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Using color for text, frames, and paths is a basic task in InDesign. The more ways you know how to apply, change, and control color, the faster you can work. Color choices are not limited to picking from the small selection that appears in the Swatches panel. You can create your own colors, gradients, and tints, as well as choose from a number of swatch libraries, such as Pantone colors, that are supplied for you within InDesign.
What you’ll learn in this lesson:
- Applying colors to fills and strokes
- Using and saving spot colors
- Updating and editing colors
- Creating and applying gradients
Using color for text, frames, and paths is a basic task in InDesign. The more ways you know how to apply, change, and control color, the faster you can work. Color choices are not limited to picking from the small selection that appears in the Swatches panel. You can create your own colors, gradients, and tints, as well as choose from a number of swatch libraries, such as Pantone colors, that are supplied for you within InDesign.
Starting up
Before starting, make sure that your tools and panels are consistent by resetting your preferences. See “Resetting the InDesign workspace and preferences” in the Starting up section of this book.
You will work with several files from the id07lessons folder in this lesson. Make sure that you have copied the id07lessons folder onto your hard drivefrom the Digital Classroom Books website. You can download the files fromhttp://www.DigitalClassroomBooks.com/epub/indesigncs6. See “Downloading lesson files” in the Starting up section of this book. This lesson may be easier to follow if the id07lessons folder is on your desktop.
The project
To explore InDesign’s color controls, you will add color to a fictional ad for FiFi’s Face Cream. You’ll use multiple types of colors, as well as tints and gradients, in the course of this lesson. If you want to see what the finished project will look like, open id0701_done.indd from the id07lessons folder now.
The finished project.
Applying colors to frames and text
There are several ways to assign color to an object with InDesign. You can assign color through the Tools panel, the Swatches panel, the Color panel, and the Color Picker. You can also assign color using the Eyedropper tool. No matter which method you choose, you must perform the same three steps: select the text or object that you want to color, specify which part of the object you want to color, and then choose the color to apply.
Applying color to text
Applying color is a quick, straightforward process. To practice, you will color the text in the FiFi’s Face Cream ad.
1. Choose File > Open. Navigate to the id07lessons folder, select the file id0701.indd, and then click Open.
2. Choose File > Save As. In the Save As dialog box, navigate to the id07lessons folder and type id0701_work.indd in the Name text field. Click Save.
3. Select the Type tool (
) from the Tools panel and click inside the frame containing the text, It leaves your skin feeling noticeably clean and absolutely radiant.
) from the Tools panel and click inside the frame containing the text, It leaves your skin feeling noticeably clean and absolutely radiant.
4. Choose Edit > Select All to select all the text inside the frame.
5. Select Window > Swatches or click the Swatches button (
) in the dock on the right side of the workspace to open the Swatches panel.
) in the dock on the right side of the workspace to open the Swatches panel.
Color the object from the Swatches panel.
The first thing to consider is whether you want to color the border (stroke) or the inside (fill) of the selected text. In the upper-left corner of the Swatches panel are two icons overlapping one another. The icon with the outlined T and the red diagonal line running through it is the Stroke icon (
). The icon with the solid black T inside it is the Fill icon (
). In order to apply color, you must click the appropriate icon to bring it forward and make it active. In this case, you want to fill the text with the color Dark Blue. If necessary, bring the Fill icon forward.
). The icon with the solid black T inside it is the Fill icon (). In order to apply color, you must click the appropriate icon to bring it forward and make it active. In this case, you want to fill the text with the color Dark Blue. If necessary, bring the Fill icon forward. You can also press the X key on your keyboard to toggle between Fill and Stroke in the Swatches panel, as long as you don’t have the Type tool activated. |
 To quickly reset the default colors, click the icon in the lower-left area ( ) near the Fill/Stroke box in the Tools panel. The default color for objects is no fill (None) with a black stroke; a black fill with no stroke (None) is the default color for text. |
Choose the fill and stroke colors in the Swatches panel by bringing their respective icons forward.
6. In the Swatches panel make sure the Fill icon is forward, then click on the Dark Blue option. The text turns blue. Choose Edit > Deselect All to view the change.
