Even veteran designers take the toolbar for granted. It’s just always been there. In this Episode, you’ll see how the toolbar works, including changing its look, position, and more.

This is the crescent wrench, or duct tape, of InDesign tools…you just can’t work without it. In this Episode we’ll see just how useful it really is.

At first glance, one might think the Direct Selection Tool and the Selection Tool are the same. And sometimes they are. In this Episode, I’ll show you why we need both in the toolbar.

This is one of those tools you don’t know you need until you use it. In short, it allows you to quickly change the characteristics of a page. But it does much more, as you’ll see in this Episode.

I love this tool! I use it OFTEN, and still smile every time I do. It allows you to change the position of the space between frames with a simple drag of the mouse…and much more.

It’s the Type Tool. It’s used to type. I get it. Oh, well, it does a bunch of other stuff, too, and there are some times you’ll need to use it when you’d think you should use another tool. Tricky!

The Type on a Path Tool is MUCH more than just clicking on a path and typing. There are many settings and controls you’ll want to know about to get the most out of it.

The Line Tool, what can I say? It makes lines. Well, that and a lot more. In this Episode we don’t just talk about making lines, we talk about modifying them, and what can happen when you do.

Using the Pen Tool is going old school, but often, it’s still the best tool for the job. In this Episode you’ll get the basics of path creation, then see how easily it can edit paths for us.

The Frame Tools are tricky, and in this Episode I clear up a lot of myths on how they work, as well as show you the proper way to use them to place graphics and text on your pages.

This tool can be confusing for some people. I’ve seen people try to use it in ways it wasn’t intended…and it doesn’t work. Find out what the Scissors Tool DOES do in this Episode.

I’ve grouped four tools together as the Transform Tools. They are the Free Transform Tool, Rotate Tool, Scale Tool, and the Shear Tool. Hang around as we see how to use them…and how NOT to use them.

The Gradient Swatch Tool, by itself, doesn’t do much, so this Episode covers much, much more, including creating Gradients, creating Swatches, The Gradients Panel, and, uh, that’s it.

Have you ever wanted to quickly fade something to transparent on your InDesign page? You can use the Gradient Feature under Effects, but that’s a bit slow. Enter the Gradient Feather Tool!

This oft overlooked tool is essential in collaborative editorial and design workflows as an alternative to texts, emails, and verbal communication. See how in this Episode.

The Eyedropper Tool is not just for grabbing color values. It’s so much more, as it can also grab fill, stroke, transparency, text formatting, and other values, then apply them elsewhere with a click.

I spend more time showing ways NOT to use the Measure Tool than how to use it. Put it all together and this is a solid Episode on how to align, space, and layout objects in your InDesign documents.

What the Hand Tool does is very useful. I find the tool itself less useful. So I spend most of this Episode showing you better alternatives to the Hand Tool. I’m betting you’ll agree.

The name Zoom Tool sounds so much more fun that it really is. I wish I could show you in this Episode that the Zoom Tool helps you work faster, thus the name. Sadly, that’s not the case.

These aren’t really “tools,” but they’re on the Toolbar, so I feel compelled to include them in this series. And they’re really nice to have there, I must say. See why in this Episode.

You InDesign documents can get very busy, very quickly with frames, guides, margins, and other distractions. See how the View Options Controls can help you quickly control what you see…and don’t.

It LOOKS like an eyedropper, and it is, but it’s much more. It captures color swatches from placed graphics and it does this in amazing fashion. See how powerful and easy the Color Theme Tool is.

InDesign has a ton of Panels. A ton. In this Episode we’re not going through them, one by one, but showing you how Panels work, so you can get the most out of them.

Showing you how to use Drop Down menu should only take a second. But showing you the logic behind the layout, submenus, and how to customize your Drop Downs takes a little longer.

Who doesn't love shortcuts to help work faster? Well, this Episode is all about Shortcuts and Tool Tips. Youi'll see more than just learning them here, we'll learn how to customize them, as well.

The title may be boring, but the contents of this Episode are so useful that I doubt you'll be bored. When making a document with precision, Measurements, Numbers, and the math is key.

Welcome to InDesign's Home Page. And if you've never used InDesign, or you recently upgraded, it's a vast, empty space. In this Episode, see why I've grown to like it.