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Adobe InDesign 2020 for Mac v15.1.3 Tutorial

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I. Software Positioning and Version Features

Adobe InDesign 2020 (version 15.1.3) is a professional page layout and design software focused on the creation of multi-page publications, print materials, and digital publications. As the industry standard in the fields of print and digital publishing, InDesign holds an irreplaceable position in the production of books, magazines, brochures, newspapers, e-books, interactive PDFs, and more. Unlike Photoshop and Illustrator, InDesign’s core strengths lie in long-document layout management, style systems, page layout, and print output control.

Core Version Features (2020 Update)

  1. Content-Aware Fit: Intelligently resizes frames to fit content
  2. Font Enhancements: Improved font menu and variable font support
  3. Properties Panel: Context-sensitive quick property access
  4. Visual Font Browsing: Intuitive font preview and filtering
  5. Adobe Fonts Integration: Seamless access to thousands of fonts
  6. Table Improvements: Enhanced table styles and editing features
  7. Performance Optimization: Faster document opening and scrolling speeds
  8. Cloud Document Support: Cross-device collaboration and version management

II. Installation and System Configuration Optimization

System Requirements and Installation Preparation

  • Operating System: macOS 10.13 or later
  • Memory Requirements: Minimum 8GB, 16GB or more recommended (32GB suggested for long documents)
  • Graphics Requirements: Metal-supported graphics card
  • Disk Space: At least 3.5GB of available space, SSD recommended
  • Display: 1280×800 resolution or higher, 1920×1080 or higher recommended

Preferences Optimization Settings (Key Steps)

  1. General Settings (InDesign > Preferences > General)
    • Page Numbering: Absolute numbering or section numbering
    • Font Preview Size: Medium or Large (for easier font selection)
    • Tool Tips: Normal or Fast (depending on proficiency level)
    • Reset Windows to Floating When Zooming: Choose according to preference
  2. Interface Settings (Preferences > Interface)
    • Color Theme: Dark, Medium Dark, Medium Light, Light
    • Cursor and Gestures: Gesture support settings
    • Panels: Floating tool panels, auto-collapse icon panels
  • Screen Mode: Normal, Preview, Bleed, Slug
  • Type Settings (Preferences > Type)
    • Use Typographer’s Quotes: Checked (professional typesetting)
    • Automatically Use Correct Optical Size: Checked
    • Triple Click to Select a Line: Choose according to preference
    • Font Preview Size: Large (for easy browsing)
    • Input Method Options: Asian language support settings
  • Advanced Type Settings (Preferences > Advanced Type)
    • Character Input: Direct input of non-Latin text
    • Missing Glyph Protection: Checked
    • Default Writing Direction: Set according to document language
    • Punctuation Squeeze Settings: Important settings for Chinese typesetting
  • Units & Increments (Preferences > Units & Increments)
    • Ruler Units: Horizontal/Vertical unit settings (millimeters, points, etc.)
    • Other Units: Units for text size, strokes, etc.
    • Keyboard Increment: Cursor key movement distance (0.5–1mm)
    • Size/Leading: Units used (points or millimeters)
  • Grid Settings (Preferences > Grids)
    • Baseline Grid: Start position, interval, color
    • Document Grid: Horizontal/Vertical interval, color
    • Grids in Back: Checked to avoid interfering with design
  • Guides & Pasteboard (Preferences > Guides & Pasteboard)
    • Guide Colors: Colors for margins, columns, and ruler guides
    • Guides in Back: Checked
    • Pasteboard Options: Distance the pasteboard extends beyond the page
  • Character Grid Settings (Preferences > Character Grid)
    • Grid Cells: Cell shape and color
    • Grid Settings: Alignment, View Threshold
  • Punctuation Squeeze Settings (Preferences > Punctuation Squeeze)
    • Detailed Settings: Key settings for Chinese typesetting
    • Apply Rules: Punctuation squeeze sets in paragraph styles
    • New Set: Custom punctuation squeeze rules
  • Auto-Correct Settings (Preferences > Auto-Correct)
    • Enable Auto-Correct: Check the box
    • Language: Select document language
    • Add/Edit Entries: Custom correction rules
  • Track Changes Settings (Preferences > Track Changes)
    • Added/Deleted Text Color: Customize track changes markup colors
    • Moved Text Color: Color for moved text markup
  • File Handling Settings (Preferences > File Handling)
    • Document Recovery Data: Auto-recovery interval (5-10 minutes recommended)
    • Snippet Import: Location or drag-and-drop location
    • Links: Check modified links before opening documents
  • Clipboard Handling (Preferences > Clipboard Handling)
    • Copy PDF to Clipboard: Interact with external applications
    • Prefer PDF When Pasting: Preserve formatting
    • When Pasting Text from Other Applications: All Information or Text Only