Applying color to frames
Next you will color the border, or stroke, of the frame around the text. Follow the same three basic steps that you went through to apply color to the text: Select the frame, specify fill or stroke, and choose the color.
1. Activate the Selection tool (
) in the Tools panel, and click on the frame that begins It leaves your skin…. Notice that the Stroke and Fill icons no longer have a T (for Type), but now appear as a solid square for the Fill, and an outlined square for the Stroke. Make sure the text frame is selected.
) in the Tools panel, and click on the frame that begins It leaves your skin…. Notice that the Stroke and Fill icons no longer have a T (for Type), but now appear as a solid square for the Fill, and an outlined square for the Stroke. Make sure the text frame is selected.
2. Click the Stroke icon (
) in the Swatches panel to bring it forward.
) in the Swatches panel to bring it forward.
3. Select Dark Blue in the Swatches panel to apply the color to the frame. Note that depending on your current zoom level, it may not look like the color of the stroke is changing. For a more accurate view, zoom in on the frame prior applying the new color.
Choose Dark Blue in the Swatches panel to color the text frame’s stroke.
Applying Live Corner Effects
InDesign provides a new feature called Live Corner Effects that enables you to adjust the radius and style of the corners of a frame visually without the need to open a separate dialog box. To give the frame a little more style, you will round its edges.
1. With the Selection tool (
) active, click on the text frame on the right side of the ad to select the frame.
) active, click on the text frame on the right side of the ad to select the frame.
2. You’ll notice a yellow square in the upper-right corner of the frame. This square is the Live Corner Effects indicator. Click on the yellow square to enable Live Corner Effects, and you’ll notice that a yellow diamond appears in each corner of the text frame, indicating that Live Corner Effects has been enabled.
The yellow square is the Live Corner Effects indicator. Clicking on the yellow square enables Live Corner Effects and displays yellow diamonds in each corner of the frame.
3. Click on any of the yellow diamonds and drag toward the center of the frame to increase the corner radius for all corners of the frame. The further you drag, the higher the radius value will be. Drag until the smart guides display about .15 inches. Click anywhere in your document to deselect the frame.
Clicking on a yellow diamond and dragging toward the center of the frame adjusts the corner radius of the frame.
4. Choose File > Save.
Corner shape options
|
Although the rounded corner effect is the default when using the Live Corner Effects feature, it’s not the only choice available. With a frame selected, you can quickly choose a different corner effect by clicking on the corner shape drop-down menu in the Control panel and choosing from a variety of shapes, including Fancy, Bevel, Inset, Inverse Rounded, and Rounded.
The corner shape drop-down menu.
|
Creating and saving a new swatch
You can create your own custom color swatches, or use those supplied by InDesign. When you create a color or gradient, InDesign automatically shows it in the Fill/Stroke box in the Tools panel, and also displays it in the Swatches panel and Color panel. Because InDesign also automatically applies the new color to whatever you have selected, you need to be very careful to select only the items you want colored before you begin. In the next exercises, you will create, name, and apply two new colors.
 The Swatches panel can contain spot colors, process colors, mixed inks (combinations of multiple spot and process colors), RGB or Lab colors, gradients, or tints. This exercise concentrates on CMYK colors, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black, but you’ll learn more about the specialized color options in later sections. |
1. To make sure nothing on the pasteboard is selected, press Shift+Ctrl+A (Windows) or Shift+Command+A (Mac OS).
 If you activate any of the InDesign drawing tools, such as the Rectangle tool, or any of the tools hidden beneath it—Line tool, Pen tool, Pencil tool, or the Type tool—and choose a color swatch, the default color is set for these tools, and every time the tool is used, it will be preset to this color. If you choose a color with one of these tools active and no objects selected, you will establish the new default color for this group of tools. |
2. If necessary, click the Swatches button (
) in the dock to open the Swatches panel. From the Swatches panel menu (
), choose New Color Swatch.
) in the dock to open the Swatches panel. From the Swatches panel menu (), choose New Color Swatch.
3. In the resulting New Color Swatch dialog box, uncheck the Name with Color Value checkbox so you can name this color swatch as you create it. Type Green in the Swatch Name text field.
