As a graphics production team, you want everything in the process to run as smoothly as possible.
That’s why it’s always exciting when Adobe unveils an update to InDesign CC. The updated version of the program generally comes with plenty of new features to help optimize your work.
This year is no exception. Announced in October, the changes Adobe made to InDesign CC 2019 include powerful tools to help you get things done quicker. The main new features are:
- Content-Aware Fit
- Adjust Layout
- Visual Font Browsing
As always with new changes, getting used to them may take some time. This article is an in-depth look at the new features of InDesign CC 2019, so you can begin to use them to get things done more efficiently.
New InDesign CC 2019 Features Mean a New WebProof Plugin
Before we begin to discuss the new InDesign CC tools, we thought it best to let you know that we have updated the WebProof InDesign plugin so it supports all the latest features.
The update means you can combine the time-saving benefits of the latest version of InDesign CC with the workflow optimizations brought by WebProof. Meaning less time spent on projects and lower project costs as a result.
To see how WebProof and InDesign CC work together to optimize your workflow, download our plugin here.
Now, on to the features!
Content-Aware Fit: Makes Adding Images a Breeze
Content-Aware Fit is a new way of placing images into your document. It is especially useful when the image doesn’t match the ratio of the element you are adding it to. Adobe added the feature to help make adding images easier and faster, without sacrificing quality.
On previous versions of InDesign, you had three main options when it came to adding an image to a document. You could adjust the image using autofit or to fit the frame, or you could adjust it manually.
Of these methods, adding the image manually usually led to the best results. However, it was more time-consuming. Autofit and fill to frame were quicker but often resulted in poorly formatted images.
Content-Aware Fit attempts to solve this problem by using image-processing artificial intelligence to determine which part of the photo it should show. It then uses this knowledge to frame the picture in a way that it thinks looks best.
Adobe says its technology can identify the important parts of the photo and even add negative space to maintain the composition of the image.
Of course, it may not work perfectly every time, and you can still adjust the positioning of the image yourself. However, the feature should still provide a good starting point to help make designing and proofing documents quicker.
Adjust Layout: Automatically Rearrange Elements When You Adjust Page Size
On previous versions of InDesign, if you wanted to adjust your page size midway through a project, you would end up having to readjust all the elements within the page so they fitted the new size.
This could be especially time-consuming if you were dealing with a multi-page document.
The new Adjust Layout feature aims to make it easier to change the size of your page midway through a project by automatically rearranging elements within the page to fit the new format.
There are also options to set the margin size, bleed values, and font size. Alternatively, you can have InDesign automatically select these options. By choosing the font size, you can also keep the text readable while everything else gets adjusted. What’s more, the changes can be added to all pages in the project.
Of course, it may not always work perfectly. However, it is easy to manually adjust any items that don’t fit correctly. Overall, this can help save you a lot of time.
New Font Menu: Find and Preview New Fonts
Choosing the right font is an integral part of any design and proofing process. However, the number of fonts available means it can be time-consuming to find and select the right one.
Adobe has made three adjustments to the font menu in InDesign CC 2019: it added a new font preview feature, brought in new ways to filter fonts, and added the ability to download and use Adobe fonts without leaving the program.
Live Font Preview is arguably the most useful feature of the three. This tool allows you to select the text you want to change and then preview how it will look in different fonts using the drop-down menu. You can also hover your mouse over a font in the drop-down menu to preview the new font in the document itself.
Adobe has also improved the way you find fonts in InDesign CC 2019. When you see a font in the drop-down menu that you like, you’ll now see the option to view similar fonts. Additionally, you can select fonts based on the font family or their properties.
The other significant change to the font menu is that InDesign users now have the option to see and download all the Adobe fonts from within the program itself—you no longer have to visit the Adobe website to check them out. Instead, you can select the font you want to use and click ”Activate font” from within the drop-down menu.
Want To Cut Project Costs and Speed Up Delivery Time?
Adobe has added the changes listed above to help you save time when designing. If you combine this with WebProof, you’ll also be able to simplify your team’s workflow leading to significant time savings in the way your team processes documents.
Remember, our plugin works with the latest version of InDesign CC. Download it here to see how it can help streamline your workflow.