Creative Mentor

Archive for May, 2009

The evolution of a Snippet starts here…

Libraries are the next step in the evolution of a Snippet. Basically a Library is a placeholder for multiple Snippets. The advantage is they are always at the ready in their own library panel, and you get a preview of the Snippet within the Library panel.

To create a Library go to File > New > Library. A dialogue will appear, you can choose where to save the Library file and also name it accordingly. When done, choose Save. Now a new Library panel will open with the same name you just created.

To add a Snippet to your Library, select the element or elements you want to include as a Snippet, then drag them to the Library panel. Now you have a Snippet saved in your Library. If you want to give it a name rather that leave it call “Untitled”,  just double click on the Snippet and rename it within the dialogue that appears. If you want to do this quickly hold down Option/Alt when you drag your page elements into your library panel. Now you can rename them on the fly.

To place a Library Snippet back on your document page simply drag your Snippet from the Library panel to the document page. The Snippet will be placed wherever you drop it. Alternatively you can place the Snippet in the same location that it was in when it was created. To do this accurately you need to make sure the document size is the same as it was when that particular Snippet was created. Then “Right click” or “Control click” on the Snippet and choose “Place Items”. Now the elements are placed in exactly the same position as when they where created.

The library file you create is not document specific, it will remain open for every document you open. If you want an individual library for each job, create a new one with each job and save it in the same location as your Indesign file. Then you need to open the correct Library file depending on the job you’re working on. To open a Library double click it or go to File > Open.

A great advantage of Snippets and Libraries is that you can share or email them off to your colleagues.

For more information on this topic via Adobe help click here.

[Click play to watch video tutorial, will commence once downloaded in full]

Posted by Neil Oliver in Graphics | No Comments

Reusing graphics and text…

Snippets can save you loads of time, especially when it comes to repetitive elements that you use over and again.

To create a Snippet, all you need to do is select either an individual page element or multiple page elements. For instance, I could select just a logo or I could select a logo and a text frame. Now all you need to do is drag the selected elements to your desktop. I know that may seem strange at first, however now you’ll see a file has been created on your desktop. It should have a file name similar to this: Snippet_3001C897A.idms. You may want to rename it so it has some relevance to what it actually is, especially if you’re going to be creating lots of Snippets.

This Snippet can now be placed bank into any other new or existing document. To place on your page simply drag the Snippet back onto a document page. You could also place the Snippet as you would any other graphic using File > Place.

It may benefit you to go through your jobs and make as many Snippets as is relevant, so you can easily place all sorts of design elements very quickly next time round, instead of having to dig through old archives to find what you’re looking for in the future. You can create a Snippet of as many items as you like. You could even create a Snippet of a complete page.

The best thing about Snippets for me though, is the fact that a Snippet is generally really small in file size, meaning I can email it off to someone on the other side of the world. They then can place that Snippet directly onto their document page.

Any swatches and styles associated to the elements within a Snippet will automatically come into a document when that Snippet is placed on a page.

Two things to be aware of are:

1. Snippets created in CS4 aren’t compatible in CS3 by default
2. If you create a Snippet of a linked graphic and send that Snippet to someone else, they need to have access to the location of that link in order for it to not appear as missing. If they don’t have access to the link you will need to send it to them and get them to relink to it in the links panel.

For more information on this topic via Adobe help click here.

[Click play to watch video tutorial, will commence once downloaded in full]

Posted by Neil Oliver in Graphics | 2 Comments

Copy or move pages between documents the smart way…

If you need to copy pages from one document to another, don’t be fooled into using the old Copy and Paste method. Instead use “Move Pages”. Using ”Move Pages” allows you to move your pages between documents while maintaining a lot of the document specific attributes like margins, bleeds, master pages, swatches and styles. Copy and Paste just doesn’t compare.

For ideal results, it’s best if the document you’re copying from and to have the same page dimensions (width and height). If they aren’t it will still work, however the alignment of the page items will be slightly different.

From the “Pages” panel select the page/s you’re wanting to move or copy, by clicking on their page number. Now selected, go up to the flyout menu within the pages panel and choose ”Move Pages”. A dialogue now appears which lets you set what pages you want to move, where you want them placed within the document, and what document you want to move them to. You must have the document you’re wanting to move the pages to open. When set choose “OK”. There’s no real indication that anything has happened, however if you switch across to the document you moved the pages to you’ll see that everything worked nicely.

For more information on this topic via Adobe help click here.

[Click play to watch video tutorial, will commence once downloaded in full]

Posted by Neil Oliver in Pages | No Comments

Use a Special Character to Indent text independently from your text frames default left Indent

You have the ability to set your own custom Indent when working within a paragraph. Insert your type cursor before the character you want to indent, then go to the “Type” menu and choose “Special Characters > Other > Indent to Here”. An indent is now set at that point. Every line of text after that indent will now line up exactly with your custom indent. This eliminates the need for unnecessary tabbing and all the other crazy work arounds people use to do this.

If you want to speed things up, you could “Right Click” (Two button mouse) or “Control Click” (One button mouse), you could also use the keyboard shortcut “Command” + “\” (MAC) or “Control” + “\” (PC).

For more information on this topic via Adobe help click here.

[Click play to watch video tutorial, will commence once downloaded in full]

Posted by Neil Oliver in Special Characters, Text | No Comments

Eliminate a few clicks from your life with this handy hand tool shortcut…

Have you noticed when you’re working within a text frame with your type tool active, you can’t pan around to another part of the document page without adding multiple spaces to your text? This is a regular annoyance for a lot of InDesign users.

The solution is simple! If you are working with text and you have your type tool active within a text frame, simply hold down “Option” (MAC) or “Alt” (PC). You have now temporarily changed to the Hand Tool and can navigate around your page freely. When done, let go of Option/Alt and you can continue working with your text. This eliminates the need to use scroll bars or manually select different tools from the tools panel.

You could also try ”Command” (MAC) or “Control” (PC) which allows you to move the active text frame.

[Click play to watch video tutorial, will commence once downloaded in full]

Posted by Neil Oliver in Text | 3 Comments