Adobe InDesign CS gurus out there?

[telophase]

I'll be doing websearching for this answer, but figured I'd toss it out there - if any of you know Adobe InDesign CS, is there a way to put page number on *top* of graphics? The image for each page of the comic is the same size as the page (easier to center that way), and from what I recall last year of laying out PBR, I had to give up on page numbers because they kept displaying *under* the comic page image, thus rendering them invisible.

Comments

[mscongeniality.livejournal.com]

I don't have my InDesign stuff with me at work, but I guess my first question is are you using Master Pages for your layout or are you doing each page individually?

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Master Pages. Provided I understand the question correctly (I'm sort of blindly hacking my way through the jungle that is InDesign right now :D).

I was poking about the library's ebooks (we have 3 ebooks for CS2, but I'm hoping it'll be similar), and just ran across a section on making graphics transparent with Multiply ... that looks like it might work, since the spot where the numbers will go on each page is white.

[mscongeniality.livejournal.com]

Well, Master Pages are essentially templates for a page layout that you can set up then link each new page back to it so that your graphics, text, etc. are placed consistently. Then, when you get to each new page, you double click the existing placeholder and just dump your stuff in.

My first inclination (without looking it up) is to set up facing master pages with your full-bleed graphic placeholder and then add a box on top of it to hold your automatic page number. But, as I said, all my InDesign stuff is at home so I really can't say for sure.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Ah, I apparently haven't been using placeholders. :) (The hazards of only using InDesign when I need to get a project done NOW. XD I need to make up a fake project so I can practice.)

[mscongeniality.livejournal.com]

They're good not only for consistency, but also for helping to keep your file sizes under control. If you don't have this resolved by the evening, I'll poke at InDesign for you when I get home.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

OK, thanks. I think I'll keep reading through these CS2 manuals in my down time - there ought to be enough similarity to work out a rough idea of what to do. :)

[mscongeniality.livejournal.com]

I'd expect so. It's just so rare that an actual Desktop Publishing issue crops up on my flist that it's hard for me to suppress the urge to fall all over myself offering help. ;-)

I can't write, I can't draw, but by god I can make your pages look pretty.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

XD I just remembered Mom's letters from Africa that I typed up last year, and my eventual goal was to put them into book format through Lulu.com or something, to give to relatives for Christmas. I ought to go through and scan the photos that go with them and put them all together. It would give me a reasonable project to work out InDesign with.

[emtigereyes.livejournal.com]

mscongeniality's comment about master pages is mostly correct. There is one extra step you'll need to employ, but the basic premise is the same. Ahead of time, forgive me if I overexplain. I mean well, really:

In your master page, place your "place holder" box (that lovely box with an X through it). On top of that, place a text box.

Any pages you add, be sure to apply your master traits (if you only have one master, then this occurs by default).

Now the extra step... the way Masters normally work is it locks the master information in the background, in an uneditable state from page to page. In order to place your image and add the page number, you have to "disregard the master". This is done by selecting the page you want to edit, going to your pages menu (that little triangle within a circle). Midway down that menu is "Override All Master Page Items". Select this. Now, on that one page, you can select your placeholder box and text box and edit accordingly. You'll need to do this with each page, but as pointed out already, it helps with consistency.

If you prefer a slightly easier route, you can always layout your place holders on the first page, and copy+paste them to each page you add, and edit accordingly. Either method works.

(I have Indesign CS2 at work, so I tried these out. The latter is what I usually use, but the first works just as well, if not a bit moreso at keeping things more consistent).

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :D

[jspurlin.livejournal.com]

is there a "move to front" sort of command?

quick googling leads to this:

http://robcubbon.com/runaroundtext-wrap-in-indesign/

which looks like it might be part of what you want...it's got to do with text wrap, specifically, but it might help get you in the right area of menus...

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Hm. Possibly. I've also just run across another potential solution - in CS2 (and I'm hoping CS), it's possible to make white areas transparent with the Multiply command, which would work, I think. Thanks.

[emtigereyes.livejournal.com]

Again, I apologize for my need to be helpful if it's coming off as annoying.
To move items forward or backward in Indesign CS/CS2:

Move backward = Ctrl + [
Move to back = Ctrl + Shift + [
Move forward= Ctrl + ]
Move to front= Ctrl + Shift + ]

[telophase.livejournal.com]

No worries. :) I'll come back to this post when I need tips. :)

I ended up using the Multiply command to make the white areas of the image transparent - it was the quickest solution. XD