email: robert15@trainingstream.co.uk  |  tel: 07775 616160

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Adobe InDesign training course outline

Maximum group size: 4

Our maximum group size for public courses is 4. We train small group sizes that allow us to give a high degree of individual attention to all delegates. We feel this is really important for intensive, hands-on training as it gives all delegates a chance to participate fully and achieve maximum benefit from the training.

 


Work on your own documents

Delegates are encouraged to bring along examples of the documents they want to create after training. We can then build these into the training where appropriate. For on-site training we're more than happy to focus on the actual documents that you need to produce so you feel confident using the software from the start.

 


Tailored training

This is a standard Adobe InDesign course outline that is intended as a starting point for discussing precise course content in more detail. The majority of the training we undertake is tailored to meet the requirements of the delegates we train. Please give us a call to discuss your reqirements in more detail and to check availability.

 


 

 

 

Adobe InDesign course outline – 2 day intro

Aims

This is a detailed Adobe InDesign course outline, designed for the new user. The primary aim of the course is to deliver a solid foundation on which the new user can build and develop their InDesign skills. The course, derived from more than 20 years experience of training desktop publishing software at all levels, breaks down the application into a logical sequence of learning events, so that the new user receives the necessary confidence and skills to get the best out of InDesign from the start.

Objectives

To cover the essential, fundamental tasks of page layout – creating, manipulating and organising frames as well as importing and manipulating images and text in Adobe InDesign. To create effective publicity materials such as leaflets, flyers, spec sheets and simple web banners, and then to move on to more complex multi-page documents such as newsletters, brochures and reports.

Working Environment

• New Document dialog box   • Hide/Show Guides  • Positioning Ruler Guides  • Ruler Guides dialog box   • Magnification techniques  • Scrolling  • Document and application preferences  • Managing panels and the workspace

Working with frames in InDesign

• Drawing rectangle and oval frames  • Type frames, Graphic frames, Shape frames   • Specifying dimensions  • Squares and circles  • Polygons and stars  • Moving and resizing frames and graphics  • Constrained moves  • Drag copy  • Working with lines  • Working to Reference points  • Smart Guides  • Locking/Unlocking objects  • Selecting/Deselecting objects

Using colour – the Swatches panel

• The Fill and Stroke boxes  • Applying a fill colour  • Applying a stroke colour to frames  • Setting stroke weight  • Align Stroke options  • The Swatches panel  • Mixing colours  • Creating tints  • Using Pantone colours

 

Working with Type

• Entering text  • Selecting text  • Placing word-processed text  • Text flow techniques – Threading text  • Breaking text threads   • Applying Paragraph Style Sheets  • Character formatting using the Character panel  • Paragraph formatting using the Paragraph panel  • Hyphenation

 

Editing Text

• Selecting text  • Cursor movement through text  • Forced Line Break  • Discretionary hyphen  • Special character sub-menu  • Glyphs panel  • Show/Hide Hidden Characters  • Spell Check  • Dynamic Spelling

Stacking Order

• Working with stacks  • Send to Back/Backward  • Bring to Front/Forward  • Selecting through stacks

Working with Images

• Creating picture frames  • Importing images  • Images and the Selection tool  • Content Grabber  • Shortcuts for scaling frame and image in pro  • Scaling the image – the Direct selection tool   • Shortcuts for scaling an image in pro  • Checking scale percentages

Links

• The Links panel  • Link Information  • Go to Link  • Missing links – Relink  • Modified links – Update link  • Edit Original

Text Wrap

• The Text Wrap panel  • Switching Text Wrap on  • Offsets   • Text Wrap and Stacking Order   • Text Wrap for Irregular objects

Text Frame Options

• Working with Columns  • Inset Spacing  • Vertical Justification

Lines and Strokes

• Drawing Lines  • Vertical and Horizontal lines  • Dotted/dashed lines  • Arrows  • The Stroke Panel  • Specifying Line Weights

 

Day 2

Aims

Day 2 aims to build on skills and features introduced in Level 1 training, then examine techniques and approaches that deliver efficiency and control when constructing more complex documents such as reports, newsletters and manuals.

Objectives

To build on aspects of Adobe InDesign covered during day 1 of InDesign training. To show delegates how to structure and produce longer, more complex documents such as newsletters, brochures, magazines and books. To introduce Text Wrap controls, Text Frame options, master page setup, print and pdf export functions, as well as building paragraph and character styles for the efficient styling of type.

Groups

• Working with groups  • Moving objects in groups  • Scaling groups  • The Group Selection tool  • Sub-selecting objects in groups

Working with Objects

• Aligning Objects  • The Align Panel  • Locking and Unlocking Objects  • Rotate tool  • Shear tool  • Scale tool  • Live Corner controls  • Drawing object grids

Pages

• Master Page setup  • Creating Local Overrides  • Automatic Page Numbering  • Sectioning documents  • Managing pages  • Keep Spread Together / Allow Pages to Shuffle  • Inserting, moving and deleting pages  • Moving from page to page

Working with Type

• Kerning and Tracking controls  • Kerning preferences  • Baseline Shift  • Space Before / After  • Drop Caps  • Setting a Baseline Grid  • Align to Baseline Grid  • Building Paragraph Style Sheets  • Building Character Style Sheets  • Keep Options and Breaks  • Text Composers  • Bullet Points  • Paragraph Rules  • Semi-automatic text flow  • Automatic text flow techniques

Text Frame Options

• Columns  • Inset Spacing  • Vertical Justification  • Ignore Text Wrap

Text Wrap

• Text Wrap for irregular objects  • Text Wrap and Stacking Order  • Ignore Text Wrap for type frames

Gradients

• Applying Gradients  • The Gradient tool   • The Gradient panel  • Specifying colours  • Multi-colour Gradients

Stroke panel

• Dotted/dashed lines  • Arrows – start and end

Working with Images

• Clipping Paths    • Showing/Hiding Clipping paths  • InDesign Clipping Paths  • Placing Multiple Images  • Fitting Controls  • Flipping images  • Working with Mini Bridge

Object Effects

• The Transparency panel  • Drop Shadow  • Feather  • Gradient Feather

Preflight, Package and Print

• The Preflight dialog box  • Package – Image Links, Fonts, Dictionaries, Reports  • Print – General, Setup, Marks & Bleeds  • Printer Styles  • Exporting to PDF  • Preflight  • General, Compression, Marks & Bleeds tabs  • Flattener settings  • PDF styles

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open quoteReally thorough training, very personable trainer. We have learnt so much! We will recommend you.close quote

Emma Trendell

House of trendella

open quoteIt was a very helpful, well-run day, gave me the confidence + inspiration to use InDesign.close quote

Emma Kentish

People & Planet

open quoteVery knowledgeable and able to explain clearly.close quote
 

Melinda Newitt

One Housing Group

open quoteReally good course, covered all the things we needed. Robert was very good at recapping bits we needed.close quote

Sue Stevens

Macular Society