Adobe InDesign/Indesign CS4 Masterpages

Advertisement

Expert: InDesign Pro - 6/23/2009


Question
Hello
When I create a B Masterpage I cannot edit it.  What am I doing wrong? I go into the page panel and select new Masterpage based on A Masterpage...
Many thanks in advance
Best regs
Jann

Answer

Pages Panel Contextual
Hi Jann, thanks for the question.

When you base a master page on another master, it keeps the items of the A-Master locked, so that any changes you'd like to do, are consistent for both... that's the "based-on" part.

However, if you would like to override something from an A-Master so that your B-Master is the only one that changes, you can hold Command-Shift (Mac) and click the item to unlock it. Or, you can go to your fly out menu (the top-right corner of the Pages panel), and choose Override Master Items if you want to unlock them all.

Your "based-on" master is basically a master for your second master. That way if you do have a page head that is the same throughout your document, but you have a different column setups, you can change the page head on your A-Master and it will updated each based-on master.

Of course, you can create a new master that isn't based on any other masters, and it will be blank so you can create your own items on it from scratch.

Hope this helps, let me know if there's anything else.

Scott
    Questioner's Rating
    Rating(1-10)Knowledgeability = 10Clarity of Response = 10Politeness = 10
    CommentDear Scott Once again you have solved my problem. Your answer makes total sense of course - dont know why I didnt think of it! Thank you again for you assistance. Best regs Jann


  • Add to this Answer
  • Ask a Question

InDesign Pro

Expertise

As a professional graphic designer, I use Adobe InDesign every day and can answer all of your InDesign-related questions. I will give you easy-to-understand and precise answers, along with many tips and tricks to save you time while working on every project. I have spent years helping beginners learn InDesign, as well as helping professionals master the many features of the world's most powerful page-layout software. Thank-you for your submissions. Please include your operating system (e.g., Mac OS X 10.5.x) and InDesign version (e.g., InDesign CS4) with your questions. Thanks!

Experience

After starting my design career using QuarkXPress and PageMaker for many years, the release of InDesign instantly caught my eye. Being one of the reasons for Adobe buying Aldus, I knew this would change the publishing world very quickly. I started using InDesign's first release and haven't looked back. I have dedicated my work and much of my spare time using InDesign to its fullest—and it's paid off. My workflow is quicker, my computer runs smoother, and my files print cleaner and without problem.

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.