Create New Masters Quickly
At 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 …).
Building templates upon templates…
I don’t know if this is a bug or what but I’ve been using the whole create a page & then drag into the master pages palette to create a master page from it. but then randomly, it stops working and no longer allows me to do this. is there a maximum number of master pages you can have?
I have 5 spreads & 3 single page masters. thoughts?
Julie: Hm. Not sure why that would happen. You can have a lot of master pages — far more than that! I just made a document with about 20 master pages in it with this drag and drop method.
Strange that that isn’t working, OS problem perhaps? Or lack of memory?
InDesign goes bonkers on me when RAM gets low or I’ve been running it all day, variables stop working, most notably, or colours for text in paragraph styles won’t apply.
Shutting down InD and restarting fixes this, but sometimes a reboot, or hard boot is the fix.
Probably not the same thing here, but thought I’d throw it in there.
If you’re having problems dragging a page into the master page, then you can cut/copy all the items off the page and do a PASTE IN PLACE on a new Master Page.
It might not fix your problem, but it’s a way around it… I hope.
Thank you, David & Eugene!
I think it has something to do with the RAM on my work computer (why did they put me on an iMac?!).
Restarting InDesign seems to fix that problem but I definitely have be navigating around it with the paste in place. Now if only they’d upgrade my computer….
Master pages/spreads are driving me nuts!
Am working over an old document – (but I think the original was converted from qxd) Although document set up is facing pages – the master pages are master pages rather than spreads. This means if I want to insert a page and reflow the document – it just adds a page – so that I will have 3 pages in a row amongst a document of spreads.
I think this is because the masters are a right hand page and a left hand page rather than a spread. There is no reason why it shouldn’t be a spread!
Also the first page isn’t as a facing pages document should be – a right hand page – in this doc, it is a left – Arrrggghhhh!
I have tried everything I know – can anyone help – hopefully this makes sense? Is it possible to turn master pages into master spreads? I feel that this should be easy – but I can’t bloomin well find it and none of my peers know either.
BTW – if I try to create a new master it only allows me to do a page master not a spread. I did create a spread master by dragging up a spread from the main doc – I then applied that to the doc – but I still had the left hand first page and 3 pages in a row problem.
I am sure this is easy – but it’s got me!
Many thanks for you help if you can!!! Fingers crossed…
@Daisy: You can convert a 1-page master page into a “spread” by selecting the master page, then choosing Master Options from the Pages panel menu. Just change the number of pages from 1 to 2.
Boom! Exactly what I was looking for. Thank you!