    • III. In-Depth Analysis of Workspace and Interface

    Core Workspace Layout

    1. Menu Bar: Main function entries such as File, Edit, Layout, Type, Object, etc.
    2. Control Panel: Context-sensitive option settings (the most important workspace)
    3. Toolbar: Collection of tools such as Selection, Type, Drawing, etc.
    4. Panel Area: Floating panels such as Pages, Layers, Links, Swatches, Paragraph Styles, etc.
    5. Document Window: Main page editing area, including the pasteboard
  • Status Bar: Page navigation, zoom controls, and status information

    • Workspace Presets and Customization

    1. Preset Workspaces
      • Essentials: Default layout
      • Book: Panels related to books and long documents
      • Digital Publishing: Interactive features and media panels
      • Printing and Proofing: Panels related to print output
      • Typography: Panels related to text and paragraphs
      • Interactive: Interactive PDF and digital publishing panels
    2. Custom Workspaces
      • Window > Workspace > New Workspace
      • Customize panel layout and size
      • Save personal workspace configurations
      • Reset Workspace: Restore default settings
    3. Panel Management Tips
      • Show/Hide Panels: Press Tab to hide all panels, Shift+Tab to hide side panels
      • Collapse Panels: Double-click a panel tab to collapse/expand
      • Panel Groups: Drag panel tabs to create custom groups
      • Dock Panels: Drag to an edge to dock automatically

    In-Depth Control Panel Usage

    1. Control Panel Position: Top or bottom (Window > Control)
    2. Context-Sensitive: Displays different options based on the selected object
    3. Quick Access: Access commonly used features without opening the full panel
    4. Control Panel Contents:
      • When Selection Tool is active: Position, size, rotation, etc.
      • When Type Tool is active: Font, size, alignment, etc.
      • When Frame Tool is active: Fill, stroke, corner options, etc.

    Document View Modes

    1. Normal Mode: Displays all guides, grids, and frame edges
  • Preview Mode (W): Hides all non-printing elements to view the final result
  • Bleed Mode: Displays the bleed area
  • Slug Mode: Displays the slug area
  • Presentation Mode (Shift+W): Full-screen presentation with the interface hidden

    • IV. Document Management and Page System

    New Document Strategy

    1. Document Preset Selection
      • Print: Standard print dimensions and settings
      • Web: Optimized for web and screen design
      • Mobile: Dimensions for iPad, iPhone, and other devices
      • Digital Publishing: Interactive PDF and EPUB settings
    2. Key Parameter Settings
      • Number of Pages: Initial page count (can be added at any time)
      • Facing Pages: Check for books, magazines, etc.
      • Start Page Number: Usually 1, but can be set otherwise
      • Page Size: Preset dimensions or custom
      • Page Orientation: Portrait or landscape
      • Bleed: Print bleed settings (typically 3mm)
      • Slug: Area for crop marks and other information
    3. Layout Grid Settings (Advanced)
      • Grid based on type area: Traditional typographic grid
      • Grid based on guides: Flexible guide grid
      • Rows and Columns: Set the number of rows and columns
      • Margins and Columns: Page margins and gutter spacing

    In-Depth Use of the Pages Panel (F12)

