Building iPad Apps With InDesign
Back in September of 2012, Adobe released Digital Publishing Suite, Single Edition. If you were a Creative Cloud subscriber, this meant you could create unlimited single-issue iPad apps. But what does this mean exactly and how is the single edition different than the original Digital Publishing Suite, Professional Edition?
What is Adobe Digital Publishing Suite, Single Edition?
“Adobe® Digital Publishing Suite, Single Edition provides small to midsize design studios and freelance designers an intuitive and affordable way to create, develop, and deliver iPad apps such as brochures, portfolios, yearbooks, or annual reports without writing code. Its newly improved workflow is tailored specifically to meet the needs of designers. Use familiar Adobe InDesign® CS6 skills to develop content that inspires and engages.” (Source: http://www.adobe.com/products/digital-publishing-suite-single.html)
Single Edition [custom_list style=”list-1″]
- For small to midsize companies and freelance designers
- Publish single issue apps (e.g. brochure, portfolio, annual report)
- Can only publish for the iPad
- Cost: $49.99/month (Creative Cloud members, unlimited single-issue apps) or $395/app
- For midsize traditional media, business publishers, and membership organizations
- Publish multi-issue apps (e.g. monthly magazine)
- Can publish for multiple devices: iPad, Kindle, Android devices
- Cost: $495/month
While there are some definite advantages to the Professional Edition, most small design studios and freelance designers could not justify the cost. Single Edition gives small business the opportunity to create iPad Apps using Adobe InDesign and the Digital Publishing tools, without breaking the bank. Even better, the Digital Publishing tools added to InDesign are intuitive and easy to use.
In Image 1 below, the new DPS panels are open—Folio Builder and Folio Overlays. If you have the Digital Publishing Suite, Single Edition, these panels will be added to InDesign. I use the Folio Builder panel to begin building my app and I use the Folio Overlay panel to add interactivity to my app. Some of the interactive elements that can be added include: Pan/Zoom, Slideshow, Audio & Video, Hyperlinks, Panoramas and Scrollable Frames. I’m given the option to preview on my desktop using Adobe Content Viewer or my iPad (if synced to my computer) using the Adobe Content Viewer App.
Image 1: Creating a Folio in InDesign, using DPS tools
I will continue to write more about the exciting tools in the Adobe Digital Publishing Suite, Single Edition. I am currently building an App from start to finish using Single Edition. Once complete, I will share our experience, some of the processes, and of course the App!
[message type=”simple”]Don’t see any Digital Publishing Suite classes on our schedule? They are coming this spring—stay tuned! Interested in learning more about InDesign CS6 and all the other great features? We offer small, hands-on InDesign classes, taught by expert instructors. We teach from experience—not from a manual.[/message]