4. Increase the Cyan percentage to 80 percent by moving the slider bar to the right of Cyan or typing 80 into the % text field. Using the sliders or typing the percentages, set Magenta to 10 percent, Yellow to 100 percent, and Black to 0 percent. These percentage tints of the process inks combine to create the new color.
To create a new color, adjust the percentages in the New Color Swatch dialog box, and then click OK.
5. Click OK to create the new color. Green now appears at the very bottom of the Swatches panel. When you make a new color swatch, it always appears at the bottom of the list of swatches. You can change the order of the swatches by simply clicking and dragging them within the Swatches panel.
6. In the Swatches panel, click and drag the Green swatch upward so it is positioned just below Dark Blue, and then release it. You should see a black line indicating where the swatch will appear before you drop it. You may want to expand the size of the Swatches panel to minimize scrolling within the panel.
Click and drag to rearrange swatches in the Swatches panel.
7. Choose File > Save to save your work.
Applying strokes to text
In the next exercise, you will fill text with the new color, as well as create a contrasting color for the text’s stroke. You’ll also get your first look at the Stroke panel, which gives you control over the weight and appearance of an element’s stroke or border.
1. With the Selection tool (
) active, double-click the frame containing the words Face Cream in the lower-left corner of the document. This automatically converts the Selection tool to the Type tool (
). Alternately, you can also choose the Type tool and click inside the frame. Press Ctrl+A (Windows) or Command+A (Mac OS) to select all the text in the frame.
) active, double-click the frame containing the words Face Cream in the lower-left corner of the document. This automatically converts the Selection tool to the Type tool (). Alternately, you can also choose the Type tool and click inside the frame. Press Ctrl+A (Windows) or Command+A (Mac OS) to select all the text in the frame.
2. In the Swatches panel, click the Fill icon (
) to bring it forward, and click the Green swatch you made in the previous exercise. Face Cream is now green.
) to bring it forward, and click the Green swatch you made in the previous exercise. Face Cream is now green.
Turn the Face Cream text green.
You will now make a new color for the stroke.
3. Click the Stroke indicator icon (
) to bring it forward. From the Swatches panel menu (
), choose New Color Swatch.
) to bring it forward. From the Swatches panel menu (), choose New Color Swatch.
Bring the Stroke icon forward, and then choose New Color Swatch from the panel menu.
4. In the resulting New Color Swatch dialog box, uncheck the Name with Color Value checkbox, and type Light Blue in the Swatch Name text field.
5. Change the Cyan to 32 percent by moving its slider bar or typing 32 in the % text field. Using the sliders or typing in the percentages, set Magenta to 6 percent, Yellow to 3 percent, and Black to 0 percent.
Create a light-blue color by adjusting the CMYK percentages.
6. Click OK. InDesign automatically applies Light Blue to the stroke of the text. The stroke doesn’t quite stand out enough, however. In the next steps, you’ll use the Stroke panel to increase the stroke’s width.
 Don’t forget to reorganize the swatches for the best workflow. For example, because Green and Light Blue will be used in combination for text in the ad, click and drag the Light Blue swatch just below Green in the Swatches panel. A black line indicates where the swatch will appear before you drop it. Rearranging swatches into logical groups for your project is a good practice to follow. |
7. With the text still selected, click the Stroke button (
) in the panel dock to open the Stroke panel.
) in the panel dock to open the Stroke panel.
8. Type 1.5 in the panel’s Weight text field and press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS) to increase the selected stroke’s size.
Apply a stroke to the Face Cream text and increase its size with the Stroke panel.
9. Select File > Save to save your work.
Creating a tint reduction
A tint, sometimes called a screen, is a lighter shade of a color. Tinting is a great way to use colors at different intensities. Just as you can with regular colors, you can (and should) save tints in the Swatches panel to make editing tints fast and easy. Because colors and their tints maintain their relationship in the Swatches panel, a change to the original color swatch also updates any tints of that swatch that have been made. In this exercise, you will create a tint to use in the ad.
