InDesignSecrets Videocast #3: Power Zoom and Rotate Spread View
Sometimes it’s the little features — those things that you need to do a hundred times a day — that are the most important. In Episode 3, we share two new InDesign CS4 features that are little but can help big: Power Zoom and Rotate Spread View. This is the third of six videocasts in which we’re talking about some of our favorite time-saving features in InDesign CS4.
You can watch the videocast by clicking on the video below, or — if you want a larger version of it — go directly to our channel at indesignsecrets.blip.tv. These videos will also soon be available on Adobe.tv (we’ll update this or post a comment below when that happens). Alternatively, you can watch (or even subscribe) to the video podcast on iTunes with this link.
Thank you to our videocast sponsor, Adobe Systems Inc.! To take advantage of these time-saving features we’re showing you in InDesign CS4, hie thee over to their web site or to your nearest retailer and spring for the upgrade. More info at http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/
Comments? Special features you’d like us to cover? Please chime in below!
That was great. How come I didn’t know about Power Zoom? Sure, it was mentioned in the advertising blurb about ID CS4, but I checked out the Zoom tool and it didn’t seem to have anything about PZ anywhere. Thanks A-M and David, for explaining it all so clearly!
Good to see your faces (at least in still shots) at the beginning of the video, but you never appear live on screen as so many other presenters do. Yes, I know you are in different parts of the US, but is technology not up to that yet? It seems to handle screen sharing without any worries.
Keep up the good work. I love this site.
Yeah it’s strange they call it Power Zoom but it doesn’t work with the Zoom tool.
I think it should’ve been called the PowerHand tool or the PowerSpanky tool …
Seriously, how about Power Pan? Mebbe?
Or just allow it to work with the Zoom tool too, in patient user mode. Is that so wrong?
BTW I just looked it up in the documentation, “Power zoom” is two words.
The Rotate Spread view will also be a tremendous time saver for anyone working on a calendar. This is a feature I will certainly use daily.
Awesome video, thanks!!!!!
or you can use the scroll button no matter what tool you have selected. Just hold the alt-option button and scroll forward to zoom and back to zoom out.
@Brian: True, there are many ways to zoom in and out on the page. However, the Power Zoom feature is special. As I say in the videocast, Power Zoom is more like looking at your document through a loupe, then stepping back to see the big picture, then zooming in again to do real work. I find it more efficient than zooming out and in using the other tools — including the scroll wheel. That said, it’s great to know about all the different techniques.
Another great little videocast, guys and gals — thanks!
Powerzoom seems cool – seems better than the navigation panel for sure.
I do use Alt and Scroll with the mouse. But I do wish there were was to save custom view areas and percentages, like you can with Illustrator.
Thanks for the pod-cast. I had to get used to the Power Zoom tool for a while – and even now I tend to forget about it..
I never really understood the two-hand (ofcourse it’s do-able with one but still not comfortable) Ctrl+0 – Fit Page in Window shortcut (and Ctrl+Alt+0 – Fit Spread in Window for that matter) in all Adobe’s applications – it’s something we do sooo very frequently and I like to leave my hand on the mouse as much as possible.
That’s why myself I re-assigned to F1 and Shift + F1
(The times that I do need to access help I just use the menu – I could assign another shortcut ofcourse)
Mike.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but unless you’re using the text tool, you don’t have to press Alt along with the spacebar to get the hand tool, right? Maybe I’m lazier than you, but why hit two keys and a mouse button when one key and one button will do?
@Roland: You are correct: If you’re editing text, you can hold down Option/Alt to get the Hand tool. If you’re not editing text, you can hold down spacebar alone. But my little brain can’t deal with having to worry about what I’m doing right now… is my cursor in text? Is it not? So I use the shortcut that always works: Option/Alt-spacebar.
Thank, nice presentaion, very good hints!