Adobe InDesign CC 2017.0 v12.0.0.81 Multilingual for macOSAbout this releaseRelease date: November 2, 2016OS: macOS version 10.12 / 10.11 / 10.10Language: multiligualUsage: read instructions fileAbout.
The Steps
Step 1: Creating a good sketch.Diggory created the initial concept pencil sketch for the project in a mere half-hour. 'Sometimes the concept comes to me immediately. Other times it takes a long time. If I get the feeling that it just won't happen, I get up and go fishing, clear my head, and then come back and try it again. You can just feel it not happening and you know you have to walk away. Sometimes you can get too close to it and try too hard to think of something clever.' Satisfied with his first crack at a concept, Diggory tightened up the rough and drew the final pencil sketch. He scanned the sketch at 300 dpi into Photo-shop and saved it as a JPEG, which he then emailed to Origin Design. They approved it right away without changes.
Step 2: Making a template.Upon approval from Origin, he created a new, A4-size CMYK file in Illustrator and placed the scanned sketch on his base layer. He then dimmed the sketch layer to 50%. Diggory uses Illustrator for his projects because, as he puts it, 'Illustrator allows you to experiment with different styles. Photoshop is more restrictive in that you know you can always replicate a style. I mean, if I can put a reflection on a shape, then anyone can. I guess if there's a downside to using the computer as a tool for illustrations, it's that you see a lot of art that looks the same. You can spot someone who has just started using Illustrator or Photoshop from a mile away.'
Step 3: Starting the cat drawing.He started the illustration by concentrating on the main characters first, beginning with the cat. 'I tend to concentrate on the main characters first. If I started with the background first I could easily go overboard and then the focus would shift to the background rather than the characters.' On a new layer, using a Wacom tablet and Illustrator's Pencil tool, a stroke weight of 2.6, and Pantone 161 CVU (a dark brown) as the stroke color, he drew the paths that composite the head. Diggory didn't worry about creating closed paths (see the inset figure in Figure 14), but instead concentrated on just the stroke line. 'I tend to avoid the Pen tool and work with Bezier curves. Because I work so quickly, the Pencil tool is ideal.'
Step 4: Filling in gaps.On the same layer, Diggory created the fill shape for the cat's face and also added the jaggy highlights, using a 1-point stroke. The fill shape would fill in the gaps left by the open paths. For any shapes that would later contain just a fill color and no stroke, Diggory set the stroke weight to 1 point and then later, when he applied color, he set the stroke weight to None.
Step 5: Adding the facial features.On a new layer, he added the nose, mouth, eyes, and insides of the ears. The stroke weight ranged from 1 point for the teeth to 2.2 points for the eyes and 2.6 points for the nose. For shapes that would ultimately have no stroke color, but just a fill, Diggory used a 1-point stroke.
Step 6: Finishing the face.Diggory created a separate layer and added the shadows in the eyes and mouth. Again, using a 1-point stroke, he drew the brows, the pupils, and the nose reflection, each on its own layer. On yet another layer, he created the nose shadow, the soon to be white ruff, and the jaggy highlights of the ears and fur.
To complete the face, Diggory created another layer and added the whiskers, using a 1-point stroke. He then used the Ellipse tool and created the pores.
Step 7: Drawing the cat's appendages.Diggory created another layer and drew the tail, using a stroke of 1.7 points (Figure 17). He created the stroke layer for the left paw, using a stroke of 3.2 points. Using the stroke layer as a guide, he drew the paw shapes that would contain the fill colors, and then moved the fill layer under the stroke layer (Figure 18). He repeated the process with the right paw.
Step 8: Drawing the mouse.The mouse wasn't as complex as the cat, so he created the entire mouse on one layer. He drew the stroke outline of the mouse using 80% Black and a stroke weight of 2 points for the outside body outline and .7 to 1.5 points for the thinner detail strokes. Diggory then created another layer and made the shapes that would contain the fill areas of the mouse. He used a 1-point stroke that he would later set to a color of None once he filled the areas.
Step 9: Creating the background elements.To begin creating the background, Diggory started with the background rectangle and shadow areas (for the objects in the background) on a single layer. He then created another layer and drew the objects in the background, such as the door, the picture, the lamp, and the window and curtains. He drew all the objects with a 1-point black stroke (Figure 20).
Step 10: Creating additional elements and details.Next came the flower pot and the cup and saucer, each on its own layer. Since he wanted to fill and stroke the cup and saucer , he used a 1.7-point stroke for those elements. He then created a couple more layers and created the table with the Pen tool. He switched to the Pencil tool and created the saucer and mouse shadows. Back to the Pen tool and a new layer, Diggory drew the 3-point strokes that would make up the stripes on the tablecloth (Figure 21).
