Create New Masters Quickly
July 26th, 2006At first, it appears that the only way to make a new master page is to choose New Master from the Pages palette flyout menu. But there are faster ways! For example, Command/Ctrl-click on the New Page icon at the bottom of the Pages palette to add a new blank, default-named master. Want to customize the name or base this master page on another master? Use Command-Option-click/Ctrl-Alt-click — that tells InDesign to open the New Master dialog box.
You can also make a new master page by duplicating one you already have. Our favorite way to duplicate a master page (or a document page, for that matter) is to Option/Alt-drag the page icon, dropping it in an empty area of the Master Page section of the palette. (Press the mouse button down before you add the Option/Alt key when duplicating a master page or else you’re telling InDesign something else: to apply the master page to the currently selected pages in the document!) You can also duplicate pages with the Layout > Pages submenu.
Here’s another method to duplicate a master page: right-click (or Control-click with a one-button mouse) on a master page icon and choose Duplicate from the context menu. Those context menus are so helpful, especially in palettes!
But here’s the kicker: If you’ve already laid out a document page, you can turn it into a master page by dragging that page’s icon in the Pages palette up into the master page area of the palette. Fast, easy, efficient.
And among those zillion ways to create a new master page, one that seems to be the most used among my students is… simply… right-click on an empty area in the Master pages area…
I’m a keyboard gal, so, since Command-Shift-P is CS2’s default shortcut for adding a New Page, I added Command-Shift-Option-P in my custom keyboard shortcut set to add a New Master. (In the Edit Keyboard Shortcuts window, it’s found in Palette Menus > Pages: New Master …).