    1. Page Navigation
      • Double-click a page thumbnail to jump to it
      • Drag and drop pages to reorder them
      • Visual navigation for creating multi-page documents
    2. Page Operations
      • Add page: Click the New Page button
      • Delete page: Select a page and delete it
      • Move page: Drag to a new position
      • Duplicate page: Option+drag
    3. Master Pages System (Core Feature)
      • Create master: Unify page elements (header, footer, page numbers, etc.)
      • Apply master: Apply a master to document pages
      • Override master items: Modify master elements on document pages
      • Detach master items: Completely break the connection to the master
    4. Sections and Page Numbers
      • Define section: Set the section start page number and style
      • Page numbering: Absolute page numbers, section page numbers, etc.
      • Section prefix: Section identifier
      • Section marker: Automatically updated section marker

    Page Tools and Operations

    1. Page Tool (Shift+P)
      • Resize page: Non-destructive page resizing
      • Move page content: Maintain the relative position of content
      • Resize multiple pages at once: Batch modify page sizes
    2. Page Transitions
      • Apply to document: Unify page transition effects
      • Apply to spreads: Spread transition effects
      • Page transition types: Dissolve, Push, Cover, etc.
    3. Alternate Layouts
      • Create layout variants of different sizes
      • Keep content linked and adjust automatically
      • Suitable for multi-size output requirements

    Guide System

    1. Ruler Guides
      • Drag from the rulers to create guides
      • Precise positioning: double-click a guide to enter a value
      • Lock guides: View > Grids & Guides > Lock Guides
    2. Margin and Column Guides
      • Layout > Margins and Columns: set margins and column count
      • Automatically create a guide system
      • Update all at once when modified
    3. Smart Guides
      • View > Grids & Guides > Smart Guides
      • Align objects, spacing, centers, and more
      • Temporary guides: displayed when objects are aligned
    4. Baseline Grid
      • View > Grids & Guides > Show Baseline Grid
      • Uniform alignment of text line spacing
      • Set baseline grid parameters in Preferences > Grids

    V. Core Text Processing and Typesetting

    Type Tool Types

    1. Type Tool (T)
      • Create a text frame: drag to draw a frame
      • Point text: click to create a text insertion point
      • Area text: enter text within a frame
    2. Vertical Type Tool
      • Vertical text arrangement
      • Vertical text for Chinese, Japanese, and more
      • Create a vertical text frame
    3. Type on a Path Tool
      • Arrange text along a path
      • Create curved text effects
      • Adjust the position of text along a path
    4. Text Frame Grid Tool
      • Create grid-based text frames
      • Automatically align to the character grid
      • A dedicated tool for Chinese typesetting

    Advanced Text Frame Applications

    1. Text Frame Properties
      • Columns: column settings within the frame
      • Inset: the distance between text and the frame edges
      • Vertical alignment: top, center, bottom, justify
      • First baseline offset: controls the position of the first line of text
    2. Text Frame Options (Command+B)
      • Columns: number of columns, gutter, width
      • Inset: top, bottom, left, and right insets
      • Vertical alignment: alignment method
      • Ignore text wrap: text within the frame is unaffected by text wrap
    3. Text Threading
      • Create links between text frames
      • Text automatically flows from one frame to another
      • Suitable for laying out long documents
      • Show Text Threads: View > Show Text Threads
    4. Text Wrap
      • Window > Text Wrap (Command+Option+W)
      • Wrap around: bounding box, object shape, top and bottom, etc.
      • Wrap options: offset distance, wrap to left/right side, etc.

    Character Formatting Controls

    1. Character Panel (Command+T)
      • Font selection: font family and style
      • Font size: points, pixels, millimeters
      • Leading: vertical distance between lines
      • Tracking: overall spacing adjustment between characters
      • Kerning: spacing adjustment between specific character pairs
      • Vertical scaling/Horizontal scaling: text distortion
      • Baseline shift: vertical position adjustment of text
      • Skew: text skew angle
      • Language: spell check and hyphenation rules
    2. OpenType features
      • Character panel menu > OpenType
      • Ligatures: automatically connect specific character combinations
      • Alternates: decorative or functional substitutions
      • Swash: decorative capital letters
      • Figure styles: oldstyle, tabular, monospaced figures
      • Fractions: automatic fraction formatting
      • Ordinals: automatic ordinal formatting
    3. Visual font browsing (enhanced in 2020 version)
      • Intuitive preview of font styles in the font menu
      • Font filtering: by category, weight, width, etc.
      • Favorite fonts: mark frequently used fonts
      • Adobe Fonts integration: activate and use directly

