How to make a presentation in InDesign scroll horizontally

[Amy24590612gi4z]

Hi all!  A client sent me a presentation someone else has done and asked me to do one like it. It was done in InDesign, however, I'm at a loss as to how they did it. It is a presentation with an arrow on the right and left which are clickable to take the user to the next or previous "slide." Is there an extension I need to do this? If I save as an Interactive PDF it just makes a pdf that you look through by normal vertical scrolling which is not what I want. I hope someone out there knows the answer! Thanks!!

[Mike Witherell]

You draw the arrows in InDesign, and convert them to clickable nav buttons using the Buttons and Forms panel built into InDesign. Export to interactive PDF. Also, you can add screen transitions from the Pages panel menu button.

[Amy24590612gi4z]

Hi Mike, Thanks, but it still scrolls vertically page to page, not horizontally. 

[Amy24590612gi4z]

From Googling, it seems it might be easier to use Adobe Express for this, which I've never used before. I am comfortable with Adobe products, so I am thinking it must be intuitive. Ha. But maybe that's my best bet.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

I'd say the page transition Cover, set to left or right action, is what you're looking for. (Page Transitions palette, under Window | Interactive.)

[Amy24590612gi4z]

Hi James, i don't need a transition, but thank you. I literally want to click on an arrow on the right and it moves to the next page. Also, from what I'm reading, interactive PDFs and page transitions aren't so friendly. I can't believe Im having so much trouble with this. It's so frustrating. I went to use Adobe Express, but it's too limiting. There must be an easy was to do this that I'm missing.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

You are right about functional issues — which nearly all boil down to using genuine Acrobat for display and not any secondary PDF viewer, which is difficult to control among a remote user base. But a horizontal 'cover' exactly resembles a horizontal scroll, so.

ETA: Also.. when I open a PDF in full screen mode, the only scroll option is horizontal. It all may come down to (as Mike notes) not having much control over the viewing app used, its setup and the reader's choices and actions.

The other thought that occurred to me is that the source spreads and/or the PDF pages are rotated. Haven't tried this, but if the completed presentation had its spreads rotated 90 degrees CCW, and/or the pages were rotated in PDF, it might emulate a horizontal scroll. (I much prefer PDF for presentations over the horror that is P*w*rP**nt, but I tend to keep them simple and avoid the interactive elements.)

[Amy24590612gi4z]

Thank you. I wish I could show you the deck that my client wants me to basically copy, but it's proprietary. When I click the link from the client it takes me to an https:adobe.indd.com/name of their file page. It seems they are publishing it from indesign, so I am assuming they created it in InDesign and maybe that's just not true. I've seen different people open this on their systems, and it always works the same. Not sure how they accomplishedthis. 

[Amy24590612gi4z · Accepted solution]

Ok, well apparently when you publish online in InDesign it creates the little arrows and it automatically scrolls horitzontally. Thanks for your help guys!

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

Publish Online and PDF are not the same thing. 🙂

[Amy24590612gi4z]

Hi James, yes, I clearly see that now. I have been out of design for a couple of years and everything is so different. The whole publish online thing is a learning curve for me. If I do Publish Online, then anyone can see it if I give them the link, correct?

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

That's the idea — almost any InDesign layout can be easily published to a platform where the URL can be shared and viewed by pretty much anyone. The reality, that there are stumblling points on what can be included, how well (and how) the interactive features work, controlling access, editing and updating PO docs... the consensus of those experienced with 'downstream' Adobe features like this is to use it, be patient with its flaws, hope for fixes... but in no way ever count on it being there tomorrow.

[Mike Witherell]

There was a time when you designed in InDesign, and viewed in Acrobat Pro on desktop computer. All that stuff worked. But not anymore, since the advent of tablets, smartphones, walled gardens, etc. The fragmentation of software standards sometimes means you have to make multiple versions for multiple devices.

[Amy24590612gi4z]

Thanks Mike. Boy, I take a couple years off and come back and the whole landscape is different!

[Mike Witherell]

The best solution I have found is a Barbaresco and a sunny day near Alba in Italy. 

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

...he says, as the temperature outside slowly slides from zero-ish to -12. 😛

[Amy24590612gi4z]

I like that solution! 🙂