1. Using the Selection tool (
), click the frame that contains the word FiFi’s. Use the Selection tool to select the frame as an object because it is no longer type. It was converted to outlines and is now a path, and is therefore no longer editable as text.
), click the frame that contains the word FiFi’s. Use the Selection tool to select the frame as an object because it is no longer type. It was converted to outlines and is now a path, and is therefore no longer editable as text.
2. Click the Swatches button (
) in the dock to open the Swatches panel, and make sure the Fill icon is in the foreground. Select the Light Blue swatch to apply the color to the fill.
) in the dock to open the Swatches panel, and make sure the Fill icon is in the foreground. Select the Light Blue swatch to apply the color to the fill.
3. At the top of the Swatches panel, click the right-facing arrow to expose the Tint slider. Drag the slider to the left to reduce the fill’s tint from 100 percent to 60 percent. Click the right-facing arrow again to accept the new value. The change is reflected in the selected object. Now that you have made the tint, you can save the modified version of the Light Blue swatch in the Swatches panel.
The Tint slider changes the tint percentage for the selected swatch.
4. In the Swatches panel, click and drag the Fill icon from the top of the Swatches panel into the list of swatches, and drop it below the Light Blue color swatch to add the tint Light Blue at 60 percent to the list.
Creating a tint swatch (left) and the logo after applying the color tint (right).
5. Select File > Save to save your work.
Making a dashed stroke
You’ve practiced applying, coloring, and widening a basic stroke, but InDesign offers many more ways to customize strokes. To demonstrate, you will make a custom dash around the border of the FiFi’s ad.
1. Using the Selection tool (
), select the black frame running around the edge of the ad.
), select the black frame running around the edge of the ad.
2. In the Swatches panel, click the Stroke indicator icon (
) to bring it forward.
) to bring it forward.
3. Open the Stroke panel by clicking the Stroke button (
) in the panel dock. Use the up-arrow to the left of the Weight text field to increase the stroke thickness to 4 points. Notice that the frame, which was aligned to the size of the page, is now bigger than the page. This is because the default alignment of a stroke is centered on the frame. In this case, half the width of the stroke (two points) is now inside the frame and half the width of the stroke (two points) is outside the frame. You will change this stroke alignment next.
) in the panel dock. Use the up-arrow to the left of the Weight text field to increase the stroke thickness to 4 points. Notice that the frame, which was aligned to the size of the page, is now bigger than the page. This is because the default alignment of a stroke is centered on the frame. In this case, half the width of the stroke (two points) is now inside the frame and half the width of the stroke (two points) is outside the frame. You will change this stroke alignment next. If every time you make a frame, you notice yourself changing the alignment to the inside so that the frame doesn’t extend beyond the path, you can make an Object Style with the stroke aligned to the inside. Or, better yet, change the settings right in the Object Styles panel by adjusting the Basic Text Frame and the Basic Graphics Frame options. |
4. In the Stroke panel, click the Align Stroke to Inside button (
). The border appears to jump inside the frame, because all stroke edges are now aligned to the inside of the frame.
). The border appears to jump inside the frame, because all stroke edges are now aligned to the inside of the frame.
5. Still in the Stroke panel, click the Type drop-down menu to reveal all the various styles of strokes you can make. Choose Dashed. Dash and Gap options appear at the bottom of the Stroke panel. The dash is the stroke segments, and the gap is the space between the dashes.
Choose Dashed for the ad’s border.
6. Make sure the first dash text field shows 12 pt. This sets the length of the dash. In the first gap text field, type 3, which sets the length of the gap between dashes. Type 11 in the third text field to set a second dash length. In the remaining gap and dash text fields, type 2 and 10, respectively, leaving the final gap field empty. This sequence of dashes and gaps will repeat where this stroke is applied.
Set the dash and gap options in the Stroke panel.
7. Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS) to apply the settings. You have created a custom dash.
Now you can change the color of both the dash (stroke) and gap.
8. In the Swatches panel, make sure the Stroke icon is forward, and choose Light Blue to apply it to the dash. Be sure to pick the original Light Blue swatch and not the tinted version.
