Adobe InDesign Classroom in a Book
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Title: Adobe InDesign Classroom in a Book Author: Team Adobe Development http://www.adobe.com/adobepress/main.html Publisher: Adobe Press--Adobe Press books are published by Peachpit Press http://www.peachpit.com Publication Date: August, 1999 Retail Price: $45.00 Pages: 456; plus a CD-ROM ISBN: 0-201-65893-3
Adobe InDesign Classroom in a Book is part of an official training series from Adobe Systems, developed by experts at Adobe and tested in Adobe's own classrooms and labs. The Classroom in a Book series of hands-on software training workbooks help you learn the features of Adobe software quickly and easily and at your own pace. You will learn the fundamental concepts and features you'll need to master the program, and you will find that the book teaches many advanced features, tips and techniques. It is a manual and a tutorial on Adobe's new layout program. It provides 12 lessons, and there is a cross-platform CD-ROM containing the lesson files from the book. Each lesson provides step-by-step instructions for creating a specific project, but there is also room for exploration and experimentation. You can follow the book from start to finish or do only the lessons that correspond with your special interests and needs. This is more a training book, rather than a complete reference book on all the features in InDesign as only the commands and options used in the lessons are explained in this book. But as a step-by-step training manual, it is one of the best. The User Guide that comes with InDesign contains a complete description of all features, but does not include the wealth of tutorials as this Adobe InDesign in a Classroom. Price: $45.00. Adobe's Web site is worth visiting for information and tips, and free demo downloads. http://www.adobe.com
Advanced Beginners, Intermediate, and Advanced computer users. You should have a working knowledge of your computer, its operating system, and graphic design programs. This book is excellent for users new to graphic design, as well as intermediate and more advanced users. It shows in clear, concise lessons, the most fundamental tools and techniques through many new and advanced features and shortcuts.
Each lesson begins with an overview of what's covered and ends with review questions. Reading the overviews and review questions first is a good way to decide whether that chapter can be skipped or should be read in depth. The CD contains files to work with, and you even get a finished image to compare to your attempt. With the description of the lessons, I will include some of the results from the tutorials. Getting Started--Gives you information on how to install the Classroom in a Book fonts and how to copy the files to your hard disk. A Quick Tour of Adobe InDesign--This is a basic introduction to different tools and techniques, such as turning on guides; threading text in frames; adding a pull quote; wrapping text around an object; working with styles; placing graphics; and working with master pages. With this quick tour, you start right out creating images that look complex, but are simple to put together in InDesign. Lesson 1: Getting to Know the Work Area--As stated, this chapter deals with the work environment, and you learn to do the following: work with tools, document windows, the pasteboard, and palettes; change the magnification of the document; navigate through a document; work with layers; use context menus and online Help; and use Adobe online services. Lesson 2: Setting Up Your Document--In this introduction to setting up your document, you will learn how to do the following: start a new document; create and edit master pages; create additional masters; apply the masters to document pages; add sections to change page numbering; override master page items on document pages; and add graphics and text to document pages. Lesson 3: Working with Frames--This chapter discusses the following: resize text frames; use anchor points to reshape a text frame; copy a graphic into a frame; convert a graphics frame to a text frame; wrap text around an object; create and rotate a polygon frame; and center and scale an object within a frame. Lesson 4: Creating and Applying Colors, Tints, and Gradients--The following techniques are explained: add colors to the Swatches palette; apply colors to objects; create dashed strokes; create and apply a gradient swatch; adjust the direction of the gradient blend; create a tint; and create a spot color. Lesson 5: Importing and Editing Text--This chapter discusses how to: flow text manually and automatically; load styles from another document and apply them; thread text; use semi-autoflow to place text frames; find and change text and formatting; find and change a missing font; and spell-check a document. Lesson 6: Working with Typography--How to work with typography is discussed and you learn how to: prepare and use a baseline grid; change type spacing and appearance; create special characters; create a tabbed table with tab leaders and hanging indents; and export a file to Portable Document Format (PDF). Lesson 7: Importing and Linking Graphics--You will learn to: distinguish between vector and bitmap graphics; place Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator graphics into an Adobe InDesign layout; import clipping paths with graphics, and create clipping paths using InDesign and Photoshop; place Adobe PDF files; manage placed files using the Links palette; and use and create libraries for objects. Lesson 8: Drawing--This chapter discusses how to: draw and edit straight and curved path segments, and open and closed paths; create a hole in a filled shape by combining paths into a compound path; apply a shape (like an arrowhead) to the end of a path; slice paths into smaller pieces; paste an image inside a drawn path; scale, reflect, and duplicate objects; and add a graphic so that it becomes part of a text story and flows with it. Lesson 9: Using Advanced Frame Techniques--You will learn how to: create a calendar based on a template; nest frames within other frames; make a compound path; add a gradient to text; create inline frames; and export the document to PDF. Lesson 10: Setting Up Your Monitor for Color Management --In this chapter you: examine the principles associated with color management; calibrate your monitor using Adobe Gamma; and create an ICC profile for your monitor using Adobe Gamma. Lesson 11: Ensuring Consistent Color--You learn how to do the following: specify a color management engine; specify default source and destination ICC profiles; assign ICC profiles in InDesign; and embed ICC profiles in graphics created in other Adobe programs. Lesson 12: Preparing Documents for High-Resolution Printing --You will get a grasp on how to: install a virtual printer for high-resolution printing; perform a preflight check and correct problems in the document; create a bleed; trap text using a stroke to hide misregistration; overprint objects to hide misregistration; separate a color document into its component colors; and package files for handoff to a service provider.
Adobe InDesign Classroom in a Book is an excellent tutorial book for anyone who wants to learn the program. I really like having the examples for the lessons on the CD. By providing starting images and finished images, you can compare your finished images to Adobes. When I learn a new program, I like having tutorials for a project. This seems an easier way to learn than just having the instructions on how to use various tools. Adobe covers a variety of other programs in their Classroom in a Book series. They are all worthwhile, and many are used as textbooks for the classes at the local junior college in my town.
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