Course Name

Adobe InDesign CS4: Essentials

Contact Hours: 10

Course Description

Get an introduction to Adobe InDesign CS4 with this essential training that introduces you to the basics tools, skills and techniques required to create professionally styled text, layouts and graphics that deliver a powerful impact. In this series, youll be guided through the techniques needed to work with text and graphics in your layouts. You will also learn how to apply artistic effects to text and placed artwork, without prior knowledge of other applications like Illustrator or Photoshop. The student will have access to this course for 1 year. This self-directed course can be completed within 90 days or sooner depending on time and learning capabilities of the student.

Outcome

By completing this course you will: Discover how InDesign CS4 provides a platform for communications beyond print. It can make electronic documents as PDF as well as web documents as SWF. Find out whether your print jobs will cause problems at print shops by using the new Preflight panel. Learn how design can be more efficient with Text and Object Styles. See how InDesign CS4 can apply many artistic effects to your placed artwork, without knowledge of other applications like indesignor Photoshop. Learn how to use layers to create different versions of your publications, for different languages, different markets, or more.

Assessment

Project files are included with this course to aid in your learning. There are no exams or tests.

Outline

Chapter 1: EXPLORING THE INTERFACE Start Screen, Application Bar & Workspace Menu Panels, Application Frame & Tab View Using the Control Panel Customizing Keyboard Shortcuts & Menus Exploring Workspaces Chapter 2: CUSTOMIZING APPLICATION PREFERENCES Setting General & Interface Preferences Setting Type & Composition Preferences Customizing Units, Grids & Guides Dictionary, Spelling, Autocorrect & Story Editor Display Preferences Display Performance & Appearance of Black Preferences File & Clipboard Handling Chapter 3: WORKING WITH DOCUMENTS Setting Up a New Document & Saving a Preset Working with Templates Replacing Missing Fonts & Updating Links Converting Documents for Backwards Compatibility Chapter 4: NAVIGATING & VIEWING DOCUMENTS Navigating Pages & Layers Links, Edit Original & Rotate Spread View Zooming, Display Performance & Panning Changing View Modes & Customizing a Proof Chapter 5: MARGINS, COLUMNS, RULERS & GUIDES Setting Up Units, Margins & Columns Using Rulers Working with Guides Using Smart Guides to Align & Place Objects Chapter 6: ADDING TEXT TO YOUR LAYOUT Adding & Formatting Text in a Frame Exploring Frame Types Placing Text from a File Threading Text Frames Creating Text on a Path Auto-Flowing Text Using Smart Text Reflow Chapter 7: TEXT FORMATTING OPTIONS Choosing Fonts Controlling Font Size & Leading Changing Text Color in the Swatches & Color Panels Adjusting Alignment, Tracking & Kerning Using the Eyedropper Tool to Sample Text Attributes Finding & Replacing Fonts Adding Indents & Spacing Controlling Hyphenation & Justification Creating Drop Caps Using Optical Margin Alignment Chapter 8: FORMATTING TEXT USING STYLES Creating Paragraph Styles Applying Styles Understanding Next Styles Clearing Style Options Redefining Styles Importing & Managing Styles Chapter 9: TABS, TABLES & LISTS Formatting Text with Tabs Creating, Selecting & Navigating Tables Formatting Tables & Cells Saving Time with Table & Cell Styles Working with Bulleted & Numbered Lists Chapter 10: WORKING WITH PLACED GRAPHICS Exploring Bridge & Assigning Keywords Placing & Scaling Images Using the Free Transform, Position & Scale Tools Frame & Content Fitting Options Placing Multiple Files Using the Links Panel Building a Library Chapter 11: CREATING SHAPES & USING TEXT WRAP Creating Shapes & Frames Customizing & Transforming Shapes Aligning & Distributing Shapes Applying Text Wrap Chapter 12: WORKING WITH COLOR & SWATCHES Introduction to Swatches Choosing Colors & Creating New Swatches Working with Gradients Using the Kuler Panel Using Transparency Transparency Effects Chapter 13: USING LAYERS Creating Layers Placing Content on Layers Moving Content between Layers Managing Layers Chapter 14: INTRODUCING OBJECT STYLES Creating New Object Styles Applying Object Styles Updating Object Styles Defining Default Object Styles Chapter 15: ADDING INTERACTIVITY Making a Table of Contents Interactive Creating Hyperlinks Adding Buttons for Navigation Adding Page Transitions Exporting for the Web Using SWF & PDF Chapter 16: PREFLIGHT, PRINT & PDF Introducing New Live Preflighting Packaging for Output Understanding Printing Options Printing Booklets Exporting to Adobe PDF Credits