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How Would You Add an Animation to an Object on a Page in InDesign?

Published in InDesign Animation 2 mins read

Adding animation to objects in Adobe InDesign is a straightforward process primarily managed through the Animation panel.

The Core Method: Using the Animation Panel

To animate an object on your InDesign page, you typically follow these steps:

  1. Place the Object: First, ensure the object you wish to animate is placed in your InDesign document on the page where you want the animation to occur. This could be an image, text frame, shape, or group of objects.
  2. Open the Animation Panel: Navigate to the Animation panel. You can find this by going to Window > Interactive > Animation.
  3. Select the Object: With the Animation panel open, select the object on your page that you want to animate.
  4. Choose a Motion Preset: In the Animation panel, select a desired animation type from the Preset menu. This menu offers a variety of pre-defined movements and effects like 'Fly In', 'Fade In', 'Bounce', and more.
  5. Specify Options: After choosing a preset, the panel will display various options specific to that animation. These options allow you to control aspects like:
    • Event: When the animation plays (e.g., On Page Load, On Click).
    • Duration: How long the animation lasts.
    • Delay: How long to wait before the animation starts.
    • Speed: The speed of the animation.
    • Number of Plays: How many times the animation repeats.
    • Visibility: Whether the object is hidden before or after animating.
  6. Edit the Motion Path (Optional but Powerful): For presets that involve movement (like 'Fly In'), InDesign automatically generates a motion path. You can edit this motion path directly on the page using the standard drawing tools:
    • Use the Pen tool to add or delete points on the path.
    • Use the Direct Selection tool (the white arrow) to select and drag individual points or path segments to reshape the movement.

Practical Considerations

  • Previewing: Use the EPUB Interactivity Preview panel (Window > Interactive > EPUB Interactivity Preview) to test how your animation looks and behaves.
  • Multiple Animations: You can apply different animations to multiple objects on the same page.
  • No Preset: You can also choose the "No Preset" option and manually configure properties like Opacity, Rotation, and Scale over time using the panel's settings.

By using the Animation panel and its presets, combined with the ability to fine-tune timing and motion paths, you can add dynamic visual effects to your InDesign layouts for digital publications.