DesignGeek Resources: Interactive PDFs

Interactive PDFs

An edited compendium of the best resources that I know of — and there's a ton!

Best Adobe White Papers and Tutorials about Interactive PDFs

Please note: You may need to register (registration is free) or log-in to the Adobe site to view some of these resources.

GETTING STARTED


Interactive PDFs: What's all the hubub about Interactive PDFs? Layers Magazine provides an overview of the Interactive PDF feature in InDesign CS5. This article icludes plenty of images that allow to see the amount of customization built into InDesign.



InDesign CS5 Tryout: Give it a whirl: Download the free, fully-enabled InDesign from Adobe's site. It's good for 30 days, but the clock doesn't start ticking until you install the file you downloaded. (Or, for $9.99 US you can purchase a trial version of the entire Suite on a set of DVDs. Much easier than downloading the huge installers.) Once you purchase the program or the Suite, you can convert the installed trial to a "real" one, just enter the serial number and activate it.

AcrobatUsers.com: This independent e-mail list is a great place to post your questions and get answers in minutes. Lots of InDesign users from around the globe hang out here at all different skill levels. Adobe staff, writers and trainers also chime in once in a while. Traffic is about 50 messages/day, so set up a dedicated mailbox and rule in your email program to filter incoming listserv messages to it.
Adobe's Forums: Mac InDesign | Windows InDesign | Scripting InDesign(Mac/Win): Adobe's best-kept secret is the incredible support users offer other users on their forums. More traffic, more answers than on the OmniPilot InDesign listserv. Reading is painless (click "login as guest" button), posting/replying requires free registration.
Your Local InDesign User Group: Wow! InDesign User Groups have exploded all over the map! Interest in groups has really grown since CS3 was released. Chances are good that there's a chapter near you—but even if you're far from a little purple square there are some good resources on this site. Check out the meeting notes and photos from various chapters, they're all pretty interesting. Or better yet, start a group in your area.

Lynda.com's Interactive PDF Lessons: InDesign CS4: 10 Things to Know About Interactive PDFs: InDesign exepert, David "Mr. InDesign" Blanter, explores Interactive PDFs and the features in InDesign that allow the addition of hyperlinks, sound, streaming music and other eye-catching media. Count on David to let you know about some of the challenges of working with InDesign's PDF format; He share some solid suggestions for how to work around them too.

InDesign CS5: Interactive Documents and Presentations: Oh James! If you haven't read any of James' posts on InDesignSecrets.com -the blog & podcast I co-host with David Blatner- you don't know that James is all over the InDesign + Interactive Documents. He's written many blog posts that teach readers creative interactive techniques. This tutorial provides 4 hours of intense instruction that covers everything — from making simple slideshows to High Geek tutorials to help you create complex animation and interacive catalogs.

Other Web Pages with Good Stuff

InDesignSecrets.com Blog and Podcast

David Blatner and I had so much fun working together on our InDesign book that we decided to extend that to a dedicated blog on all things InDesign as well as a podcast (learn more about podcasts for designers). Stop by indesignsecrets.com to read all the latest tips and tricks David and I post to the blog, and chime in with your own comments. Click the podcast link there to listen in as we trade good-natured banter and "can you top this" tips and techniques for InDesign newbies to grizzled vets. (Want to listen to the podcast right now in iTunes? Click here.) See you on the blog!