How do I distort/skew text?

[Guest]

Hi,

I need to change the perspective of the text on my poster document to make it look like a page lying on a desk, the top of the page smaller (giving the impresion it's further away) to match the paper I've already distorted in photoshop.  If you could tell me how to do this with images as well that would be great, then I won't have to distort the image in photoshop before placing it in InDesign.

Many thanks experts!

Sophie

[Manish-Sharma]

go to windows-->object & layout --->transform, you will find all the tools and option to play with for this task.  (break the chain lik icon in the transform panel for better control)

However it works on comlplete frame , hence if you want to edit the frame width or hight at one side then use direct selection or selection tool.

[Jongware]

.. all the tools and option to play with for this task ..

Except proper Perspective. That's not doable with InDesign.

[Manish-Sharma]

yes,,,,valid point....but I beleive another image created from Photoshop as said in the OP can be used as the reference when working on the pictures in Indesign.

The reference picture couls help in setting up the prespective but yes it would not be automatic we have to do it manually and mainly depend on the options present and skills.\

as In indesign we will tricking to show the object in 3D but actually its in 2D , not as in Illustrator where we have prespective tool to use.(it also work on 2D but show as it is 3d)

more of the skill job and user requirement

[Guest]

Hi,

Thanks for this, I have found the 'transform' options, but I can't seem to just make the top of the text box thinner or the bottom of the box wider whether I have the chain broken or not..

Sophie

[Peter Spier · Accepted solution]

You can use the Direct Select tool (white arrow) to move inidividual corners of the text frame, to get the shape you want, but this won't distort the text inside the frame which would happen with true perspective. You'll have to go through line by line and manually tweak the font size, and maybe even add varying amounts of left and right skew to individual characters to really get the full effect.

[Manish-Sharma]

What we are providing here is the workaround not the resolution........You have to work a lot in Indesign to get the exact 3D effect , every detail you have to check and then change it yourself as said by Peter.

Better would be to use application like Illustrator which have perspective tool to create 3d like effect and then copy and paste from there.

[Guest]

Ok thanks.  I don't actually want to get the full 3D effect with the text, just simply make the top of the text box thinner than the bottom.  This shape:

[Peter Spier]

Select each of the top two corners in turn and move them toward the center handle.

[Peter Spier]

That should have said select each of the top two coneres in turn with the direct select tool.

[Guest]

Nope, I'm being a complete idiot, I still can't seem to do it, the direct selection tool is the usual selection tool?  Hang on here's a picture, I'm selecting the white square in the top right hand corner of the object which only gives me the option to rotate or resize the object..

[Manish-Sharma]

There are two selection tool , black arrow and the white arrow .....select the white arrow tool and then click on the box.

In your screen shot there are big 8 square.....4 on edges and 2 in center.

however when you select with the direct selection tool(white arrow tool) then there will be only 4 small sqaure, that's the main difference.

hence create the box with the black arrow and to resize the edge do it with the white arrow.

[Guest]

Brilliant, thanks so much, was still using only the black arrow tool despite someone explaining to use the white one previously.  Thanks for talking it through with me so simply!