Adobe InDesign CS4 – Converting Flexible Object Styles
Because the unique attributes in the examples discussed in this chapter aren’t included in the “flexible” object style’s definition, you can’t use the Redefine Style command unless you change some aspect of the attribute that is defined. The good thing about that is you can’t accidentally redefine the style, which might cause many different objects to adopt an unwanted appearance.
After you’ve applied one of these styles to take advantage of its specific formatting, you may want to add other attributes and define a new, more highly defined style with the original attribute and your modifications. To do this, select the modified object and choose New Object Style from the Object Style panel menu or the Object Style icon in the Control panel. The only attribute that does not automatically get added from the selection is the paragraph style used in the frame, so remember to select it if you need a paragraph style included.
If you keep the new style’s Based On definition set to the flexible style you first applied, any changes to that parent style will be passed down to this new style. Choose Based On: None if you want to permanently break any association with the flexible style you started out with, so the new style will not inherit any later changes made to the original.
Adobe Indesign CS4 – Combining Paragraph Styles and Object Styles
Any individual style is useful, but when styles are combined, they become exponentially more powerful. The one option that’s off by default for every new object style is the same one that adds the greatest amount of increased functionality to a text frame’s object style: the ability to designate a paragraph style for the frame. It seems that the engineers were so determined to require you to deliberately activate the option that it even gets turned off again if you create a new object style based on an object style where it’s already been turned on.
Once you do commit a paragraph style to an object style, you potentially add much more than one attribute. The Paragraph Style category in the Object Style Options dialog contains not only a menu of existing styles to choose from (and the option to create a new style), but also an option to honor that style’s Next Style setting (see Chapter 2, “Nesting and Sequencing Styles”) when the object style is applied to the text frame. Multiple paragraph style application is enabled with Apply Next Style selected.
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But wait, it gets better! The Apply Next Style check box enables the Next Style setting for every paragraph in the text frame, so each subsequent paragraph’s Next Style instruction is also honored. Using this method, a complete sequence of text formatting can be built into the frame’s object style. If that sequence is meant to repeat, as described in the “Repeating a Sequence of Paragraph Styles” section in Chapter 2, any consistent series of paragraph styles can be applied with a single click along with all other attributes of the text frame. Paragraph styles are applied in sequence when Apply Next Style is selected.
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The one limitation of this otherwise fantastic feature is that it only works on single, unthreaded text frames. However, it will work perfectly on multicolumn frames.
Adobe InDesign CS4 – Override Removal
When you apply a paragraph style by clicking its name, no overrides are removed. You must either choose Apply YourStyleName, Clear Overrides or Option-click/Alt-click the style name. The Object Style panel, however, is pre-set to remove overrides. By default, the Clear Overrides When Applying Style option is selected in the panel menu, meaning that any object formatting that does not match a defined attribute of the object style is removed in favor of the style’s setting for that attribute. However, since not all attributes have to be assigned to a style, that doesn’t mean every unique attribute of the object is cleared—only those specifically activated in the object style. Overrides are cleared by default when object styles are applied.
For paragraph styles, Shift-Option-clicking/Shift-Alt-clicking a style name removes every attribute that doesn’t match the paragraph style’s definition. The same keyboard shortcut works for object styles, but it’s potentially as dangerous as it is convenient. Since an object style need not include settings for every object attribute, reducing an object to only the style’s defined attributes can have unintended results.
Text frame has some attributes (fill, text inset, paragraph style, etc.) applied to it, but no object style assigned to it. If an object style that only includes text wrap options is applied to that frame by clicking the style name in the panel, the text wrap setting will be added, but nothing else about the object changes. When the frame is selected, the highlighted object style in the panel will not have a plus after it because the unique attributes are not considered overrides.
If the object style is applied by Shift-Option-clicking/Shift-Alt-clicking the style name or choosing Apply Style, Clear Attributes Not Defined By Style from the panel menu, the frame’s fill and text inset will be removed because text wrap is the only attribute actually defined by the object style. The text within the frame may appear unchanged, but if the paragraph is selected, the Paragraph Styles panel reveals that the style is no longer applied. Although the text formatting is preserved, it’s reduced to No Paragraph Style with overrides.
The only undefined formatting that is preserved when an object style is applied with the Clear Attributes Not Defined By Style option is character styles.
Adobe Indesign CS4 – Differences Between Object Styles and Text Styles
Beyond their association with objects rather than text, object styles have some other distinct differences in behavior that don’t conform entirely to the conventions of their text style counterparts.
