Adobe InDesign
A decade ago Adobe has made an entry in the difficult field of publishing software for professional editors. Since then the design of professional layouts for prints and digital publications became simple and complete. The road that led to the Adobe start in this difficult editorial field was not easy: the colossus of San Jose (California) had in fact to clash with the very well known giant Quark XPress whhich held then and still holds now a large share of the market.
Indesign software has been grown version after version over the years: InDesign 1.0 (1999), InDesign 2.0 (2002), InDesign CS 3.0 (2003), InDesign CS2 4.0 (2005), InDesign CS3 5.0 (2007), InDesign CS4 6.0 (2008 ). The latest version on the market, CS4, was included with the Adobe Creative Suite 4, which collected also other important Adobe tools as Acrobat, Photoshop, Bridge, Illustrator, GoLive, Version Cue, and the famous DreamWeaver.
The functions of the program are numerous and very advanced:
- You can create appealing print layouts, elegant content for playback in Adobe Flash Player, and interactive PDF documents.
- You can improve the workflow of editing and increase the productivity: very useful for small local newspapers and great national newspapers.
- You can create and distribute flash SWF files with great visual impact, with animations, audio, video and interactive elements.
- You can create custom content for great impact with a series of very simple logic operations suitable for any level of experience.
- You can complete the layout of an entirely professional publication also remotely through a simple and efficient web interface called Indesign Server.
The program is the perfect tool for the professional publication of newspapers, magazines, advertising documents, complex reports. InDesign uses a proprietary format (indd), but also allows you to use an XML representation that facilitates the exchange and external processing of data. It also is possible to import files and templates in Photoshop format (psd) and manage both the transparencies and multiple layers. Also includes is a complete output filter that allows you to export the final result in a convenient pdf format.
Users are happy with the integration of any multimedia format in a simple tool that makes it easy any layout for graphics, editorial staff and publishing groups of any size. The program will allow to significantly reduce the processing time with easy and rapid results. It is especially laudable the flexibility of the program with many useful functions such as the internal editing of vectorial graphic formats, or the management of the cuts generated by Photoshop. The text can be directly processed within this Adobe program in a creative and versatile way with excellent features including sound management of transparencies, shadows and hues.
With a core small and lightweight, the program has great flexibility with the added functionality introduced by plug-ins from both Adobe and externally produced by third parties. This structure is very easy to understand and develop in the future. Excellent finally also the management of the text, colors, and the creation of executive zipped files including all the material used in the design and the exact fonts.
Adobe InDesign can be considered a complete product, very useful, accessible to all for price and functionality, and above all it is a professional publishing product which was received by editing groups with great enthusiasm thanks to the increase in performance that comes from its continued use in publishing on paper and online.