Sessions

Essential InDesign Scripts, Part 3: Customizing and Scripting Fundamentals

Using InDesign without scripts is like cooking without spices—you can do it, but why would you?! In Part 1 and Part 2 of this three-session tutorial, we’ve looked at a wide variety of must-have InDesign scripts. Now, it’s time to take it to the next level!

Topics include:

  • How to edit a script to customize it for what you need (it’s often not as hard as you’d think)
  • First steps in writing your own scripts
  • Obscure (but useful!) scripts you have to know about
  • Scripting resources

Logos and Icons, Part 2: Distilling Your Message in Illustrator

In Part 1 of this two-part session, we explored the creative act of building logos and icons, from ideation to final design. Now, let’s explore the construction and critical fine-tuning work that must be done to deliver the final artwork.

Essential InDesign Scripts, Part 2: Text and Typography

In Part 1 of this three-part scripting-extravaganza, we looked at the fundamentals of using scripts. Now, let’s discover a wide array of scripts you just have to have when working with text and type.

Topics include:

  • Super-powered find/change and text cleanup
  • Inserting special (but commonly used) characters
  • Splitting and merging frames
  • Working with footnotes and endnotes

Logos and Icons, Part 1: From Ideation to Construction

In this focused and inspirational talk, you’ll walk you through the creative process — from ideation to color exploration, art direction, rejection, and ultimate usage of iconic brand designs.

This is Part 1 of a two-part session. See Part 2 here.

Essential InDesign Scripts, Part 1: Images, Layout, and Workflow

If you’re not using scripts with InDesign, you are not being efficient. And scripts are really easy! In fact, a bunch of useful scripts even ship with InDesign—you just need to know where to look for them.

Join us in this fast-paced session to learn:

  • Where to find must-have scripts
  • The fastest and easiest way to install a script and run it
  • Free scripts for managing your layouts, building calendars, and
  • Amazing scripts you need for graphics and images

This session is Part 1 in a three-part tutorial. See Part 2 here.

Awesome GREP Tips & Tricks

Once you get started with GREP, you keep finding more and more uses for it! We’re picking out ten amazing GREP tricks to share with you. Note: while these are advanced tips, you don’t have to be advanced to use them — any InDesign user can copy and paste them from the handouts to achieve great results!

This session includes:

  • Using GREP with powerful Find/Change and batch scripts
  • Finding Unicode ranges
  • Powerful but simple undocumented codes

Making GREP Work for You in InDesign

In Part 1 of this three-part tutorial, we learned the fundamentals of working with GREP in InDesign. Now, it’s time for some in-depth GREP expressions to put into your toolkit. When it comes to automating text in your InDesign documents, using GREP can give you that boost you need to improve your accuracy, consistency, and productivity.

  • Learn how to master the “lookaround”
  • Finding complex patterns, such as email addresses or phone numbers
  • Rearranging text

Jump to Part 3.

Introduction to GREP

GREP is one of the most important features in InDesign, and sadly it’s one of the least used! In Part 1 of this three-session series, we’ll get you up to speed (from zero to 60!) with this amazing tool for finding, changing, and formatting text patterns.

We’ll look at some design samples and learn—among other things—how to:

  • Find a range of characters
  • Find all of specific category, such as currency
  • Automatically style fractions, figures, and recurring product names

Jump to Part 2.

The Most Important Skill in Photoshop: Quality Selections and Masks, Part 2

In Part 1 of this two-part tutorial, we learned the basics of making great selections (masks) in Photoshop. Now, let’s look at “next steps,” including:

  • How to end up with a great selection
  • The power of channels for making challenging selections
  • How to mask a mask

The Most Important Skill in Photoshop: Quality Selections and Masks, Part 1

One of the most important skills in Photoshop is making selections (sometimes called masks) – and doing it quickly without too much effort. In this two-part session, you’ll learn the most important tools and techniques for selecting and masking, and the role of channels. You’ll see how to use selection tools individually and together, how to fine-tune your selections, and how to take full advantage of layer masks and channels.

In Part 1 you’ll learn:

  • The magic of the Select and Mask feature
  • Tips for getting the most out of layer masks
  • The 5 most important selection tools in Photoshop

See Part 2.