    Paragraph formatting controls

    1. Paragraph panel (Command+Option+T)
      • Alignment: align left, align center, align right, justify, force justify
      • Indents: left indent, right indent, first-line indent, last-line indent
      • Paragraph spacing: space before paragraph, space after paragraph
      • Drop cap: number of lines and characters
      • Kinsoku settings: Chinese typesetting rules
      • Punctuation Compression: Control punctuation spacing
    2. Paragraph Styles (Core Feature)
      • Create unified paragraph format presets
      • Quickly apply and update styles
      • Maintain document layout consistency
      • Create child styles based on other styles
    3. Character Styles
      • Create specific character format presets
      • Apply to part of the text rather than the entire paragraph
      • Suitable for emphasized text and special formatting
      • Use nested within paragraph styles

    Advanced Typesetting Features

    1. Bullets and Numbering
      • Automatic bulleted lists
      • Multi-level numbering system
      • Custom bullet characters
      • Numbering formats and styles
    2. Table of Contents Generation
      • Automatically generate a table of contents based on paragraph styles
      • Set table of contents levels and formats
      • Update the table of contents to keep it in sync
      • Create multi-document tables of contents for books
    3. Index Creation
      • Mark index entries
      • Generate an index
      • Set index format and sorting
      • Update the index to keep it in sync
    4. Footnotes and Endnotes
      • Insert footnotes or endnotes
      • Set numbering format and style
      • Footnote separators and continuations
      • Cross-document footnote management
    5. Conditional Text
      • Create text variants
      • Show/hide conditional text
      • Include/exclude conditions on export
      • Ideal for multi-version documents

    VI. Graphics, Images, and Table Handling

    Graphic Frames and Image Placement

    1. Graphic Frame Tools
      • Rectangle Frame Tool (F)
      • Ellipse Frame Tool
      • Polygon Frame Tool
      • Create placeholder frames
    2. Image Placement
      • File > Place (Command+D)
      • Select multiple files for batch placement
      • Link or embed options
      • Show Import Options: control import settings
    3. Links Panel (Shift+Command+D)
      • Manage all placed files
      • Update modified links
      • Relink missing files
      • Embed linked files into the document
    4. Image Adjustment
      • Position Tool (Shift+A) to adjust images within frames
      • Direct Selection Tool (A) to adjust the image itself
      • Control panel adjustments: position, size, rotation, etc.
      • Effects panel: transparency, drop shadow, etc.

    Drawing Tools and Path Editing

    1. Basic Drawing Tools
      • Pen Tool (P): Create precise paths
      • Pencil Tool (N): Freehand drawing paths
      • Line Segment Tool (): Draw straight lines
      • Rectangle Tool (M), Ellipse Tool (L), Polygon Tool
    2. Path Editing
      • Add Anchor Point Tool (+)
      • Delete Anchor Point Tool (-)
      • Convert Direction Point Tool (Shift+C)
      • Scissors Tool (C): Split paths
    3. Pathfinder (Window > Object & Layout > Pathfinder)
      • Unite: Merge shapes
      • Minus Front: Cut the bottom layer with the top shape
      • Intersect: Keep overlapping areas
      • Exclude: Keep non-overlapping areas
      • Minus Back: Cut the top layer with the bottom shape

    Table Creation and Editing

    1. Table Creation
      • Insert a table using the Type tool
      • Convert existing text to a table
      • Paste a table from Excel or Word
    2. Table Settings
      • Number of rows and columns
      • Header row and footer row
      • Apply table styles
    3. Table Editing
      • Select cells, rows, and columns
      • Insert/delete rows and columns
      • Merge/Split Cells
      • Adjust Row Height and Column Width
    4. Table Styles (Enhanced in 2020)
      • Create unified table format presets
      • Cell styles: Control cell formatting
      • Table styles: Control overall table formatting
      • Alternating row/column styles: Zebra striping effect
    5. Table Data
      • Import data: From CSV or text files
      • Export data: To CSV or text files
      • Sort data: Sort by column
      • Calculation formulas: Simple calculation features