![Adobe Indesign 2015 Cc Crackerjack Sportfishing Adobe Indesign 2015 Cc Crackerjack Sportfishing](http://www.examaids.com/895-thickbox_default/adobe-indesign-cc-2015-ace-exam-aid-for-windows.jpg)
Step 11: Finishing the line drawings.Finally, to complete the background, he made a layer and drew five circles with the Ellipse tool to create a paw print. He grouped the separate circles, selected them and then Option-dragged (Alt-drag to do this on a Windows machine) to clone a second print. He repeated the process, randomly placing the paw prints on the background wall. Diggory added detail elements to the background, such as the paw prints and the fish in the picture frame that were not in the original sketch. 'I tend to keep the background in the sketch very loose. The clients don't seem to mind if I embellish the background somewhat in the final illustration. I call this little bit of extra detail the 'selling layer.' The client sees new elements I've added and thinks, 'I didn't ask for that, but it's really nice.' They feel like they're getting a little more for their money.'
Step 12: Adding color.After he finished the line work, Diggory chose his color palette. He used Illustrator 9's PANTONE Uncoated Swatch Library for all of his colors (Figure 23). While he tends to use intuition to select his colors, he did consciously choose more subdued, pastel colors for his background elements, so as not to detract from the foreground characters. Diggory says, 'One of the most frustrating things to me about working on a computer is the difference in how colors appear between monitors. I have two G3s and the colors look different even between the two monitors!' Diggory painstakingly selected each of his elements and filled them with color. Some shapes were both filled and stroked with color. Others were just filled, with the stroke set to None, while yet others were stroked with color and without a fill. To get the stacking order of the shapes correct, he chose Arrange from the Object menu and made the appropriate selections. In some instances, he had to rearrange layers to get the compositing correct.
Step 13: Framing the picture.As a final touch,Diggory created two more layers.Using the Pen tool and a 3-point black stroke,he created a frame around the entire illustration.The final layer contained an additional black stroke to touch up the bottom portion of the frame.
Step 14: Final adjustments in Photoshop.Once Diggory completed the illustration, he opened the Illustrator file in Photoshop, rasterized it as a 300-dpi CMYK image, and applied a drop shadow behind the cat to 'liven it up a bit and bring the characters off the background.' The entire project took Diggory only 3.5 hours. 'I work very quickly. And because I'm so busy, I also like to get each job out of the way so I can move on to the next one. I prefer a deadline of three hours rather than three months. If I have three months, it's too easy to wait until the last day to do the job.'
Diggory saved a copy of the file as a low-resolution, 72-dpi JPEG file. He emailed the JPEG to Origin Design for final approval. Once Origin gave the okay, he flattened the layers, saved it in Photoshop's native file format and emailed the 20-MB file to the client. 'Unless the client specifically asks me not to, I always flatten the final file before I email it. That way, no changes can be made. I have had some pieces where alterations were made after I submitted the final and I wasn't told about it.' In this case unfortunately, the size of the calendar was changed at the last minute and therefore the printer resized the entire illustration, keeping approximately the same height, but elongating it quite a bit. Says Diggory without irritation, 'I preferred the original size, but who I am to argue with a printer?'
Once you understand the concept of InDesign templates and the principles of their design, it’s time to learn the steps involved in designing a template. For your template to be successful, it must follow a clear path of development. Although this process can be rigorous, the payoff is well worth the time and effort.
Much like designing anything else, designing a template is a process:
- Establish the project’s objectives.
- Develop a preliminary mockup layout.
- Construct the actual template.
- Thoroughly test to ensure that everything functions as anticipated.
- Implement the template into a live production workflow.
Let’s look at the steps in more detail.
Step 1: Define Your Objectives
They key to successful template design is starting with a clearly defined set of objectives. Before constructing any template, you must step back and gather as much information as possible that will influence the choices made during the template’s construction. After you’ve outlined the project’s objectives, the template can be constructed optimally to serve its intended purpose, and the subsequent phases in the design process should run smoothly. Even just a few hours of planning can save weeks of development time.
Three essential requirements need to be taken into consideration:
- Design requirements
- Workflow requirements
- Printing requirements
Design Requirements
You need to understand intimately the design of the publication for which you’re constructing a template. If the design is still a work in progress, it’s better to wait until it has been approved before constructing the template, or you’ll waste valuable time and effort. The more specific the definition of the design, the more directed your efforts can be at designing a complete template.
When gathering design requirements, start with the obvious. Look at the overall page format and determine its dimensions, orientation, and arrangement (single page or spreads). Notice how the margins and columns are set up across different layout variations. Then move on to identify the textual content and ascertain the formatting applied to each element, including the typeface, size, leading, color, word spacing, and so on. Identify all the graphical content, including illustrations, images, charts, and tables. Determine the formatting applied to each one and establish rules for cropping, scaling, and positioning. If the publication contains advertisements, note all the possible sizes and arrangements.
