New version offers across-the-board improvements and expanded web-publishing tools

Last summer marked the 10th anniversary of InDesign, Adobe’s page-layout tool. While early versions of the program generated a buzz and built a solid user base, the pace of innovation slowed over the years, and some of the more recent updates have been less than sensational. Fortunately, that’s not the case with InDesign CS5, which has several cool new features for print publishers, some significant interface improvements, and an expanded set of tools for creating media-rich online publications.

InDesign CS5 lets you quickly reposition graphics without switching tools.

Let’s start with a few of the most useful features. Our favorite is the ability to flow the text of a paragraph across any number of columns in a multicolumn frame, which means you don’t have to create separate text frames for a headline that spans multiple columns. Similarly, you can split a paragraph into multiple columns within a one-column text box.

Another fave: The new Document-Installed Fonts feature makes it easier to share InDesign documents. InDesign’s Package command collects the font and graphics files required to display and print the file correctly. When a packaged InDesign file is opened, InDesign will automatically--and temporarily--open the fonts from the packaged document if the fonts aren’t installed on the host computer. Other new features include the ability to specify different page sizes within a document, start a document on a right- or left-hand page, track and manage text changes, and balance the text in multicolumn frames.

The functionality of the Selection tool has also been expanded significantly. In previous versions of InDesign, moving a picture within a graphics frame required using the Direct Selection tool. In InDesign CS5, a small doughnut-shaped icon is displayed at the center of a selected graphics frame. If you click within this indicator with the Selection tool, you select the graphic and can move it within the frame; if you click outside the content indicator, you select the frame and can move the image itself. This terrific feature will save users a lot of tool-switching time.

So will the ability to temporarily access any tool when the Selection tool is active by pressing a shortcut key. Other UI improvements include the ability to display the names of individual objects in the Layers panel (like Photoshop and Illustrator) and to use the Selection tool to rotate objects and apply corner effects to frames--with the option to apply different effects to each corner.

If you’ve never considered using InDesign to create media-rich online publications, InDesign CS5 may make you think again. When you create a new document, you can now choose between Print and Web. If you opt to create a web publication, the new Animation panel lets you animate objects (text, graphics, and so on) and includes several built-in motions. The Object States panel lets you combine several objects into a group that a viewer can display one at a time by clicking or rolling over a button. Other new panels for use with web publications include the Timing panel, which lets you control when animations play; the Media panel, which previews imported video files and lets you specify both the frame to use as a poster and navigation points to control what parts of the video play; and the Preview panel, which lets you preview web publications and test interactive elements without leaving InDesign. Finished web publications are exported as Flash Player (.swf) documents, which can be viewed in a browser.

InDesign CS5 is an impressive upgrade to an already mature program. Several of the new features will make print publishers happy, and the new web features make it a solid choice for creating dynamic online publications.

InDesign CS5
COMPANY: Adobe
CONTACT: www.adobe.com
PRICE: $$699; $199 upgrade
REQUIREMENTS: Mac OS X 10.5.7 or later, Intel processor
Flow paragraphs across column gutters. Use different page sizes within a single document. Greatly expanded animation and web-publishing features.
A few feature holes (e.g., rotate text in table cells, vertical rules between columns). Several basic features are buried in submenus. Panel management is confusing.