Adobe InDesign is the industry leading DTP software for designing and layout of professional documents for the web, print, as well as for mobile devices such as tablets or smartphones.
InDesign has evolved from being a successor to PageMaker in version 1.0 to becoming a powerhouse software, which can seamlessly work with other Adobe Creative Suite applications such as Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator in the Creative Cloud suite.
The workflow in InDesign also comprises of word processing, which is usually done in a standalone word processing program such as Microsoft Word, although InDesign is also a capable word processor in itself. However, a lot of Microsoft Word styles are not carried into InDesign when the users switch between these programs. Adobe released a complimentary word processing program to InDesign called InCopy, which can read and export the various text formatting styles that InDesign uses.
InDesign uses the .indd file format for storing InDesign content. Newer versions have backward compatibility with files created in older versions of the program. Newer versions can save the InDesign document as a .idml file, which can be read by versions till CS4. For even more backward compatibility, the newer version can also export in the .inx format.
InDesign can either be purchased individually or as a part of the Creative Suite under a Creative Cloud subscription. The subscription enables the user to receive ongoing product updates without purchasing new versions every time a major version number update is released.
New features in Creative Cloud and InDesign CC 2017
Adobe InDesign is part of Creative Cloud (CC) which is a subscription service that bundles InDesign along with other popular programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom, Audition, Premiere Pro, After Effects, and many more.
The latest 2017 version of Creative Cloud can be downloaded by logging into the Adobe website and downloading the Creative Cloud app which will allow you to install the various CC programs that you are eligible for. You can also download trial versions to test drive the software before committing to buying them.
In addition to commonly used apps, Adobe is introducing two new apps with the 2017 version called Experience Designer (XD) and Project Felix. Adobe XD provides UX designers and UX testers with the tools to create great user interfaces for a variety of screen sizes and device form factors. You can design interactive prototypes to test out a wide variety of UX designs to ensure maximum app engagement by the users. Project Felix is under beta testing and it aims to combine 2D and 3D workflows in one app without having to learn the nuances of 3D creation.
The 2017 version of InDesign comes with some great new features to boost your productivity. It includes new footnote capabilities to create footnotes that can span across multiple pages and enhancements to the OpenType fonts. It includes direct integration with Adobe Stock to find the assets licensed by Adobe, which you can simply drag and drop into your document.
You can also add public Creative Libraries, where you can share assets with a team across all your Adobe apps. You can directly buy industry leading fonts from the Typekit marketplace from within InDesign. These fonts are available to all the other CC apps as well.
The cool new feature is the integration with Adobe Animate CC, which you can use to create great animation effects to incorporate into EPUBs designed with InDesign, and create interactive eBooks.