9. In the Stroke panel, choose Dark Blue from the Gap Color drop-down menu.
The finished border has light-blue dashes separated by dark-blue gaps.
10. Choose File > Save to save your work.
Creating and saving gradients
A gradient is a smooth and gradual transition between two or more colors. When you first apply a gradient, the default is set to two color stops. A color stop is one of at least two colors used to create a gradient. You can add as many stops as you want to a gradient, and also control how quickly or slowly the colors fade into each other. You can also change the direction of a gradient, and even choose whether it is a linear gradient, appearing as a straight-line transition, or a radial gradient, which appears in a circular form. In this series of exercises, you will make and save linear and radial gradients, as well as use the Gradient tool to change the direction of the gradient.
Linear gradients
You create gradients in the Gradient panel, and then add colors to the transition by dragging and dropping them as color stops on the gradient bar in the panel. You’ll build a gradient next.
1. Using the Selection tool (
), click the frame containing the words, It leaves your skin feeling noticeably clean and absolutely radiant.
), click the frame containing the words, It leaves your skin feeling noticeably clean and absolutely radiant. Always select an object before starting the gradient. It’s easier to build a gradient when you have something selected because you can preview exactly how the color transitions will look. |
2. Toward the bottom of the Tools panel are overlapping Fill and Stroke icons, just as in the Swatches panel. Select the Fill icon to bring it forward.
3. Choose Window > Color > Gradient to display it. From the Type drop-down menu in this panel, choose Linear. The frame now has a white-to-black linear gradient applied by default.
Use the Gradient panel to apply a white-to-black gradient to the frame.
You will now add colors to the gradient. Make sure you can see both the Gradient and Swatches panels, as you will be dragging colors from the Swatches panel into the Gradient panel. Because you can’t have two docked panels displayed at the same time, it will be necessary to have one of the panels undocked for this exercise.
4. Click and hold the Light Blue swatch in the Swatches panel. Don’t just click or you will simply apply the color to the selected frame. Drag the swatch to the right side of the gradient color bar until the cursor becomes a hand with a plus sign (
). The line cursor on the gradient bar disappears, indicating that it will replace the black color stop with the light blue one. Be careful to replace the original color rather than add another color stop next to it. Whether replacing or adding a color stop, the cursor displays a plus sign when you add a color stop to the gradient.
). The line cursor on the gradient bar disappears, indicating that it will replace the black color stop with the light blue one. Be careful to replace the original color rather than add another color stop next to it. Whether replacing or adding a color stop, the cursor displays a plus sign when you add a color stop to the gradient.
This cursor indicates that you are dragging a color from the Swatches panel to the Gradient panel. Drop the color over a color stop to apply it.
5. Release the mouse to drop the color. The gradient bar now has a White color stop on the left and a Light Blue color stop on the right. The frame in the ad should look the same way, with the color fading from white on the left to light blue on the right.
6. Choose File > Save to save your work.
Saving a gradient
You can save gradients in the Swatches panel to apply them later to other objects with a single click. You save a gradient by dragging its preview from the Gradient panel into the Swatches panel. Try it with the White-to-Light Blue gradient.
1. Click and hold the preview of the gradient in the top-left corner of the Gradient panel.
2. Drag the cursor to just below Light Blue 60% in the Swatches panel. A heavy black line appears, showing where the new gradient swatch will appear before you release it. The cursor changes to a white box with a plus sign (
) as you drag, indicating that you are about to add a gradient to the Swatches panel.
) as you drag, indicating that you are about to add a gradient to the Swatches panel.
This cursor indicates that you are adding a gradient to the Swatches panel.
3. Release the mouse to drop the gradient into the Swatches panel. InDesign automatically names the gradient New Gradient Swatch. You will now change the name to something more recognizable.
4. Double-click the New Gradient Swatch. The Gradient Options dialog box appears.
5. In the Swatch Name text field, type Light Blue Linear, then click OK.
In the Gradient Options dialog box, you can name the gradient.
6. Drag the Gradient panel by its tab over the Swatches panel until a border appears. Release the Gradient panel, placing it into the dock.
