How to Use the Tools in Adobe InDesign CS3 for Yearbook Designing Layouts From Paper to Computer Layout

Set Up Your Grid Go to View at the top. Find “Grids & Guides.” “Show Document Grid” should be on. If it is, then the choice you will have is “Hide Document Grid.” You should be able to see a pica grid on your layout.

How to Draw a Photo Box Click on the box tool at the left. (Note: Not the one with the X.) Draw your box by dragging to make a box.

Another Way to Draw a Photo Box Double click and you will get a window with a request for width and height. If you measure the size of the box on your layout in picas, then you can type the numbers into the dialog window, and it will draw a box that exact size. Then use the black arrow to move your box into position on your layout.

Photo Box: Color If the layout did not automatically fill your photo box with a grey shade, then you need to do it. Select the box with the black arrow, then select SWATCHES at the left. Click on the fill (not the outline), then click on BLACK, then change the TINT to 10%. This is standard for photo boxes.

How to Place Text Choose the “T” tool at the left. Draw a box where you want your text on your layout. Pull down Type > Fill with Placeholder Text.

Text Boxes and Font Choices Draw a text box for each text placement on your layout (for example, one box for the body copy text, a different box for the headline, another box for the byline). You can fill them with placeholder text, or for the smaller ones, type Headline or By John Smith or This is a Subheadline.

Font Choices Once you have placed your text boxes, double click in your body copy. Then select ALL (COMMAND-A). Now go the top left under “A” and find the pulldown menu with all the font choices. Try a few to see how they look.

Font Choices (continued) Play with the font size (top number). Most body copy should be between 12 point and 9 point. Also play with the leading number (below the font size). This will change the space between lines. The bigger the number, the more space.

Font Choices (continued) Play with your font choices for the headline and subheadline, as well as the byline and the mini-headline for the captions. One suggestion is to choose a family of fonts with lots of options (bold, italic, light, etc.)

Font Choice (continued) The second idea is to choose fonts that match the look of your inspiration layout(s). Or, choose a font that goes with a theme you have in mind. For instance, a lighthearted theme may need a font that looks light and whimsical; a serious theme may need a bold classic font.

Establishing a Paragraph Style Once you have a font and look that you like, highlight the text in your box. Then, on the right, find the tab for “Paragraph Styles” and open the mini- menu to select New Paragraph Style. Give your style a name (Body Copy, Headline, Subhead, etc.)

Paragraph Styles Once you have an established paragraph style, you can highlight any text on the layout that is going to use that same style (caption text, for example) and then simply click on the paragraph style. The font will automatically change to the style and size you picked.

Paragraph Styles (continued) If, at a later time, you decide to change the font style or leading or size, simply change it IN THE PARAGRAPH STYLE by double clicking on the style and changing the parameters there. Then, anything that used that paragraph style will automatically change.

Adding Lines and Color You can use the line tool at the left to draw lines (and use the stroke menu on the right to change the width of the line). You can use the box tool at the left to draw boxes of color (and use the swatches palette to change the color from grey to something else).

Adding Graphics If you have a logo or something that you want to add to your layout, you can place it just like a photo. Use COMMAND-D to place it, and use the white arrow and the shift key to change its size. You can also fill your photo boxes with “real” photos from this year.

Fonts in Color And don’t forget that you can change the color of the font by highlighting it, then using the SWATCHES palette at the left (click on the “T”) to change the color of the text (or the outline of the text).

Questions? If you can’t figure out how to get something from your rough draft layout or an inspirational award-winning yearbook into your computer layout, ask! Don’t forget to save your file!