Selective Attribute Inclusion
Like other style dialogs, the Object Style Options dialog contains a left pane with a list of different attribute categories. However, this is the only dialog where an entire category can be disregarded by the style and all of its related attributes ignored. In the top-left pane of the dialog, each category name has a check box next to it. If the check box is not selected (which appears as a small box on Windows and a hyphenated box on the Mac), all attributes in that category are ignored by the style. In other words, an object style in which the Fill category is set to “ignore” will never change the fill color, tint, gradient angle, or fill overprint setting of an object to which it’s applied.
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This makes object styles less absolute than paragraph styles, where every attribute is included in the style definition. It’s not quite like character styles, where unspecified attributes are inherited from the paragraph. There is no “top level” style for an object that’s akin to a paragraph style. Ignored settings simply honor any attribute already applied to an object on a page. Those attributes are not considered overrides to the style, either, because they’re not defined by it.
TIP: Shift-Option-clicking/ Shift-Alt-clicking a selected attribute sets it to Ignore and all other categories to On. Shift-Option-clicking/Shift-Alt-clicking a deselected attribute turns it on and sets all other categories to Ignore. This behavior does not apply to the transparency and effects categories.
NOTE: Clicking an attribute category in the left pane does not, at first, select that category and reveal its options, as it does in other style dialogs. If a category is deselected, clicking “activates” it, making its attributes part of the style definition. A second click is required to select the category and display its options. Be aware of this when “browsing” the categories in the Object Style Options dialog. Clicking one to view the specific options automatically includes that category in the style.
Adobe Indesign CS4 – Targeting layers when placing objects
Adobe InDesign CS4 lets you place objects on different layers. Think of layers as sheets of transparent film that are stacked on top of each other. By using layers, you can create and edit objects on one layer without affecting—or being affected by—objects on other layers. Layers also determine the stacking position of objects.
Before you import a photograph of an armadillo into your design, you’ll make sure that you add the frame to the appropriate layer.
- In the Pages panel, double-click the page 3 icon to center it in the document window.
- Choose Window > Layers to display the Layers panel.
- Click the word “Photos” in the Layers panel to target the Photos layer. Do not click the boxes to the left of the Photos layer because that hides or locks the layer.
- Using the Selection tool, click the pasteboard to make sure that nothing is selected.
- Choose File > Place. If necessary, navigate to the Lesson_02 folder. Click 02_Armadillo.tif, and then Shift+click 02_Gecko.tif. Click Open.
TIP: In the Place dialog box, you can select multiple text and graphic files to import. The files are imported in the order they are listed in the dialog box. InDesign lets you import graphics using a variety of file types, including native Photoshop (PSD) and Illustrator (AI) files.
- Click in the white area above the word “Mexico” to place the armadillo at the top of the page. You’ll move the graphic later, after you crop it.
- Click at the bottom of the far-right column of text to place the gecko graphic.
- With the gecko graphic still selected in the Control panel, type 15 in the Rotation Angle box. Press Enter or Return.
- In the Layers panel, click the box to the left of the Text layer name so that the layer lock icon appears.
- Choose File > Save.
A loaded graphics icon appears with a preview of the armadillo. The number 2 next to the pointer indicates how many graphics will be imported.
Notice that the two new frames are the same color as the Photos layer in the Layers panel. An object’s frame color describes the layer on which it resides.
Locking the Text layer prevents you from selecting or making any changes to it or any objects on the layer. With the Text layer locked, you can edit the frame containing the armadillo without accidentally selecting the frame containing “Hecho en Mexico.”
Adobe Indesign CS4 – Positioning graphics within a frame
On the first spread, two of the frames need to be resized for their pictures, or the pictures within them repositioned.
- Select page 2 in the page box in the lower-left corner of the document window to navigate to page 2. Press Ctrl+0 (zero) (Windows) or Command+0 (Mac OS) to fit the page in the window.
- Using the Direct Selection tool (
), position your pointer over the picture of the red sun, which is only partially visible. Notice that the pointer changes to a hand, indicating that you can select and manipulate the content of the frame. Drag the picture to the right, making the entire sun visible. With the Direct Selection tool, you can reposition a graphic within its frame.
TIP: The Fitting commands make it easy to fit graphics in frames and to fit frames to graphics. For example, choose Object > Fitting > Center Content to center a graphic within its frame.
- Using the Selection tool (
), click the picture of the blue hand on the upper-left side of the page. - Drag the top-center handle upward to expand the size of the frame. By making the frame larger, more of its contents becomes visible.
