Adobe InDesign Course: Level 1
Adobe InDesign. Page design, layout, and publishing.
COVID-19 update: arrangement of our courses
We are now delivering courses both online and in-person. Please check the delivery format for each class before you enrol.
Please note that course materials for all classes (excluding prescribed textbooks) are shared electronically within 48 hours of a course starting. Printing is not available.
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This two-day Adobe InDesign introductory training course will have you designing a variety of layouts for both print and digital publishing. You will be guided step-by-step through the basics of the software, in order to create your own print and digital material.
Outcomes
By the end of this course, you should be able to:
- discuss how the application can be used and start working with it
- set up and create a new document
- work with and modify elements of a workspace
- use basic navigation
- work with pages
- work with layers
- understand colour and how to use it
- work with graphics
- work with text
- ensure documents are ready to print
- use the Help menu and access online help resources.
Content
Starting with Adobe InDesign
- Understanding the application
- Starting the application
- The welcome experience
- The workspace
- Understanding workspaces
- Opening an existing document
- Closing a document
- Exiting
Setting up a document
- Understanding document presets
- Adjusting the units of measure
- Creating a document preset
- Creating a new document
- Using new document preview
- Saving a new document
Working with a workspace
- The tools panel
- Using selection tools
- Displaying and hiding rulers
- Working with workspaces
- Creating a custom workspace
- Understanding panels
- Displaying and hiding panels
- Floating and docking panels
- Working with the status bar
Navigating
- Understanding screen views
- Changing screen views
- Using the hand and zoom tools
- Using shortcut menus
- Using keyboard shortcuts
- Working with tabbed documents
- Arranging multiple documents
Working with pages
- Inserting pages
- Navigating pages
- Understanding master pages
- Creating master pages
- Creating ruler guides
- Locking, unlocking and clearing guides
- Viewing and hiding the grid
- Adjusting column guides
- Setting document bleed and slug
- Inserting auto page numbering
- Applying a master page
- Deleting pages
Layers
- Understanding layers
- Creating a new layer
- Naming layers and assigning colours
- Assigning objects to layers
- Reordering layers
- Hiding and viewing layers
Working with colour
- Understanding colour
- Stroke and fill
- Understanding the colour panel
- Applying a fill colour
- Applying a stroke colour
- Selecting colours using the eyedropper
- Selecting colours using the swatches panel
- Adding colours to the swatches panel
- Creating a gradient
- Creating a colour group
- Creating a colour theme
- Removing colour
Frames and shapes
- Understanding frames
- Creating frames and shapes
- Transforming shapes
- Merging shapes using pathfinder
- Duplicating objects
- Arranging objects
- Aligning and distributing objects
- Grouping objects
- Creating an outline
- Placing graphics in an outline
Working with graphics
- Understanding graphic file formats
- Placing graphics in a document
- Positioning graphics within a frame
- Fitting graphics
- Understanding linked graphics
- Navigating the links panel
- Linking and embedding files
- Placing inline graphics
- Creating a clipping path
- Applying text wrap
- Creating a caption
- Changing display performance
Working with text
- Understanding text
- Applying type style
- Changing font size and leading
- Changing the vertical text alignment
- Threading text frames
- Importing text from Microsoft Word
- Adjusting kerning
- Adjusting tracking
- Editing text in place
- Editing text with the story editor
Preparing for printing
- Running preflight check
- Printing a document
- Defining a print preset
- Understanding ink handling terms
- Creating a postscript file
- Exporting to PDF
- Soft proofing
- Packaging a document
Getting help
- Understanding the help menu
- Using help
- Searching for online help
Intended audience
Suitable for anyone wanting to learn the basics of graphic production to create layouts for print media.
Prerequisites
This introductory course assumes little or no knowledge of the software.
Delivery style
Delivery options:
- Presenter-taught computer-based training in a computer lab on University premises. You will have dedicated access to a computer so you can follow the instructor and work through in-class activities.
- Online training via the platform Zoom.
Materials
You will be provided with a link to access and download your own personalised eBook prior to class.
Additional information
Face-to-face classes
These classes run in a computer lab and you do not need to bring your own device.
Please bring a USB flash drive to class if you would like to make a copy of your work or any relevant class materials. Alternatively, you can save these to a cloud storage space or email them to your personal email address.
Online classes
If you are attending an online class, you will need your own device.
Recommended operating system: Windows or Mac
Recommended software for PC: Adobe InDesign CC (any version from 2015 onwards)
Recommended software for Mac OS: Adobe InDesign CC (any version from 2015 onwards)
Recommended browser: n/a
Features
- $50 repeat class - Conditions apply
- Expert trainer
- Small class size
- CCE Statement of Completion
What others say.
