Controlling Layer Guides

July 25, 2010 - 4:53 PM

Ruler guides or "layer guides"  are layer-specific: When you create them (Layout > Ruler Guides), they appear on whatever layer is selected at that moment. To hide, show, or lock ruler guides by layer, go to the Layers panel and double-click a layer. The Layer Options dialog pops up, and now you can turn the relevant options on and off.

When using "Guides" you may want to look at creating their own layer for them, the same as with master pages.

InDesign Keyboard Shortcuts

June 30, 2010 - 4:39 PM

I'm always pushing the use of keyboard shortcuts, helping you work easier, faster and more effifcient If you've attended one of my classes, you most likely know and use the keyboard shortcuts for cut (Command/Control-X), copy (Command/Control-C), and paste (Command/Control-V). But what about these less-common keyboard combinations?

Mac
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Paste Into: Command-Option-V
Paste in Place: Command-Option-Shift-V
Paste without Formatting: Command-Shift-V

Windows
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Paste Into: Control-Alt-V
Paste in Place: Control-Alt-Shift-V
Paste without Formatting: Control-Shift-V

FREE InDesign Presentation Folder Template

April 15, 2010 - 1:49 PM

In one of my recent classes, I pointed out all the great FREE InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator items that are out there. Some great, some not so great,  - but always FREE. If you're ever doing the research and find free, download it, try it out and if it works for you, perfect! If not, well nothing lost from FREE.

If you think you'll ever have to design a presentation folder, grab this free InDesign folder template. It comes with fold and die-cut guides, including a business card holder flap complete with ready-made die-cuts. And yes, Graphire Media really is giving it away, no strings attached.

Visit Design Freebies dot org.

Illustrator Keyboard Shortcuts - Color Panel

March 16, 2010 - 10:43 AM

One of the many ways on beining more effecient when working in any of the Adobe applications is to use Keyboard Shortcuts. I am always telling those who take my classes to learn and use the shortcuts, they will make your day and work go faster, leaving you more time to be creative and maybe have some time to take a break, enjoy a candy bar or surf the web (if your job alllows it) even better is, if you learn the shortcuts and work faster you can charge your client for the same time spent as if you didnt know the shortcuts. Talk about making a profit.

This is not a complete list of keyboard shortcuts. This table lists only those shortcuts that are not displayed in menu commands or tool tips, for the Color Panel in Adobe Illustrator

Text, Text, Text

March 11, 2010 - 9:44 AM

Ok so this is not an Adobe tip, but it is a tip that can be quite helpful. There are many times I am needing some Dummy Text. You could launch InDeisgn, create a text box, then Fill With Placeholder Text, copy that text and paste into what ever place you are needing dome dummy text. This works and I have done it many, many times. Now let me direct you to a website called Dummy Text Generator or Blind Text Generator, www.blindtextgenerator.com.

It's simple to create Dummy Text and with many formats to choose from, You can even choose the number of words or characters and the number of paragraphs, plus if you really need it you can choose to display <p> paragraph tags.

What makes this site even more amazing, as if that just couldn't happen. There are Advanced Options, you can choose a font-family (10 to choost from) font weight, letter spacing, text align and more.

Thought I would share, sometimes it's the littlest things that count. Enjoy!

Universal Punctuation Keyboard Shortcuts!

February 22, 2010 - 9:37 PM

You won't find em dashes, ellipses, and other common punctuation and special characters on your keyboard, it just won't happen. Within InDesign, you can insert these characters the long way using the Glyphs palette or from the menu,  Type > Insert Special Character along with Right Click > Insert Special Character. Or you can memorize the InDesign-only keyboard shortcuts. Better yet save that bit of brain space for other things and instead use the standard keyboard shortcuts, which work in almost any application.

Easy Calendar Layout

January 18, 2010 - 3:22 PM

Building calendars in InDesign can be fun and/or monotonous , but Scott Selberg's Calendar Wizard can help, and the best part is it's FREE! This script takes the date ranges you provide and builds monthly calendars while you sit back and watch. It lets you start weeks on Sunday or Monday, supports styles, can include holidays (U.S. or Religious), can add an image layer, and more, much more. 

