tips and tricks
A couple of step-by-steps, a few cool shortcuts and some inductry tricks to help those projects out on time. Check back for updates.
featured product: InDesign CS3
I
ncluded in this section are some very cool InDesign tips and a couple “I bet cha didn’t know dis” additions.
- To show or hide all palettes: Press the Tab key
- To show or hide all palettes but keep the toolbar visable: Shift> Tab
- To expand or collapse all the open palettes:
Command> Option> Tab (MAC)
Control> Alt> Tab (PC)
- To convert a QuarkXPress v.3 or 4 documents to Adobe InDesign: File> Open. Colors, style sheets (paragraph and character) and h&j’s will all be included from the QuarkXPress file.
- To copy a page or spread from one InDesign document to another: Open both documents. In the Pages Palette of document 1, select the page or spread thumbnail icon you want to copy. Drag the icon to the center of document 2. The page/spread is added to the end of the document 2.
- Select all text from a text insertion point down: Click the insertion point, then select:
Command> Shift> End (MAC) or
Control> Shift> End (PC).
To select all text from the insertion point up, use:
Command> Shift> Home (MAC) or
Control> Shift> Home (PC)
- To make your own placeholder text:
Close Adobe InDesign CS3. Open a document using a text editor that contains the text you would like to use as placeholder text. Save the file as untagged text or text only. Name the file “placeholder.txt” (without the quotes.) Save the file into the root level of the Adobe InDesign CS3 application folder. To view the placeholder text, launch InDesign CS3 and create a text frame. Choose Type> Fill with Placeholder Text.
- Select all ruler guides on a page or spread:
Command> Option> G (MAC) or
Control> Alt> G (PC)
Then press delete to delete all guides.
- Draw both a vertical and horizontal ruler guide simultaneously: Command> drag (MAC) or
Control> drag (PC) the zero guides onto the page.
- Reposition an object while still drawing it: Hold down the spacebar while drawing the object.
- Sort all menus alphabetically: Command> Option> Shift (MAC) or Control> Alt> Shift (PC) while selecting a menu. This will sort the menu and sub-menus in alphabetical order.
- To unlock and release a master page item on a document:
Command> Shift> Click (MAC) or Control> Shift> Click (PC) the master page object on the document.
You can selectively override one or more attributes of a master object to customize it without breaking its association with the master page. Attributes that you do not override, such as color or size, continue to update with the master. Overrides can be removed later to make the object match the master. Attributes you can override for a master page object include strokes, fills, contents of a frame, and any transformations (such as rotating, scaling, or skewing). Autoflow text onto multiple pages: Target a spread, and then choose Override All Master Page Items in the Pages Palette Wing Menu. You can now select and modify any and all master page items as you wish.
- To select an object that is in beneath another object or stack of objects: Command> Click (MAC) or Control> Click (PC) the objects until the object you want is selected.
- To fill a selection in the window:
Command> Option> + (MAC) or
Control> Alt> + (PC)
- To view the history of an InDesign document:
Press Command (MAC) or Control (PC) and choose InDesign> About InDesign…. This will display a document history, listing all information related to the creation, conversion, synchronization, and save history of the document.
- Hidden Custom Stripe
To create a Rainbow Stripe:
In the Stroke Palette, choose Stroke Styles from the Wing Menu.
Select New
Select Stripe for line type
Name the stripe “Rainbow”
Choose OK and see the rainbow-colored stripe!
- Hidden Custom Dash
To create a Feet Dash:
In the Stroke Palette, choose Stroke Styles from the Wing Menu.
Select New
Select Dash for line type
Name the stripe “Feet”
Choose OK and see the feet dash.
