What program is used to design actual real magazine pages?
Is there a specific program? Or can photoshop do the job? Is it even possible to do it in photoshop?
Quark Xpress or Adobe InDesign are the two standard “page layout” programs.
InDesign has been growing in popularity and may be the preferred package by now, but Quark has a long history and a lot of plug-ins that many established publications are unable to part with.
It’s technically possible to do this in almost any graphics program (like Photoshop), but not at all practical due to the high resolution required, especially for typography (1200dpi+), lack of multi-page layouts, and lack of layout tools.
People frequently create magazine advertisements using only Adobe Illustrator with assistance from Photoshop. This gives the designer more creative freedom than a page-layout program, but don’t support multi-page layouts. The magazine will import these files into Quark or InDesign for final layout and production.
Is InDesign similar to Photoshop?
You can try InDesign out for 30 days, see if you like it.
Simliar in that its an adobe program and uses similar interface mechanics. The application itself is quite different.
It’s easy to pick up though. When creating long documents like project books, portfolios, etc, it’s great to understand how to use Indesign. For example lets say you want to make 2 columns of text wrapped around an image. In photoshop you’d have to make several text boxes, manually cut and paste your text into each box, manually wrap your text around your image, and adjust them all so everything fits. If you needed to edit the text later you’d need to redo everything to get it to look right.
With indesign it’s just a matter of pasting your text into the columns and telling it to wrap. You can link text between multiple boxes and it will automatically update when you add/remove text. Lots of great features like that which make it worth using. Also much easier to layout spreads, export multi page PDF’s, etc.
Indesign is the standard page layout program.
i wouldnt really say that it is similar at all to photoshop (other than being an adobe app). if anything, its more similar to MS word or illustrator.
key difference is that PS is a pixel based editor, while indesign/illustrator use objects and vectors (and pixels as well for pics). this is important going to print for best resolution of text and editing and managing layout.
you can do single pages OK in illustrator, but as mentioned managing anything more than a single page isnt optimal, and there is also a lot more control of print/press variables in indesign (ie. colorspace, seperations, source file resolution, version editing, etc.).
if you can handle illustrator and know the basics of page layout design and printing Indesign is pretty easy to pickup the basics of.
R