Adobe InDesign CS5 - Manual (Page 14)

8 USING INDESIGN
What’s new
Last updated 11/16/2011
Custom page sizes
Instead of editing a text file to create custom page sizes, you can use the Custom Page Size dialog box to make custom
page sizes available when you create documents. See “
Create custom page sizes ” on page 46.
Simplified transformations
InDesign includes several new selection and transformation features that simplify manipulating objects.
Content grabber The content grabber appears as a circle when you hover over an image using the Selection tool. Use
the content grabber to select and move the content of a frame with the Selection tool still selected. This behavior
effectively replaces that of the Position tool, which is removed from InDesign CS5. If you rotate the content with the
frame, a horizontal line appears in the center of the content grabber. This line mirrors the rotation angle of the content.
The content grabber draws over each frame that is part of a group. Use the Selection tool to reposition content within
a frame that is part of the group.
If you don’t want the content grabber to appear when you hover over an image, choose View > Extras > Hide Content
Grabber.
See “ Select objects ” on page 402.
Double-click behavior Double-clicking graphics with the Selection tool no longer switches to the Direct Selection tool.
Instead, double-clicking a graphic frame now selects the content in the frame. If the content is selected, double-clicking
the content selects the content’s frame. (When the content is selected, you can also click the edge of its containing
frame to select the frame.)
In a group, double-clicking an item in the group selects the item you double-clicked. To reselect the group, double-
click the edge of the selected item or group. In all cases, the Selection tool remains the active tool. This approach gives
you a quick and consistent way to select graphic frames and groups.
Frame edge highlighting InDesign now temporarily draws the frame edges as you use the Selection tool to hover over
items on a page. This method makes it easier to find the item you want before you select it. The color of the frame edge
drawn matches the color of the layer the object is on. Groups are drawn with a dashed line. This feedback is especially
helpful when working in Preview Mode or with Hide Frame Edges selected.
Path and point highlighting When you hover over a page item with the Direct Selection tool, InDesign displays the
path and display the path points. This feedback makes it easier to view the path point you want to manipulate. You no
longer have to select the object with the Direct Selection tool and then select the path point. You can simply drag the
point you want.
Rotate As in Illustrator, you don’t have to switch to the Rotate tool to rotate a selected page item. With the Selection
tool, you can simply position the pointer just outside a corner handle, and drag to rotate the item. When you stop
dragging, the Selection tool remains the active tool. See “
Rotate an object using the Selection tool ” on page 415.
Transform multiple selected items You no longer have to group multiple items before you can resize, scale, or rotate
them with the Selection tool. Simply select the items you want to transform, and you see a transformation bounding
box around the selected items. Dragging a handle resizes the selected elements; holding down Shift resizes them
proportionally. Holding down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) scales them. Holding down Ctrl+Shift
(Windows) or Command+Shift (Mac OS) scales them proportionally. Including Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS)
performs the transformations from the center of the selected objects. See “
Transform objects ” on page 412.
Live Screen Drawing In InDesign CS5, you see the content draw as you drag it. In previous InDesign versions, you
pause before dragging to see the content draw. You can change the Live Screen Drawing setting in Interface
preferences to use the previous behavior. See “
Change Interface preferences ” on page 26.