7. Choose File > Save to save your work.
Adjusting fill opacity
As a preview of what’s to come in Lesson 8, “Using Effects,” you will now decrease the opacity of the fill so you can see through the frame. This effects feature lets you control fill, stroke, and text opacity separately.
1. Using the Selection tool (
), select the text frame that you modified in the previous exercise and choose Window > Effects, or click the Effects button (
) in the dock, to open the Effects panel.
), select the text frame that you modified in the previous exercise and choose Window > Effects, or click the Effects button () in the dock, to open the Effects panel.
2. Select Fill from the target list inside the Effects panel. Double-click inside the Opacity text field and type 70%, or click the arrow to the right of the text field and move the slider to 70 percent. Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS) to apply the settings.
The Effects panel with the proper settings.
3. Choose File > Save. You have just changed the opacity of only the object’s fill. You will learn more specifics of this and other effects in Lesson 8, “Using Effects.”
Radial gradient
The last gradient you made was a linear gradient, which means it fades from one color to another along straight lines. This is the default in InDesign. You will now explore radial gradients, which are gradients that don’t fade color in the form of lines, but as circles. If you wanted to make a sphere that looked like light was hitting the top of it, with the shadow at the bottom, you could use the radial gradient to accomplish this. You will use the radial gradient to make bubbles in this next exercise.
1. Using the Selection tool (
), click the far-left circle in the ad.
), click the far-left circle in the ad.
2. In the Swatches panel, click the Stroke icon (
) to bring it forward. Select None for the stroke.
) to bring it forward. Select None for the stroke.
3. Bring the Fill icon forward. Select the Light Blue Linear gradient that you saved earlier.
4. If it is not already open, choose Window > Gradient, or click the Gradient button (
) in the dock, to open the Gradient panel. Here you will change the type of gradient that is applied.
) in the dock, to open the Gradient panel. Here you will change the type of gradient that is applied. You can also double-click the Gradient Swatch tool in the Tools panel to open the Gradient panel. |
5. Choose Radial from the Gradient panel’s Type drop-down menu. The circle now has a radial gradient.
Choose Radial from the Type drop-down menu to change from a linear to a radial gradient.
6. Choose File > Save to save your work.
Adjusting the direction of a radial gradient
The Gradient Swatch tool in the Tools panel allows you to change the direction of both linear and radial gradients. In this case, the radial gradient appears with white in the middle of the circle and blends from the center outward to the Light Blue color. You will change that now using the Gradient Swatch tool.
1. Select the Gradient Swatch tool (
) in the Tools panel. You will use this tool to set the span and direction of an applied gradient.
) in the Tools panel. You will use this tool to set the span and direction of an applied gradient. Using the Gradient Swatch tool is a three-step process: Click to set the position of the first color stop. Drag to set the angle and direction of the gradient span. Then release the mouse to set the position of the last color stop. Remember that in order to use this tool, a gradient must already be applied to the fill or stroke. |
The Gradient Swatch tool enables you to change a gradient’s span and angle.
2. Click and drag from the top-left to the bottom-right of the circle to give the sphere the look of a highlight in its top-left part. When you release the mouse, the top-left area appears white, and then fades radially into Light Blue.
Drag with the Gradient Swatch tool in the direction you desire.
3. In the Gradient panel, right-click (Windows) or Control+click (Mac OS) the gradient color swatch and select Add to Swatches to add the radial gradient to the Swatches panel. In the Swatches panel, move the New Gradient Swatch so that it is underneath the Light Blue Linear gradient.
4. Double-click the New Gradient Swatch in the Swatches panel to rename it.
5. In the resulting Gradient Options dialog box, type Light Blue Radial in the Swatch Name text field. Click OK.
 You may notice that saving a gradient swatch does not save the angle of the gradient. To capture the gradient’s angle, you must make the gradient an Object Style. |
One-click edits
InDesign makes it easy to share attributes among document elements, so that you can make global changes with minimal effort.
Using the Eyedropper tool to copy frame attributes
When you need to copy attributes from one element to another in a document, choose the Eyedropper tool. It can pick up both type and frame attributes, such as fill and stroke settings, and apply those characteristics to other text or frames. By default, the Eyedropper tool picks up all attributes, but you can choose to transfer only specific settings using the Eyedropper Options dialog box. You will use the Eyedropper tool to quickly copy the attributes from one frame to another.
