Section 9: Applying Transparency, Colors, And Strokes - Adobe 27510753 - InDesign CS2 - PC Switching Manual

Section 9: Applying Transparency, Colors, and Strokes

The many similarities between the two programs make it easy to switch from PageMaker to
InDesign CS2. But while the similarities are comforting and help hasten the transition, it's
the differences between the two programs that PageMaker users learn to love. For example,
InDesign CS2 lets you create dazzling graphics by applying transparency effects, such as soft
drop shadows and blending modes, to text and images. In some cases, InDesign CS2 has
expanded on features that are available in PageMaker, adding options that let you take your
designs to the next level. In this section, you'll learn about several powerful InDesign CS2
features that are aimed squarely at designers.
Applying transparency effects to objects
In PageMaker, objects are either opaque or transparent—there's nothing in between. You can't
make a PageMaker object partially opaque, but you can in InDesign CS2. For example, you can
place type in front of a graphic and allow the graphic to be visible through the type. Or you can
overlap two graphics and make the overlapping area a blend of both. InDesign CS2 offers four
options for adding transparency effects to objects: drop shadows, feathered edges, blending
modes, and opacity.
Creating drop shadows
The Drop Shadow command (Object menu) lets you add a soft-edged shadow behind any object.
The controls in the Drop Shadow dialog box let you offset the drop shadow any distance from
the object along the x or y axis and specify the blending mode, blur distance, spread percentage
(which lets you shorten or lengthen the feathered edge a shadow and create sharp-edged shad-
ows), noise, and the color of the shadow. If you add a drop shadow to a text frame, the shadow is
applied to all text in the frame, as well as the stroke, if any.
The Drop Shadow dialog box (Object > Drop Shadow) lets you apply a soft-edged drop shadow to any object.
In this example, a drop shadow has been added to a placed Illustrator graphic.

Switching from PageMaker to InDesign CS2