How to Get a Color to Knockout in InDesign

Use InDesign's Knockout effect to blend objects together.

Adobe InDesign is a publishing program that allows users to design projects like flyers, posters, magazines and newspapers. When designing a project in InDesign, each piece of the project -- whether it be text, a line or an image -- is called an "object." Objects can be layered on top of each other, but when done, they are slightly transparent where they overlap. Use the Knockout Group tool in the Effects menu to blend the objects and make the overlapping parts opaque.

Instructions

1. Open the InDesign file you want to edit.

2. Select the group of objects you want to blend together using the Selection tool on the toolbar.

3. Click on the "Object" button at the top of the screen, then click "Group" from the drop-down menu. This places the objects you highlighted into a single "group" so they can be edited as a whole, rather than individually.

4. Click "Effects" at the top of the page, then click "Knockout Group." If "Knockout Group" isn't visible, click "Show Options" to see more effects options.

References

• Adobe InDesign CS4: Knock Out Objects Within a Group