1. Press Shift+Ctrl+A (Windows) or Shift+Command+A (Mac OS) to make sure nothing is selected.
2. In the Tools panel, select the Eyedropper tool (
).
).
3. Click on the circle that you previously filled with the radial gradient. The Eyedropper tool now appears filled; it contains all the formatting attributes of that circle.
When you click an object with the Eyedropper tool, the tool fills with formatting information.
4. Move the filled eyedropper cursor to the center of the nearest circle and click. The attributes are applied: the gradient fills the circle, and the existing stroke disappears.
5. Click a few more of the circles to apply the gradient attributes, but leave some circles, as they will be used in the next exercise.
6. Choose File > Save to save your work.
Applying colors to multiple objects
Although the Eyedropper tool is quite handy for copying multiple attributes to single objects, sometimes you want to apply changes to multiple objects at once. InDesign makes this simple. When you select a group of objects, you can apply a fill or stroke to all of them with one click. Practice this by adding gradients to the ad’s remaining circles.
1. Choose the Selection tool (
) from the Tools panel, and then click a circle that still has a black stroke and no fill.
) from the Tools panel, and then click a circle that still has a black stroke and no fill.
2. Shift+click every circle that does not have the gradient fill.
Shift+click to select all the unfilled circles.
3. In the Swatches panel, click the Fill icon to bring it forward, and then click the Light Blue Radial swatch for the fill color.
4. Select the Stroke indicator icon (
) to bring it forward, and scroll up to select None for the stroke. All the selected circles now have the Light Blue Radial gradient and no stroke.
) to bring it forward, and scroll up to select None for the stroke. All the selected circles now have the Light Blue Radial gradient and no stroke.
Apply the Light Blue Radial gradient to the selected circles.
5. Select File > Save.
Updating and editing colors
When you apply a swatch to multiple objects in InDesign, each of those objects is related to that color in the Swatches panel. If you then change the color of the swatch, all instances of the color throughout the document change. This makes it quick and easy to make global color changes. In this exercise, you will change the Light Blue swatch to experiment with a new look for the ad.
1. Press Shift+Ctrl+A (Windows) or Shift+Command+A (Mac OS) to make sure nothing is selected.
2. Double-click the Light Blue swatch in the Swatches panel to open the Swatch Options dialog box.
3. In the Swatch Options dialog box, click the Preview checkbox (below the OK and Cancel buttons) so that you can see the changes take effect as you apply them.
4. Drag the Magenta slider to the right so that Magenta appears at 38%. All the Light Blues you added to the ad now appear more purple.
Increase the Magenta slider to 38% to change all instances of the Light Blue color in the ad to purple.
5. Click OK to implement the changes.
6. Choose File > Save As. In the Save As dialog box, navigate to the id07lessons folder, and then type id0702_work.indd in the Name text field. Click Save. You can use this file later for the Self study section.
Save the purple project to use later.
7. Choose File > Close, and then reopen id0701_work.indd. It should look as it did before you changed the light blue to purple.
Using and saving spot colors
Spot colors are premixed ink colors that provide very accurate and vibrant color when printed. They are often used to maintain brand identity when printing corporate logos or simply to add visual appeal to a job. Spot colors can produce colors that simply are not possible using process (CMYK) colors. Spot colors require their own printing plates on a printing press, which may increase the cost of a commercial printing job; however, when critical color matching is required, spot colors are second to none.
For the most accurate representation of a spot color, certain things must be considered. First, you should pick the spot color from a color-matching system supported by your commercial printer. Several color-matching libraries ship with InDesign. You must also remember that a color’s appearance depends on many variables such as the limits of your printer, and the paper stock it’s printed on.
Fortunately, you can manipulate spot colors in InDesign just as you can ordinary CMYK colors. You can create your own spot colors in the Swatches panel, or place an image that contains a spot color to add that color automatically to the panel. You can adjust and apply spot colors in the Swatches panel, using them for fills, strokes, or gradients. In this exercise, you will create a spot color to apply to the ad.
