Swatch Types
Selecting Unused Swatches
Editing Swatches
Gradient Fills
Loading Colours from Other InDesign Documents
Adjusting the Stroke of an Object
Creating Dashed Lines
The Eyedropper Tool

Working with Images

Image File Formats
Image Resolution
Info Panel
Managing Links/Assets
Modifying Placed Images
The Links Panel
Display Performance

Effects

The Effects Panel
Blending Modes
Opacity Levels
Creating a Drop Shadow
Editing and Copying Effects
Creating Transparency Effects

Parent Pages

Parent Pages and the Pages Panel
Renaming the Parent Page
Editing the A-Parent Page
Using Automatic Page Numbering
Applying Parent Pages to Document Pages
Applying the None Parent
Inserting Pages and Applying a Parent Page
Editing a Parent Page
Customising Parent Objects
Restoring Parent Objects
Creating a Parent Page from a Document Page

Layers

The Layers Panel
Lock/Unlock, Hide/Show Layers
Re-order Layers
Expanding and Collapsing Layers
Selecting Objects on your Page using the Layers Panel
Naming, Creating, and Deleting Layers
Deleting Unused Layers
Moving Objects from One Layer to Another

Text Wrap

Applying Text Wrap
Wrap to Options
Contour Options
Making Text Ignore Text Wrap

Tables

Creating a Table within InDesign
Importing a Table
Converting Text to a Table
Options for Microsoft Excel
Options for Microsoft Word
Formatting a Table
Table Setup: Row and Column Options
Cell Options: Text and Fills
Headers and Footers

Publishing and Printing

Preflighting Documents
Preflight Errors
Defining Export Formats
Producing PDF Files for Approval and Screen
Exporting to a High-Resolution PDF
Packaging a Document for Print

Prerequisites

No prior Adobe InDesign knowledge is required, making this course excellent for beginners.

Terms & Conditions

The supply of this course by Lumify Work is governed by the booking terms and conditions. Please read the terms and conditions carefully before enrolling in this course, as enrolment in the course is conditional on acceptance of these terms and conditions.