TIP: You can preview the picture as you move or resize the frame if you pause briefly after you first click the frame and then resize or move the frame.
- Choose File > Save.
Adobe Indesign CS4 – Working with graphics
To complete the magazine layout, you’ll reposition some graphics at the same time you practice using the selection tools, try out layers, and crop an image. Graphics used in an Adobe InDesign CS4 document are placed inside frames. When working with placed graphics, you should become familiar with the three selection tools.
- The Selection tool is used for general layout tasks, such as positioning and moving objects on a page.
- The Direct Selection tool is used for tasks involving the content of a graphics frame, or drawing and editing paths; for example, to select frame contents or to move an anchor point on a path. The Direct Selection tool is also used for selecting objects within groups.
- The Position tool, hidden under the Direct Selection tool, works in conjunction with the Selection tool to help control the placement of content within a frame, as well as to change the size of the frame. You can use this tool to move a graphic within its frame, or change the visible area of a graphic by adjusting its crop.
NOTE: As you learn about the difference between frames and their content, you may want to make frame edges visible by selecting View > Show Frame edges.
Adobe Indesign CS4 – Creating and applying a character style
Now that you have formatted the text, you are ready to create a character style.
- Make sure that the text you formatted is still selected, and choose Type > Character Styles to display the Character Styles panel.
- Hold down the Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) key and click the Create New Style button at the bottom of the Character Styles panel.
- In the Style Name box, type Italic and click OK.
- Using the Type tool, select the reference and click Italic in the Character Styles panel to apply the style.
- Apply the character style Italic to the reference in the same column, and to the reference in the other column.
A new character style named Character Style 1 is created, as shown in the New Character Style dialog box. This new style includes the characteristics of the selected text, as indicated in the Style Settings area of the dialog box.
Even though you established the style using this text, you still need to apply the style. Applying a style tags the text so that it updates automatically when the character style attributes are changed.
Because you applied a character style instead of a paragraph style, the formatting affected only the selected text, not the entire paragraph.
- Choose View > Fit Page in Window, and then close the Character Styles panel.
- Choose File > Save.
Adobe Indesign CS4 – Working with styles
Now you’ll try out styles to see how using them lets you quickly and consistently format text and objects and—more importantly—easily make global changes by simply editing the style. InDesign CS4 contains a variety of styles: paragraph, character, object, table, and cell styles.
- A paragraph style includes formatting attributes that apply to all text in a paragraph. You do not need to select text to apply a paragraph style, because it applies to all text in the paragraph where the pointer is located.
- A character style includes only character attributes, making it useful for formatting selected words and phrases in a paragraph.
- An object style lets you create and apply formatting to selected objects. Using an object style, you can set fill and stroke color, stroke and corner effects, transparency, drop shadows, feathering, text frame options, and even text wrap on a selected object.
- Table and cell styles let you control table and cell formatting.
Applying paragraph styles
You’ll start by applying styles to the magazine article’s text, and then move on to using object styles. To save time, the paragraph styles that you’ll apply to the text have already been created. These styles will help you quickly format the body text in the article.
- Select the Type tool (), and then click anywhere in the columns of text that you previously placed on this page.
- Choose Edit > Select All to select the text in all the threaded frames containing the story.
- Choose Type > Paragraph Styles to display the Paragraph Styles panel.
- In the Paragraph Styles panel, click Body Text to format the entire story with the Body Text style.
TIP: You can also apply styles in the Control panel, using either the Character Formatting or the Paragraph Formatting controls.
- Choose Edit > Deselect All to deselect the text.
- Using the Type tool, click anywhere in the first paragraph on page 3.
- In the Paragraph Styles panel, select Body Text / Drop Cap. Paragraph styles can include a variety of text formatting options, including drop caps.
- Choose File > Save.
Now you’ll apply a different paragraph style to the first paragraph of the story.
Adobe Indesign CS4 – Wrapping text around an object
The text in the pull quote is difficult to read because the main story text does not wrap around the text frame, but instead overlaps it. You’ll wrap the main story text around the edges of the pull-quote text frame, so that the text from the main story does not cover up the pull quote.
- Make sure that the pull-quote frame is selected.
- Choose Window > Text Wrap. In the Text Wrap panel, click the third button from the left side. This causes text to wrap around the object’s shape.
- Type .1389in into one of the Offset fields and press Return.
- Close the Text Wrap panel. You can always access this panel and other panels from the Window menu as you need them.
NOTE: Once you wrap the text around the pull-quote frame, the main article text may be overset. If so, Live Preflight reports the error in the lower-left corner of the document window.
- Choose File > Save.