When you import an image, you’ll see a light blue line surrounding the picture. Start by setting the frame for where you want your image on the page. This gives you tons of flexibility when it comes to cropping images to fit your layout in the exact way you want to. In InDesign, the image and frame for the image can be edited separately. To import an image select File > Place… (Ctrl/Cmd D) While it can be difficult to adjust to at first, the program gives the designer a powerful set of tools that make it easy and flexible to work with type and imagery together in a layout. InDesign’s treatment of images is a bit different from Adobe’s other programs. And when you’re done, your document is ready for design. If not, you get to create one yourself!Įxperiment with different combinations of rows, columns, and gutters to see what works best for you. When you’re creating your own document, it’s possible you’ll be provided with a grid that’s already been created for the publication.

Click preview to view the guides as you create themĪnd voila! Note that these settings are my own particular preference.

To create guides start by Layout > Create Guides…

Slug is optional, but it should be included if you want to leave notes in the file but not printed on the document itself.

Make sure “Facing Pages” is clicked so that you will see a spread and not just single pages.Create a new documentĬreate a new document by going to File > New > Document (Ctrl/Cmd + N), and change the following settings: Follow this step-by-step guide and try it out for yourself! 1.

I used an article published on 99designs as the source material to create the first spread of an article: Massive impact design: the world’s subway maps. It’s a publisher’s best friend – handy for print and layout design of all sorts.įor this beginner’s tutorial, we’re going to look at how to create a magazine in InDesign. Adobe’s InDesign may not be as widely used as Illustrator or Photoshop, but it is no less full of powerful tools for getting your graphic design job done.

Magazine layouts indesign