1. Press Shift+Ctrl+A (Windows) or Shift+Command+A (Mac OS) to make sure nothing is selected.
2. In the Swatches panel, click the panel menu button (
) and choose New Color Swatch.
) and choose New Color Swatch.
3. In the resulting New Color Swatch dialog box, choose Spot from the Color Type drop-down menu.
Choose Spot from the Color Type drop-down menu to designate a swatch as a spot color.
4. Choose PANTONE+ Solid Coated from the Color Mode drop-down menu to change it from CMYK. PANTONE+ solid coated and PANTONE+ solid uncoated are the two most common ink color libraries; coated is for a coated or glossy paper, while uncoated is for uncoated paper stock. Now you need to specify which spot color you want to work with.
5. In the Pantone text field, type 662. This automatically brings you to that Pantone color, a dark blue.
Choose PANTONE+ Solid Coated from the Color Mode drop-down menu, and then enter color 662.
6. Click OK to close the dialog box and add the swatch named Pantone 662 C to the Swatches panel. The swatch is automatically named.
7. Drag the Pantone 662 C swatch up in the Swatches panel and drop it directly beneath the Light Blue Radial gradient swatch. You will apply the new spot color in the next exercise.
Colorizing a grayscale image
InDesign can colorize any grayscale image you import as long as it does not contain any spot colors or alpha channels. The two raindrops in the ad are grayscale images that had clipping paths applied. This format enables you to change the colors of black and gray into whatever color you would like. You will use the Pantone 662 C color created in the last exercise.
1. To color only the pixels of the image, choose the Direct Selection tool (
) from the Tools panel. If you try to colorize the image when it is selected with the Selection tool instead, the fill of the whole box will be colored.
) from the Tools panel. If you try to colorize the image when it is selected with the Selection tool instead, the fill of the whole box will be colored.
2. Select one of the raindrops. A path appears around the edge of the raindrop.
3. In the Swatches panel, make sure the Fill icon is forward. Select the Pantone 662 C swatch to apply the color to the raindrop.
4. Select the other raindrop with the Direct Selection tool (
).
).
5. In the Swatches panel, select Pantone 662 C to apply it to the second raindrop.
Apply color to the grayscale raindrops.
 You can select the graphic or image of the raindrop without using the Direct Selection tool. Simply use the Selection tool, and double-click on the image of the raindrop to select the content (image) instead of the frame. |
6. Choose File > Save to save your work.
Congratulations! You have completed the lesson.
Self study
Open the id0702_work.indd file you saved earlier in the id07lessons folder to practice some additional color variations:
Try adjusting more colors in the Swatches panel to make universal changes across the ad.
Create another spot color and recolor the grayscale raindrops again.
Select the text frame with the linear gradient. Experiment by dragging more colors into the gradient, and use the Gradient Swatch tool to change the gradient’s direction.
Make a new color and put a stroke on the text, It leaves your skin feeling noticeably clean and absolutely radiant.
Design a new radial gradient for the bubbles, and practice coloring some of them individually with the Eyedropper tool.
Experiment with the Adobe Kuler panel to try different swatch groups and create new color combinations. Access the Kuler panel by choosing Window > Extensions > Kuler, and then create new color themes and add them to the Swatches panel or upload and share them.
Review
Questions
1. How do you change the fill of an object you are trying to color? How do you change the color of the stroke?
2. How do you save a gradient you have already made?
3. If you change a color in the Swatches panel, will it change the color wherever it is applied throughout the document?
4. Can you colorize any grayscale image?
5. True or False: You cannot change the direction of a linear gradient.
Answers
1. With an object selected, in either the Tools panel or the Swatches panel, click the Fill icon to bring it forward, and then click the color desired for the fill. To change the stroke, bring the Stroke icon forward, and then click a color.
2. Drag and drop it from the Gradient panel into the Swatches panel.
3. Yes. That is why the Swatches panel is especially handy for making universal changes to colors throughout your document.
4. Yes, as long as the image does not contain spot or alpha channels.
5. False—the Gradient Swatch tool lets you change the direction of any gradient.