Believe it or not, CS5 contains more than just an upgrade to Photoshop. Yes, folks, my beloved InDesign also has a new and improved version. You might have been questioning whether we were even aware of that, given that Deke is admittedly heads-down the new Illustrator book at the moment and I was in the middle of installing InDesign CS5 as we recorded this very episode. In fact, I was 40% installed on ID CS5 when three of my favorite InDesigners turned up in the ‘lounge for an InDesign Phone-In Roundabout Free-For-All. (It’s like getting ready for a party. Stock the bar, make the hors d’ourves, install the software.)

Good thing our guests, David Blatner and Anne-Marie Concepcion of InDesign Secrets and David Futato, Deke’s very own Design Mastermind, had been poking and prodding the thing for months and had fun stuff to share.

For instance:

• New interactive improvements, including the Animation panel for myself. I’m glad print designers have a pathway with a familiar tool to join the e-publishing juggernaut.
• Ability to span text across multiple columns on a paragraph-by-paragraph basis, which means not having to make a separate frame for your spanning heads.
• Tracked changes. Finally. Michael Ninness, former PM of InDesign threatened to name this feature “The Colleen and Deke Honorary Feature:” Colleen, because I kept whining for it, and Deke because he’s Deke.
• Mini-Bridge and a revamped Layers panel that allow you to manage your assets effectively from within the layout program.

And so much more.

Don’t let Photoshop have all the fun, come hear about InDesign. Here’s the regular-quality (128kbps) audio file. You can stream, or for best results, right-click and choose Download or Save. For you audiophiles out there, here’s the link to the high-quality (320kbps) version. Be sure to download, don’t stream. And don’t forget the usual suggestion to subscribe via iTunes.

Thanks to our guests for representing not only InDesign but multiple time zones as well. Thanks David, AM, and David. Cheers!