InDesign and PlugIns

Hiya!

So I use a PC all the time, Mac's confused the heck outta me so this will be kinda skewed because I'm currently using a Mac that has InDesign on it, because my trial expired before I thought to do this. So while I'll have photos up so you can somewhat see where I'm coming from I'll mention what I find that is different on a PC!

Cool?

This post came out of the idea that someone else may want to know how to do all of the layout and stuff that I did with the novella. So here we go, J this is for you!

InDesign

So InDesign is pat of Adobe suite, CC, what ever it's called. And I fist leaned to use it of university for laying out page spreads of print material. It took me a while to grasp it (I'm not really a computer person) so when it came to the assignment I actually read the InDesign for Dummies book. My teacher at the time, not so good. 

But I went along with the flow and after a while I found my self knowing what to do and how and where. The entire suite is actually really helpful (except Dreamweaver, that's the Devil).

Show and Tell

Okay! On every computer and OS it will be different to find this program. For me at home I go to the start menu and there it is, in between PowerPoint and Movie maker. But here on the Mac it's in finder surrounded by all it's Adobe friends. 

So opening it is simple and you come to a blank scene so going to "new" you can decide what you want to do from "document", "book" and "Library". Not sure what Library is but I'm sure I have just had no need for it. So I usually start with document. It's the only one I've used personally and I'm sure that for what I've need to do on InDesign it has been okay to use it.

This is what InDesign looks like. The top gives you the specs for the layout and format of your document. The side gives you all the tools that can enhance what you've created. 

The best way to learn this in my opinion is just to go for it and try it out because reading the Dummies Guide wasn't as helpful as just playing around on a separate page to my project and when I figure out what I wanted to do I just repeated my steps on my project. 

Good thing is that InDesign like word and such has a button so that if you stuff up, not all is lost. You can just hit the edit button up the top and there is undo. I'm sure there is a keyboard shortcut but I can't remember it just now! 

Fabulous aren't I?

Blurb PlugIn

So when I did the layout for Murder at O'Hilligan Manor I had to get a Blurb PlugIn so that it would transfer into their systems. It was simple enough, after I realised that  PlugIn had to have the program already installed because the PlugIn isn't the program. 

So when you go an download the PlugIn you decide what type of book you want to create and you can download the PlugIn for it! I downloaded InDesign because that's what I needed to do!

Signing up with Blurb is really quick and simple. And completely free. They make nothing off of you unless you purchase either your own book or someone else's!

So I think that's all I have to say on the subject. It seems ridiculous to go though every tiny aspect doing the layout in InDesign. If you have any questions, just ask. I'm not saying I'm an expert on it now, but I do know more than my sister. If I don't know the answer, there is always Google!