    Effects and Transparency

    1. Effects Panel (Command+Shift+F10)
      • Opacity: Overall opacity
      • Blend modes: Multiply, Overlay, etc.
      • Drop shadow: Add drop shadow effect
      • Inner shadow: Inner shadow effect
      • Outer glow/Inner glow: Glow effect
      • Bevel and emboss: 3D effect
      • Satin: Surface satin effect
      • Basic feather/Directional feather/Gradient feather: Edge softening
    2. Applying Object Effects
      • Apply to object: Effect on entire object
      • Apply to stroke: Stroke-only effect
      • Apply to fill: Fill-only effect
      • Apply to text: Text effect
    3. Effect Management
      • Effect stack: Multiple effects layered
      • Effect order: Adjust the order in which effects are applied
      • Copy effects: Copy effects to other objects
      • Clear effects: Remove all effects

    VII. Style System and Application

    Paragraph Style System (Core Feature)

    1. Paragraph Styles Panel (F11)
      • Create new style: Create based on selected text or from scratch
      • Style hierarchy: Create child styles based on other styles
      • Style overrides: Manually format overrides on styles
      • Clear overrides: Restore style-defined formatting
    2. Paragraph Style Options
      • Basic character formats: Font, size, leading, etc.
      • Indents and spacing: Paragraph indents and spacing
      • Tabs: Tab stop settings
      • Paragraph rules: Rule above and rule below
      • Keep options: Paragraph pagination control
      • Hyphenation: Hyphenation settings
      • Kerning: Character spacing adjustment
      • Drop caps: Drop cap settings for the first character
      • Bullets and numbering: List formatting
      • Character color: Text color
      • OpenType features: Advanced font features
      • Underline options: Custom underlines
      • Strikethrough options: Custom strikethroughs
      • Ruby: Chinese pinyin annotation
      • Emphasis marks: Emphasis markers
      • Punctuation compression: Key setting for Chinese typesetting
      • Grid settings: Align to baseline grid
      • Paragraph borders and shading: Paragraph background
      • Anchored objects: Inline image settings
      • First baseline: First-line position control
  • Automatic inline horizontal typesetting: Chinese typesetting feature
  • No break: prevent line breaks in specific text
  • Nested styles: automatic application of character styles
  • GREP styles: styles based on regular expressions
  • Next style: the next style to be applied automatically
  • Nested styles
  • GREP styles

    • Character style system

    1. Character Styles panel (Shift+F11)
    2. Character style options

    Object style system

    1. Object Styles panel (Command+F7)
    2. Object Style Options
    3. Style Group Management

    Table Style System

    1. Table Styles Panel
    2. Table Style Options
    3. Cell Style Options

    Style Mapping and Import

    1. Style Import
    2. Style Mapping
    3. Style Synchronization (Book feature)

    VIII. Colors, Swatches, and Gradients

    Color System

    1. Color Modes
    2. Color Panel (F6)
    3. Color Picker

    Swatches System (Core Feature)

    1. Swatches Panel (F5)
    2. Swatch Types
    3. Creating Swatches
    4. Editing Swatches
    5. Swatch Libraries

    Gradient System

    1. Gradient Panel (Command+F9)
    2. Gradient Tool (G)
    3. Creating Gradients
    4. Editing Gradients

    Color Management

    1. Color Settings (Command+Shift+K)
    2. Proof Colors (Command+Y)
    3. Separations Preview (Shift+F6)
    4. Overprint Preview (Option+Shift+Command+Y)

