InDesign Docs

When you choose Help > InDesign Help, the Community Help and Support Page opens. Some people have told Adobe that they’d prefer opening the main Help on the Web page. Now, you can select an option to start on that page.

Here’s how to change the default:

1. Open the main Help on the Web page.

2. Select the “Help on the Web” option.

Keep in mind that no matter which option you go with, you can always click a link to jump to the other page. In my mind, it makes sense to route Help > InDesign Help to Help on the Web. If I want to go to the Community Help and Support page, I can choose Help > Online Support.

Let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I’ll pass them along.

Over the last two versions, we’ve made three major changes to the Adobe Help systems — web help, commenting, and community help.

Continue reading…

* Updated January 22, 2009 *

Localized versions of InDesign and InCopy Help are now available. You’re probably wondering why this concerns you. Well, it doesn’t — unless you want to read InDesign or InCopy help topics in a different language.

I think I know what your next question is. If this topic isn’t useful to anyone, why are you posting it? I’m glad you asked. It’s an excellent question. The answer to that excellent question is that search engines like Google and Yahoo need to index these web pages, and the fact that I’m posting them on this Adobe blog helps them to get indexed faster. In a few days, our InDesign friends in Japan and France will be able to view CS4 help topics in their search results.

Community Help is available in each of these languages.

Continue reading…

Looking for a list of InDesign videos? You’ve come to the right place!

Getting Started Videos

Getting Started: 01 Starting a new document
Getting Started: 02 Making a text frame
Getting Started: 03 Character-level formatting
Getting Started: 04 Paragraph-level formatting
Getting Started: 05 Making a paragraph style
Getting Started: 06 Placing and flowing text
Getting Started: 07 Placing an image
Getting Started: 08 Wrapping text around a graphic

InDesign CS4 New Feature Videos

Introducing InDesign CS4
Creating cross-references
Using Live Preflight
Creating conditional text
Using the Links panel
Applying GREP styles
Export from InDesign to SWF
Rotating spread view
Working with smart guides
Editing the exported XFL file in Flash Pro

Relevant CS3 Videos

Most of the InDesign CS3 videos in the Video Workshop are still relevant in InDesign CS4.

Using the Control panel
Using keyboard shortcuts
Importing content into InDesign
Managing pages
Setting up a new document
Working with master pages
Making selections
Working with objects
Using object styles
Working with anchored objects
Using layers
Working with text
Working with text styles
Creating bullets and numbering
Creating running headers and footers
Using the Text Wrap panel
Finding and changing expressions, text, and object formatting
Creating and formatting tables
Adding headers and footers to tables
Placing images in tables
Using table styles
Creating drop shadows
Applying feathering to objects
Applying opacity effects
Setting opacity
Synchronizing master pages
Setting pagination
Creating a table of contents
Creating an index
Preparing files for output
Defining sections
Working with Microsoft Word and Excel tables in InDesign
Creating footnotes
Creating JDF job definitions
Designing websites with InDesign and exporting to XHTML

Adobe TV

New videos are continually added to Adobe TV. Bookmark the InDesign page, and filter your results by unchecking categories on the right side of the page.

Make sure you catch the Caffe Fibbonacci videos with Tim and Rufus. It’s a fun way to learn.

Find any other InDesign video resources on the web? Leave a comment.

We’ve just posted InDesign CS4 Help and InCopy CS4 Help on the Web. We still have some work to do and bugs to fix, but we figured that you’d get a lot of benefit from taking an early peek.

To take a look at new features, here’s a link to What’s new in InDesign CS4. And here’s a link to What’s new in InCopy CS4. These topics list the top new features, with links to detailed information about each.

Note that many links to video tutorials, other Help documents, and white papers are still not functional, and the search doesn’t really work yet. And commenting isn’t turned on yet. This should all be fixed when the CS4 products actually ship.

To talk about InDesign CS4 and ask questions, visit the InDesign user forum. Or visit the InCopy user forum.

Here’s a link to the new Community Help page, which is still a work in progress:
InDesign Community Help

If you have any suggestions for improving Help, email me (I spelled it out here to avoid spam): bbringhu at adobe dot com

The newest Creative Suite version will include a new wrinkle in Help. You’re going to be able to search the help topics along with a number of community resources—blogs, user forums, knowledge base articles, and so forth. The search is basically a limited Google search. I’ll add links to the best sites in the Custom Search Engine, and those sites will show up in search results, ranked according to Google’s metrics.

I want you to let me know what your favorite InDesign websites are. If you have a blog, leave your link in a comment, and I’ll consider adding your website to the search engine. I can also add links to the best videos and articles in the related help topics, either directly or as a comment.

Here are some of my favorite InDesign resources:

Getting Started

Lynda.com tutorials - Subscription site, but many videos are free.

About.com

Layers Magazine

Blogs

InDesign Secrets - David Blatner and Anne Marie Concepción provide a steady stream of podcasts, videos, articles, and tips.

The InDesigner - Michael Murphy’s excellent videos and articles

Seneca Design - Anne-Marie again. The InCopy site is one of the best resources for InCopy workflows.

Tim Cole’s InDesign BackChannel - News and resources.

Instant InDesign - Video podcasts and downloadable exercise files from Gabriel Powell.

Creative Mentor - I like the format of providing videos to go with the articles.

The Graphic Mac

Gilbert Consulting

Cari Jansen

User Forums

Adobe user forums

InDesign Talk

Videos and Podcasts

Adobe TV – Check out the Caffe Fibonacci videos with Tim Cole and Rufus Deuchler.

Creative Sweet - Get it? Sweet, not Suite? Oh, nevermind.

Adobe Creative Suite Podcast

Have I missed any of your favorite sites? Let me know by leaving a comment or emailing me (bbringhu at adobe dot com).

When you choose Help > InDesign Help (or press F1), you may or may not be getting the most up-to-date help topic. In some cases, the web version of Help includes additional information not found in the in-product help. In other cases, users have left useful comments. The GREP search topic includes both additional information and commenting.

Search using GREP expressions

Feel free to leave comments in web help (also called LiveDocs Help). And drop me a note if you think any topic needs to be reworked.