A very patient and knowledgeable facilitator. Snippets of professional advice for implementing the software in the most seamless manner were invaluable.
Really enjoyed this course, and having it spread out over two weeks proved helpful in that you don’t have to be offline at a training course for two consecutive days.
I have been to several CCE courses and I have to say that this was my favourite. I really enjoyed the teaching style/methods and the mixture of theory and practical. Because it is a design course, we did a lot of practical work and the examples/projects given were relevant to everyone. The tutor was very attentive to individuals who needed support/help.
Great to do software training in a class where the (excellent) tutor gave attention to problems and questions.
Thank you so much to the tutor for the most enjoyable way to learn Adobe InDesign. From the easy to follow instructions and creative hands on design challenges, you kept us engaged and wanting to learn more. I would highly recommend this course to the true beginners and those wanting to refresh their skills – you’ll definitely walk away feeling well prepared to start creating design projects the next day.
Our tutor was brilliant. Real experience and very patient, kind, engaging. Brilliant.
This was the best training course I’ve ever attended. I needed InDesign skills to be able to create newsletters and I left feeling as though I had not only learnt those basic skills but so much more.
The tutor was calm, patient, knowledgeable and very easy to understand. Made what I thought was going to be a difficult course, really enjoyable. I learnt a lot.
A great teacher who took the time to ensure everyone was on the same page. Great teaching skills! I had a really good time and felt like I learnt more in 2 days than most people do in weeks.
Great course, just the right pace; not too slow and with room for specific questions. Teacher was very knowledgeable, friendly, patient and intuitive. I now feel comfortable using the InDesign program in a professional environment.
Great course, the tutor was very thorough and the class moved at a good pace. Excellent facilities and value.
Overall fantastic. A lot to get through in a couple of days but the tutor kept it flowing and I feel much more confident using the program now. I would recommend this course to others.
I found it extremely beneficial and as a result, have enrolled into further courses and recommended your courses my colleagues.
The tutor did a great job training the group on InDesign and the manual is very comprehensive. We had a friendly and professional instructor.
It was one of the best courses I’ve done – the tutor was brilliant, she explained everything in an easy, way to understand regardless of what level you were at. The notes are great, easy to follow and the venue and facilities were really good. I cant wait to do another course!
This course is amazing! The tutor is an extremely knowledgeable facilitator and I came away from this course confident in my abilities to use Adobe InDesign.
An excellent presenter who was informative an entertaining making learning and understanding easy.
I enjoyed the course. The tutor was very patient and thorough, and I went away feeling that I had enough of an understanding of the key functions of InDesign to make good use of the program in my work.
A great facilitator who comes with many years of experience and was able to help us with their technical knowledge.
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...| When | Time | Where | Session Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 14 Oct 2020 | 9:30am - 4:30pm (UTC+11:00) | Online via Zoom - Online via Zoom | |
| Wed 21 Oct 2020 | 9:30am - 4:30pm (UTC+11:00) | Online via Zoom - Online via Zoom |
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| Sun 18 Oct 2020 | 9:30am - 4:30pm (UTC+11:00) | Online via Zoom - Online via Zoom | |
| Sun 25 Oct 2020 | 9:30am - 4:30pm (UTC+11:00) | Online via Zoom - Online via Zoom |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 11 Nov 2020 | 9:30am - 4:30pm (UTC+11:00) | Face-to-face (Venue TBA) - Face-to-face (Venue TBA) | |
| Wed 18 Nov 2020 | 9:30am - 4:30pm (UTC+11:00) | Face-to-face (Venue TBA) - Face-to-face (Venue TBA) |
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...| When | Time | Where | Session Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 08 Dec 2020 | 9:30am - 4:30pm (UTC+11:00) | Face-to-face (Venue TBA) - Face-to-face (Venue TBA) | |
| Tue 15 Dec 2020 | 9:30am - 4:30pm (UTC+11:00) | Face-to-face (Venue TBA) - Face-to-face (Venue TBA) |
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...| When | Time | Where | Session Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 21 Sep 2020 | 9:30am - 4:30pm (UTC+10:00) | Room 300 - Centre for Continuing Education | |
| Mon 28 Sep 2020 | 9:30am - 4:30pm (UTC+10:00) | Room 300 - Centre for Continuing Education |
If there isn't a class to suit you, please join the waiting list.
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What others say.
- The tutor did a great job training the group on InDesign and the manual is very comprehensive. We had a friendly and professional instructor.
- Great course, just the right pace; not too slow and with room for specific questions. Teacher was very knowledgeable, friendly, patient and intuitive. I now feel comfortable using the InDesign program in a professional environment.
- This course is amazing! The tutor is an extremely knowledgeable facilitator and I came away from this course confident in my abilities to use Adobe InDesign.
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