Look for other special design requirements to be considered. Does the publication call for a table of contents or index? Is the publication printed in multiple languages? If so, what elements of the design change from one language version to the next?
Identify any other information that influences or limits your layout choices. Must the template be flexible enough to allow for different design options? Or should the template impose more structure?
Overall, you need to gain a sense of what’s required to produce each element in the publication. Each publication is unique, so be sure to account for everything.
Workflow Requirements
Anything that affects the sequence of assembly is a workflow requirement. Gather any special requirements that have an effect on the way the template is constructed. Although it’s impossible to predict every situation, here’s a list of some common factors to consider:
- In what order will the various design elements be produced? The answer to this question helps you organize the template effectively, making it easier to produce the publication for which the template is designed. For example, by knowing the order in which stylesheets will be applied, you can optimize their organization by placing frequently used styles toward the top of the list and collecting them into style groups. The same goes for setting up master pages, object libraries, and color swatches. Name and organize them in a way that makes them easier to locate as you need them.
- Are multiple designers producing the publication? If so, you might need to break up the publication into separate InDesign documents and create a book file to collect the documents together and keep the page numbers, stylesheets, swatches, master pages, and other items in sync. It’s also necessary to create a book file when producing long documents, such as books and catalogs.
- Are other designers using an older version of InDesign? If so, you’re restricted by the tools you use, since you’ll need to utilize tools that are compatible with the older version. Tools such as InDesign CS3’s new transparency effects, table and cell styles, frame fitting options, and text variables are not compatible with InDesign CS2.
- Must some elements be produced with Photoshop or Illustrator? If so, consider the use of native file formats, which have many benefits that other file formats don’t offer. All the layer information is preserved, so you can control the visibility of individual layers within InDesign. Transparency is preserved, so you can import a graphic without first having to flatten it. It’s also easier to edit a graphic and quickly update the modified link.
- Does the publication utilize transparency effects? If the publication uses drop shadows, gradient feathers, or other transparency effects, you’ll need to be aware of the effect(s) when constructing the template, to make sure that the final document will be flattened properly when printing. For example, because type can interact with transparent objects in unexpected ways, it’s common practice to create an extra layer for textual elements, located above all the layers containing transparent objects and effects.
- Is the publication printed in multiple languages? When a document uses more than one language, you might set up different paragraph and character styles with language-specific settings and the appropriate language dictionary for each language. Also, consider using layers to separate the different language content, which facilitates production and printing.
- Will the publication be automated with Data Merge, XML, or another technology? Templates that employ an automated solution have special setup requirements. It’s important to know well in advance whether your publication will be automated.
- Will the final content be repurposed for use in another form, such as on a web site or mobile device? If so, consider using InDesign’s XML tools in your template solution. Or if you plan to export the final content directly to an XHTML document, you’ll need to set up the template carefully to ensure optimal export results.
Printing Requirements
A publication’s printing requirements have a big effect on the decisions made during the template construction process. Knowing this information ahead of time allows you to significantly minimize or totally eliminate possible printing problems down the road. Talk with your print service provider about anything on which you need clarification. To get started, take the following common requirements into account:
- Color. Does the publication call for spot colors, process colors, or both? Don’t use spot colors in the template if the publication doesn’t use them. Although this seems obvious, you’ll be surprised how often a spot color sneaks its way into a document. If the publication is intended for RGB output only, such as a PDF download from a web site, create RGB swatches and remove CMYK swatches from the Swatches panel. It’s also a good idea to specify the Document RGB color space in the template so that colors of transparent objects are properly blended. Choose Edit > Transparency Blend Space > Document RGB.If the publication will be printed in grayscale, your job is even easier. Just make sure that any images and graphics you’ll be importing are in grayscale format so the printing process can be accelerated.
- Color management. Will the template be used in a specific color-managed workflow? If so, make sure that the template’s color management settings are configured properly.
- Fonts. Determine which fonts the publication uses. Make sure that there are no problems with the font files, such as incomplete PostScript fonts or protected fonts, which have license restrictions and cannot be embedded in PDF or EPS files. Also, make sure that the fonts are properly licensed, installed, and activated.
- Bleed. Do images print to the edge of the page? If so, you’ll need to specify the appropriate bleed settings in your template.
- Resolution. Consider the medium of final distribution, and determine the appropriate resolution for all the images that will be imported. Commercial printing requires a resolution within the range of 150 ppi to 300 ppi, depending on the press and screen frequency being used. Desktop printing requires a resolution within the range of 72 ppi to 150 ppi.