How to Train for Indesign
As of April 2011, Adobe InDesign -- the graphic design company's desktop publishing software -- is in version CS5. InDesign CS5, like Adobe's other Creative Suite components, improves upon its previous versions but operates on the same core concept: start with a blank page and build to a polished, final publication. You can spend years working with the program and never fully master it, so it's best to focus your training on specific aspects of this huge, powerful program.
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Instructions
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The Basics
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Work with templates. When you open InDesign for the first time, you might not have the slightest idea of how to transform the blank page that sits before you into a newsletter, or newspaper, or magazine, or business card -- or anything. InDesign comes preloaded with templates for most styles of publications, so use some of these to familiarize yourself with the controls and central operating concepts of the program.
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Click "File," "Open" and then choose a template file from the InDesign folder. Even if you don't plan to make a magazine, say, you can learn a lot by looking at the magazine template. See how InDesign arranges information in text boxes and image boxes. Click on any element to see how the palettes and panels change, allowing you more choices to manipulate the document.
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Look through different templates to see how layers and objects can move around in InDesign. InDesign organizes objects as groups and with layers. Experiment with the selection and text tools to try to grab different objects. Right-click for a second set of options, such as "Select object below" or "Move to back" to place objects in front of or behind others. You can create endless layers in a document, which makes it hard to find something at times. Practice on templates until you have the hang of moving things around.
Learn from the Pros
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Browse to Adobe's InDesign basic training (adobe.com/support/indesign/gettingstarted). This webpage has step-by-step tutorials for the absolute basics, like downloading and installing the program, and a video overview of what InDesign can do.
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Study the differences in CS5, especially if you've used previous versions of InDesign. Adobe has produced a dozen or so videos focusing on the new features of CS5. Study these videos even if you are a newcomer to InDesign.
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Watch Adobe TV's InDesign channel (tv.adobe.com/product/indesign). Adobe TV is a free online video series, produced by Adobe professionals and aimed at Adobe customers, from first-timers to seasoned veterans. As of April 2011, Adobe TV had 45 lessons for InDesign CS5.
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Enroll in courses. The difference between you and a professional designer could be slight in terms of talent and resources, but in almost all cases professional designers have been to school for design. This isn't to say that you need to take a three-year college course to learn InDesign -- look for one-off, one-semester courses in your city at a community college.
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