Learn how to create text and image frames in the second and third pages of a newsletter using Adobe InDesign. This article provides a step-by-step guide on how to use the type tool, image frame tool, text wrap, and other features to improve the layout and design of your newsletter.
Key Insights
- To create text across the entire margin space, select the text layer from the layers panel and use the type tool to drag a text frame across the margin, then fill it with placeholder text.
- The size and position of images can be adjusted using the image frame tool. To ensure that your text doesn't interfere with your images, use the text wrap feature to wrap the text around the object.
- On the third page, a title can be added across the margin and individual staff member pictures can be placed using the ellipse frame tool. To add text, use the type tool to create a text frame and fill it with placeholder text.
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In this video we're going to be working on pages 2 and 3 of our newsletter. So going into our pages panel, let's now select page 2 by double-clicking.
For this page we're going to create text across the entire margin space. So going into our layers panel, let's select our text layer, and from here we'll utilize our type tool. Next, we're going to simply click and drag an entire text frame across our margin, and let's now fill this all in with placeholder text.
To do this, we'll right-click and select fill with placeholder text. Now we want to add images within this page as well, so let's actually lock our text layer for now. And work within our images layer.
Next, we'll utilize our image frame tool, and we'll simply click and drag from the corner over here until we're about halfway, and we'll release. And let's determine the size of this image frame, making sure that we're at 3.75 inches. And for our height, let's double-click, and let's put it at 4.25 inches, and hit ENTER.
We'll make sure that the top right corner is lined up at 8 inches and 0.5 inches. And let's now create one more image. We'll drag from the bottom now, dragging on the bottom corner, and let's drag all the way to the right-hand side.
In this case, we're going to be right at about 3 inches, so we'll release. And again, we'll make sure that we want to have a width of 7.5 inches, spanning our margin, and 3 inches. And the X value will be at 8, and y will be at 7.5 inches.
Next, let's discuss how our images will be displayed. Currently, our text will show up in front of our images. However, once we have images here, we won't want either the text to be behind the image or the text to be on top of the image.
Therefore, we need to create a little space. Hitting v on the keyboard and selecting our first image, we can also work with text wrap. What text wrap does is it essentially wraps the text around the object.
We can see our different text wrap options within our properties panel when we have an image or image frame selected. And in this case, let's select wrap around bounding box, meaning that the text will actually wrap around the bounding box created for our image. Selecting the bottom image now, let's do the same thing.
Again, selecting text wrap and wrap around bounding box. If we click outside, we can see that this text nicely works around where we have our image frames. In the future, we'll dive a little deeper into how we can utilize this text wrapping.
For now, let's move on to our next page. And in this page, the first thing we're going to add is a title on the top. Let's unlock our text layer and work within the text layer.
And next, we'll utilize our type tool. And we'll simply create a title going all the way across our margin. And we'll type title.
We'll be customizing this text in the future. However, for now, it'll just show us that we have a title here. Next, let's create a few shapes.
Within this page, we'll want to have the pictures of each of the individual staff members. However, rather than using a rectangular frame, let's utilize a new frame, clicking and holding on the tool gallery and selecting ellipse frame tool. In this case, we're going to add three frames of circles for their pictures.
So starting at the top here, let's click and drag. And to create a circle, we'll have to hold shift or release. And let's again modify within transform.
First, clicking the right side to constrain proportions. We'll link these together and we'll double click, type in 2.5 and hit ENTER. And we'll see the height also changes to 2.5 inches.
Then utilizing our selection tool V on the keyboard, let's simply drag this to the right hand side, right under our title. In addition, let's also simply create a guide dragging from the top and we'll release it right at one and a half inches. We'll then drag our frame.
That's right in line with that guide. We'll see the Y value of the top left is at nine inches by 1.5 inches. And let's create three additional circle or ellipse frames.
We'll hold ALT and drag below. And again, holding ALT, let's drag this bottom one all the way to the bottom of our margin. Then to make sure that we have adequate spacing, let's hold shift and select all three.
And going to our alignment options within the control bar, we're going to distribute our vertical centers. Let's now click outside. And these three images right here are currently in our text layers.
So let's move them into images, clicking and dragging below. And we'll see that they turn blue. As one final addition to this page, let's also add some text going to our text layer and utilizing our type tool.
Let's simply create some text right at the top of this guide in the corner. And we'll drag it all the way to the bottom right margin and release. From here, we'll add some placeholder text, right clicking and selecting filled placeholder text.
We'll hit control shift A to deselect and let's hit W. As we can see, we can't see the image frames, but we can start to see what the structure of this page will look like. For now, let's hit control S on the keyboard to save our work. And in the next video, we'll be working on our next pages.
See you there.