Anything, in the beginning, seems a bit intimidating. Driving a first car, trying out a new dish, or singing in front of your friends. But that should stop you from doing what you like, or learning and new skill.
Talking about skills a lot of people while studying graphic design fear any Adobe software. We know how it feels Photoshop and Illustrator for the first time. All the functions seem to go for the head and are confusing. And if you are a beginner then we know how intimidating it is. One of the print media design software from Adobe is indesign.
Is it hurt to work in InDesign? Well, it all depends on your knowledge of Adobe software. If you have prior knowledge of Photoshop and Illustrator, then it would come a bit naturally to you. Better if you are beginning to learn Indesign it might same to hear in the beginning but it will gradually become easy.
Confused? That’s what you thought Howard it might get and when it gets easier.
Is It Hard To Use Indesign?
Anything that is new, will be different for each individual. Especially learning to use a new skill, an app. InDesign is no different.
Depending on 2 perspectives, we will discuss how hard it is to work with InDesign.
1. For Beginners
You might be thinking of starting a graphic design profession or would like to learn InDesign to develop your skill, Without any prior knowledge of any Adobe software, it would take a lot of practice and patience.
So, it is pretty hard for a beginner. As InDesign works with text, fonts, alignments, copy, and management of documents, it takes some getting used to. Also, there is the fact of working with images and graphical elements.
Following a tutorial and moving forward at a generous pace would be the best thing to do. Sure it would be hard at first, but with time, patience, and practice, you will be a pro.
2. Prior Knowledge Adobe Users
For people who have used Photoshop or Illustrator, it would be a bit easier. As the interface is kind of the same, you will get on board pretty quickly.
But that doesn’t mean it is the same thing. InDesign deals with print and digital media production, like books, brochures, posters, and other designed documents. So it is very much different as you work with different pages and layouts.
The best approach would be to watch tutorials online. This will help you work efficiently. And let your artistic side take off from there.
What You Should Focus on Indesign
We also like to include steps on how you should start learning InDesign. Beginner or a prior Adobe user, this will give you a set of goals. Clicking on something you don’t know without any idea gets frustrating very fast.
Where to start
These are the steps you should go through to learn and get a better hold on InDesign.
- Watch a tutorial or enroll in a class
- Get to know the interface
- Learn about documenting, fonts, alignment, and text
- Check out the Placement of images and graphics
- Practice a document creation
- Move to the advanced features
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers (FAQs)
How long will it take to learn InDesign?
For beginners, it takes a few months to learn the basics of InDesign. Prior knowledge of Adobe Creative Cloud apps will bring that down to a few weeks. And to be an expert on InDesign, it takes about a year.
Is InDesign hard to learn if you know Photoshop?
No. If you know Photoshop, InDesign will be a bit easier to learn. As you are already familiar with the interface, which is almost the same, you will start learning InDesign a lot quicker.
Do professionals use InDesign?
Yes. People who design books, leaflets, digital and print media, brochures, or any form of layout for any printable item use InDesign.
Is InDesign easier than Photoshop?
In a sense it is. But at the same time, it deals with a lot of graphics, layouts, and text formatting. So it is also hard if you don’t know the basics.
Conclusion
Although hard, any beginner can start learning InDesign and get a hold of it in a few months. And at the end of the year, you would be at the production level. The artistic flare helps a lot, as well as prior knowledge of Adobe Creative Cloud. Starting something new is always intermediating, but don’t let that ruin your interest.