    IX. Interactive Features and Digital Publishing

    Creating Interactive PDFs

    1. Buttons and Forms
    2. Hyperlinks
    3. Bookmarks
    4. Page Transitions
    5. Multimedia content

    EPUB and digital publishing

    1. EPUB export settings
    2. Reflowable EPUB
    3. Fixed-layout EPUB
    4. Articles panel
    5. Alt text

    Animation and Timing

    1. Animation Panel (Shift+F5)
    2. Timing Panel
    3. States Panel

    Media Panel

    1. Adding Media
    2. Media Controls
    3. Supported Media Formats

    X. Output and Export Strategies

    Preparing for Print Output

    1. Print Presets
    2. Print Settings
    3. Bleed Settings
    4. Slug Area
    5. Separations Output

    PDF Export Settings

    1. PDF Presets
    2. PDF Options
    3. PDF Interactive Features
    4. PDF Optimization

    Digital Publishing Export

    1. EPUB Export
    2. HTML Export
    3. IDML Export

    Packaging Features

    1. Package Files (Command+Option+Shift+P)
    2. Package Settings
    3. Preflight Features

    XI. Automation and Scripting

    Actions System

    1. Actions Panel
    2. Creating Actions
    3. Action editing
    4. Action playback

    Script application

    1. Script types
    2. Running scripts
    3. Common scripts
    4. Script writing basics

    Data Merge

    1. Data Source Preparation
    2. Target Document Setup
    3. Executing Data Merge
    4. Data Merge Applications

    Book Features

    1. Book Panel
    2. Style Synchronization
    3. Page Numbering
    4. Book output

    12. Workflows and Best Practices

    File Organization Strategies

    1. Layer naming conventions
    2. Page and master page management
    3. Resource management

    Building a Style System

    1. Style planning
    2. Style application
    3. Style maintenance

    Print Preparation Workflow

    1. Preflight Checks
    2. File Organization
    3. Output Settings

    Collaboration Workflow

    1. Cloud Document Collaboration
    2. File Sharing
    3. Team Standards

    Performance Optimization

    1. Document Optimization
    2. Memory Management
    3. Work Habits

    XIII. Learning Path and Resources

    Systematic Learning Path

    1. Foundation Stage (1-2 weeks)
    2. Intermediate Stage (1-2 months)
    3. Professional Stage (3-6 months)

    Suggested Practice Projects

    1. Brochure Design Project
    2. Book Layout Project
    3. Magazine Design Project
    4. Interactive PDF Project

    Source: Love Mac  |  Software download link: Adobe InDesign 2020 for Mac

    Source: Love Mac  |  Original article link: 16631

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    Table of contents

    • I. Software Positioning and Version Features
    • Core Version Features (2020 Update)
    • II. Installation and System Configuration Optimization
    • System Requirements and Installation Preparation
    • Preferences Optimization Settings (Key Steps)
    • III. In-Depth Analysis of Workspace and Interface
    • Core Workspace Layout
    • Workspace Presets and Customization
    • In-Depth Control Panel Usage
    • Document View Modes
    • IV. Document Management and Page System
    • New Document Strategy
    • In-Depth Use of the Pages Panel (F12)
    • Page Tools and Operations
    • Guide System
    • V. Core Text Processing and Typesetting
    • Type Tool Types
    • Advanced Text Frame Applications
    • Character Formatting Controls
    • Paragraph formatting controls
    • Advanced Typesetting Features
    • VI. Graphics, Images, and Table Handling
    • Graphic Frames and Image Placement
    • Drawing Tools and Path Editing
    • Table Creation and Editing
    • Effects and Transparency
    • VII. Style System and Application
    • Paragraph Style System (Core Feature)
    • Character style system
    • Object style system
    • Table Style System
    • Style Mapping and Import
    • VIII. Colors, Swatches, and Gradients
    • Color System
    • Swatches System (Core Feature)
    • Gradient System
    • Color Management
    • IX. Interactive Features and Digital Publishing
    • Creating Interactive PDFs
    • EPUB and digital publishing
    • Animation and Timing
    • Media Panel
    • X. Output and Export Strategies
    • Preparing for Print Output
    • PDF Export Settings
    • Digital Publishing Export
    • Packaging Features
    • XI. Automation and Scripting
    • Actions System
    • Script application
    • Data Merge
    • Book Features
    • 12. Workflows and Best Practices
    • File Organization Strategies
    • Building a Style System
    • Print Preparation Workflow
    • Collaboration Workflow
    • Performance Optimization
    • XIII. Learning Path and Resources
    • Systematic Learning Path
    • Suggested Practice Projects
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