Phoenix InDesign User Group

07/24/2025

https://creativepro.com/how-to-create-swatch-groups-from-color-blends-in-illustrator/

Learn how to create swatch groups from color blends in Illustrator and save them to your Creative Cloud library for use across all Adobe apps.

07/11/2025

CreativePro Network
Photoshop Tip from June:
Keep Color Originals Archived Within a Grayscale PSD
"This Photoshop technique allows you to convert an image to true grayscale that will print using only black ink, while still having a CMYK or RGB backup version preserved within a Smart Object. This lets you revert a grayscale composition to its original color-something that would otherwise be impossible.

1. Create your document in RGB mode.
2. Select all the layers in your composition.
3. From the Layers panel menu, choose Convert to Smart Object.
4. Choose Image > Mode > Grayscale.
5. When Photoshop asks you to rasterize everything, choose Don't Rasterize.
6. When Photoshop asks you to discard all color information, choose Discard.

The result will be a composition in perfect grayscale that will print using only black ink. To convert your file back to color:

1. Choose Image > Mode > RGB.
2. When Photoshop asks you to rasterize everything, choose Don't Rasterize."

—Bart Van de Wiele

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07/09/2025

This tip is from May but I can't believe I never saw it before:
CreativePro May 29, 2025:
�"Keep Things in Perspective

If repeatedly zooming in and out to check how a design element looks in the bigger context of the layout gives you vertigo, try Split Layout view. Click the double rectangle icon in the bottom right corner of your screen (it looks like the outline of two side-by-side panels).

Split Layout view

A second panel will open on your screen. Navigate to the area of the design where you need to do detailed work. Keep the other panel open to a more zoomed-out view of the layout. Drag the divider between the views to resize them.

Navigate between views

Click the Split Layout View icon again (it will be a single rectangle) to return to the single panel view."

—Maya P. Lim

06/25/2025

TIP OF THE WEEK:
Quick Access to Illustrator Tool Options
In Illustrator, you can press Return/Enter to display any tool’s Options dialog box.

—Tony Harmer

06/11/2025

Here is a tip from CreativePro Network's Mike Rankin

"Speed Up or Slow Down Scrubby Sliders in Photoshop:

When you're dragging a scrubby slider in Photoshop to adjust values, there are two keyboard shortcuts you can use to either speed up or slow down the rate of change.

Holding Shift as you drag will make the values change 10 times faster, so you can make big changes quickly.

Holding Option or Alt as you drag will make the values change slower, so it’s easier to make fine adjustments."

—Mike Rankin

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05/05/2025

Love InDesign but leery of Illustrator?

Join us Tuesday, May 6 at 10 am Pacific for our free 75-minute webinar to discover the time-saving tips and best practices every Illustrator user should know.

04/25/2025

A great InDesign tip from CreativePro Network's Mike Rankin:
�Swap the Position of Two Items

"Did you ever need to swap the position of two items in your layout? It only takes a couple seconds with this little trick.

With the Selection tool, select both frames.
Select both frames
In the Control panel make sure the reference point is sent to the center. Then click the Control panel button for Flip Horizontal and then the button for Flip Vertical.

Control panel button for Flip Horizontal and the button for Flip Vertical
At this point the frames will be in the correct positions, but they’ll be upside down and backwards.
Frame position
To fix that, keep them selected and choose Object > Transform Again > Transform Sequence Again Individually.

Ta da!
Object > Transform Again > Transform Sequence Again Individually
Hat tip to Martin Braun for sharing this idea.
—Mike Rankin"

04/12/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AbBtTsXp3/

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04/11/2025

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl1BSq_IQT8&t=3s

In this CreativePro Week sneak peek video, Julie Shaffer shows how you can quickly format imported data in your InDesign files by using styles wisely. She de...

03/16/2025

https://www.linkedin.com/learning/indesign-tips-for-design-geeks/3-7-fixing-fuzzy-text-in-pdf-images

Surprisingly, saving your PSD files as Photoshop PDFs is key to crisp type throughout production. Learn how to fix fuzzy text in PDF images.

03/07/2025

This week's tip from Jamie McKee CreativePro Network

What’s That Override?
To see local overrides, hold your pointer over the name of a paragraph or character style in the Paragraph Styles and Character Styles panels.

02/28/2025

https://creativepro.com/how-to-identify-fonts-used-in-a-pdf/

Two tips for quickly identifying a specific font used in a PDF—or all of them.