Download the beta version 2 at http://calendarwizard.sourceforge.net. There is basic information on installing the script for Windows users of this script, but the script also works on a Mac. Selberg's Calendar Wizard works on InDesign CS2, CS3 and CS4 even though the information on the web site does not mention CS4, I have tested it and have used it three times to date.

When you open your Scripts Panel after installing the Calendar Wizard Script, toggle open Applications, then calendarWizard and choose calendarWizard.js, yes this is written in Java Script which is why the version you download works for both Mac and PC and on CS2, CS3 and CS4. This dialog box will appear, you choose your settings.

After choosing OK, sit back and watch the Calendar Wizard do it's thing.

The Calendar Wizard will write, Holidays that you choose, place mini calendars in the upper corners for the previous month and the next month and place photo frames ready for you to place your photos. Even more amazing is you can customize the Calendar Wizard to write layers for you. Notice the screenshot below, I had Calendar Wizard put the text, holidays, dates, and picture frames all on separate layers.

The website mentions how to install  iin a Windows computer but it does not tell Mac users how to install it. I have created a series of screen shots showing where to place the Calendar Wizard folder once it has been download and unzipped or unstuffed. I always have my finder set in column view which makes it easier for me to find what I am needing or where I am placing something and the path I am taking.

Once you have the folder placed in your Scripts folder in the Scripts Panel you are then able to launch InDesign, go to your Scripts Panel and start having fun. If you have any questions on how to install this script in your Mac you can always contact me via, email, facebook or phone.

Removing part of an illustrator image.

December 31, 2009 - 9:44 AM

Here is a question I received recently." I purchased a vector based illustration. I want to use onely one piece of it. I don't know how to remove what I need. For example: the bird legs are part of the green background." The file was sent to me, so I may see what they are working with.

First open the layers panel and turn off all items that you are NOT needing to extract from the illustration.

Second:Once you have the layers turned off and only showing what you are wanting to keep. Using the Eraser tool, you can run the tool over the section that need to separated. Here you will notice I separated the legs from the rest of the green body.

Third: After erasing the two sections, choose the lasso tool to select the bird needed.

Fourth: Once you have the area selected, you are going to copy and paste the illustration into a new document. 

Five: Now that you have copied and pasted the image into the new document, save it as a .ai (illustrator) file for further use.

Protecting Your Digital Photos

December 07, 2009 - 3:24 PM

Pictures are more than a visual representation of a moment in time. Pictures create a unique connection between our past and future generations.

To make your memories last more than a lifetime, follow these simple tips to let future generations enjoy your pictures.

Organize each time you save your pictures to keep the task from becoming overwhelming.

Rotate the spread view in InDesign

December 07, 2009 - 8:52 AM

Sometime you need to edit content that has been rotated. Instead of turning your head sideways to look at the rotated content, rotate the spread view. This option is especially useful for working on rotated calendars and tables.

If you leave the spread view rotated when you print, you will need to change the orientation in the Setup section of the Print dialog box to make sure the rotated spread prints properly. Or, clear the rotation before printing.

Sample below show a calendar, rotated.

There are always multiple ways to do things in Adobe software and InDesign. In the Pages panel, select the page or spread that you want to rotate. With the icon selected you can now rotate the spread view.

1. Right Click with with your two button mouse or Command Click on your Mac. Choose Rotate Spread View > 90° CW, 90° CCW, or 180°.
   
2. From the fly-out menu in the upper right hand corner of the Pages panel and click. Choose Rotate Spread View > 90° CW, 90° CCW, or 180°.
   
3. From the InDeign menu at the top of InDesign, Choose View > Rotate Spread > 90° CW, 90° CCW, or 180°.
   

A rotation icon  appears next to the rotated spread in the Pages panel. See image ( C ) below.

Objects you place or create mirror the rotated view. For example, if you create a text frame when the spread view is rotated 90 degrees, the text frame is also rotated. However, objects you paste are not rotated.

When transforming objects, keep in mind that you’re working on a rotated page view. For example, if you’re editing a table on a rotated spread view, changing the “left” side of the table will change what appears to be the top of the table in the rotated view.