October 2, 2007
InDesign Server…Why you need it
Do you work in an environment where people have no layout or design experience in creating fliers or brochures in Word or other word processing software? As a designer, Word can be a painful experience. InDesign (ID) Server could be your saving grace.
What’s great about ID Server is that you can have access to professional-looking templates at any time, and that anyone in your workgroup can use with minimal training. Bring the design to the people! You only need to create a Web interface that your workgroup can log on to, allowing many people access to the templates that you created. As an administrator, you can set permissions for individual workgroups to either all or certain templates.
The interface can be created to look like Microsoft Word (or anything else), for example, to make your end users more comfortable with using it, even though the template's backbone is InDesign. With ID Server this makes it easier for many people at once to collaborate on a project without having to purchase separate InDesign licenses.
If you aren’t comfortable, or don’t have the skills, to create a Web interface, there are many service providers that can do that for you. Cost depends on the particular needs of your company. For more information about ID Server, developer resources, and a service provider list, go to www.adobe.com/products/indesignserver.
InDesign Server Overview
Download Brian’s presentation
Download [PowerPoint: 2.5 MB]
Using InDesign with other Creative Suite Applications (Photoshop and Illustrator
There are a lot of fun shortcuts that can be done with Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. This evening, Brian discussed images. If you have multiple layers in a Photoshop or Illustrator image file, you can turn off and turn on different layers to preview different looks. As you do so, make sure you name your layers in Photoshop or Illustrator so that you know which ones you want to turn off and on.
Photoshop: After you have created your image with multiple layers in Photoshop, go into InDesign, where your document is open. Place your image in the document by (File > Place, copy and paste, or use Ctrl/Cmd+D). After you have placed your image, go to Object > Object Layer Options. There you can hide or reveal layers. If you created layer comps in Photoshop you can choose to use that view instead. In object layers, make sure that your “Updating Link Option” default is Keep Layer Visibility Overrides. Doing so will ensure that any changes you make to layer visibility will remain, even after the original file is updated.
Illustrator: There are two primary differences when dealing with Illustrator from what was described above. First, Illustrator does not currently support Layer Comps, so that option is not available when placing the file in InDesign. Second, when using Illustrator/InDesign CS3, you can take advantage of the fact that the artwork on the visible layer will automatically fit in the frame, without having to reposition it.
In addition to placing files from Illustrator, you can copy/paste basic vector artwork directly from Illustrator to InDesign, allowing direct editing, color changes, etc. in InDesign.
Presenter Information:
Brian Reyman
Brian is co-chair of the Denver InDesign User Group as well as a Director at Aimco, a large Real Estate Investment Trust. At Aimco, Brian oversees graphic design, content development and technology for their Technical Standards team.
