Adobe InDesign Classroom in a Book [Paperback]

Adobe Creative Team (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0201658933 | ISBN-13: 978-0201658934 | Publication Date: September 20, 1999

Adobe InDesign 1.0 is a powerful new professional page-layout application with a palette-based interface, close integration with Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, and full support for PDF files. Learning a program as feature-filled as InDesign requires a skilled teacher. And who better than the Adobe Creative Team? Adobe InDesign Classroom in a Book teaches InDesign in short, self-paced lessons that use the exciting new techniques and tools found in the program, all designed and tested by the training experts at Adobe. Thanks to the Classroom in a Book series' popular lesson-based format, you'll quickly learn what you need to put InDesign to work for you. If you're new to page layout, you can start with introductory lessons that familiarize you with the interface, tools, views, and frames of the InDesign environment. If you're a more experienced designer who's making the switch from QuarkXPress or Adobe PageMaker, you can go straight to the topics that interest you. The accompanying CD-ROM includes files customized for each lesson, which adds rich, visual content to the package.)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Adobe InDesign Classroom in a Book has all the benefits of both a manual and a tutorial. Since it was written by the Adobe staff, its voice lacks the personal "avoid-the-mistakes-I've-made" tone of an individual. Instead, what comes through is the confident authority common to books written by an application's creators.

InDesign is Adobe's powerful layout application that it hopes will be used in place of current industry favorite Quark Express. One of the main selling points of InDesign is its commonality and integration with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.

The book begins with a Quick Tour, which is actually a lesson in itself since it covers many of the basic text, page, and image-handling features of InDesign. Each subsequent lesson goes deeper into these topics. The files for each lesson are provided on the cross-platform CD-ROM. The lessons range from working with text and typography to working with graphics, using advanced frame techniques (frames hold text or images), and prepress document preparation. There is a color section with illustrations that clarify many steps, especially those that use color, and show the finished projects.

Each lesson begins with an overview of what's covered and ends with review questions. Don't worry: answers are provided on the same page. Reading the overviews and review questions first is a good way to decide whether that chapter can be skipped or should be read in depth. This makes Adobe InDesign CIB useful for both beginners and intermediates. For example, it is easy to jump ahead to the fairly advanced section on filling one block of text with a different block of text to which a gradient has been applied. The fact that executing this involved graphic becomes a simple process is a credit both to the InDesign application as well as to this book.

It should be noted that Adobe InDesign CIB does not come with a demonstration copy of the application, nor is a demo available on the Adobe Web site. Interestingly, you can follow along without actually using the application at the same time. However, the book is clearly meant for those who have already purchased InDesign and are convinced it will be the Quark killer the design world has been hearing about for months. --Angelynn Grant

Topics covered: Features of Adobe InDesign, including lessons on the work area and interface; creating and setting up a document; working with frames; applying color; importing and editing text; working with typography; placing and drawing images; color management issues; and preparing a document for high-resolution printing.

From the Back Cover

Adobe InDesign 1.0 is a powerful new professional page-layout application with a palette-based interface, close integration with Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, and full support for PDF files. Learning a program as feature-filled as InDesign requires a skilled teacher. And who better than the Adobe Creative Team? Adobe InDesign Classroom in a Book teaches InDesign in short, self-paced lessons that use the exciting new techniques and tools found in the program, all designed and tested by the training experts at Adobe. Thanks to the Classroom in a Book series' popular lesson-based format, you'll quickly learn what you need to put InDesign to work for you. If you're new to page layout, you can start with introductory lessons that familiarize you with the interface, tools, views, and frames of the InDesign environment. If you're a more experienced designer who's making the switch from QuarkXPress or Adobe PageMaker, you can go straight to the topics that interest you. The accompanying CD-ROM includes files customized for each lesson, which adds rich, visual content to the package.)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 456 pages
• Publisher: Adobe Press (September 20, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201658933
• ISBN-13: 978-0201658934
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,528,054 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #82 in Books > Computers & Technology > Graphic Design > Adobe InDesign

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

96 of 99 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The worst of the Classroom in a Book Series I've used, December 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Adobe InDesign Classroom in a Book (Paperback)

I speak as a frequent purchaser of Adobe products and books in the AdobePress Classroom in a Book Series; also as an experienced user of PCs, prepress designer, and Desktop Publishing software user and consultant. This CIB is definitely not among AdobePress' best; in fact it is technically poor. The book's index is virtually useless since the page number references are wrong. A book of this nature is generally used as a reference once lessons are completed; but with a faulty index, this one will quickly end up in the trash bin. The lessons are moderately useful, though a number of exercises do not perform as described. Unfortunately, Adobe's website Feedback Page provides no avenue of 'feedback' relative to their AdobePress products (in fact, the site is misnamed, as it only provides resources for tech support, and no avenue for feedback to Adobe at all). Though I recommend other books in the CIB series (like the one's for Pagemaker, Acrobat, After Effects and Premiere) I do not recommend this one.

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your money, February 22, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Adobe InDesign Classroom in a Book (Paperback)

At over thirty dollars, I expected more from this book. Like a better index. Some organization. And honesty about what the problem can and can't do.

This book is little more than a sales demo of what the product can do. However, even then they haven't done a very good job.

I suppose this book would be OK if I were taking a class and had a teacher there. But on its own there's not enough explanation of why you want to do things.

The visual quickstart book is half the price, but contains much better instructions, is laid out better, and has a good index.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book in progress, August 4, 2001

By 

Lawrence Miller (Pineville, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Adobe InDesign 1.5 Classroom in a Book (Paperback)

Got the book a few days ago and have only, so far, perused it carefully.

Looks like If you want to really teach yourself this program, step by step

If you want to really gain a feeling of solidity that you know the program

This is the book. Seems to cover everything. Chapters on typography (crucial to my design work), on Bézier curves, on color management, seem especially stimulating. And you need not go in sequence, they say, though I prefer to.

Type is big so no page feels overwhelming. Images are clear. Words are easy to grasp.

Two caveats / quibbles:

(1) The index sucks. I looked up simple words and ideas and did not find them. [Shame on you, Adobe.] (2) Do not throw out the original manual that comes when you buy the application, which provides a depth of details beyond the scope of this book. I do wish this book provided page number referrrals to that manual .