Enhance your interactive pop-up windows in Adobe InDesign
- Angelo Montilla
- May 2, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 10, 2023
I have covered how to create pop-up windows in Adobe InDesign previous tutorials. However, this lesson takes it one step further as i'll go over how to create a subtle background when a pop-up window is triggered.
We'll use a catalog layout as an example so when a "Shop Online" button it triggered, it will launch the pop-up window as well as a dimmed background.
You can download the practice files for this tutorial below, or use your own InDesign layout using the same process.
The first step is to add animation to the pop-out window as well as the dimmed background. If you open the Layers panel, you will notice that both of those elements are on separate layers.
Zoom In (2D) Animation
Click on the grouped pop-up window and open the Animation panel.
You will notice that the grouped content is called "Product Info". With it selected, choose the preset of Zoom In (2D).
Set the Duration .25 sec.
Click on the dimmed background and in the Animation panel, choose the preset of Zoom In (2D).
Set the Duration to .125 sec.
Once the Animation has been set, it's time to add the interactivity to the buttons to trigger the animations. This will set up and Open/Close functionality.
You will need to hide the pop-up window and the Dimmed Background layers to access the trigger button in the first "Shop Online" example. This is the only one we will set up in the video, but go ahead and set up the others using the same method.
Button Interactivity
Click on the Trigger Button – this is an invisible rectangle frame place over the Shop Online text. Keep in mind that the Trigger buttons will have to be placed on their own layer at the very top of the layer stack.
Convert the object to a Button in the Buttons and Forms panel.
Name it Open Button.
In the Actions fly-out, choose Animation.
Set the Animation to Product Info and the Option to Play.
Add another Animation Action.
Set the Animation to Dimmed Background and the Option to Play.
Show the pop-up window again and double-click the close icon in the group. This will allow you to add interactivity to the close icon only.
With the close icon selected, convert the object to a Button in the Buttons and Forms panel.
Name it Close Button.
In the Actions fly-out, choose Animation.
Set the Animation to Product Info and the Option to Reverse.
Add another Animation Action.
Set the Animation to Dimmed Background and the Option to Reverse.
Hide the pop-up window and Dimmed Background again to access the Open Button in the main layout.
Click on the Open Button and in the Buttons and Forms panel, add a third Action of Show/Hide Buttons and Forms.
In the Visibility section, Ignore the Open Button, and Hide the Close Button. This can be done by switching the X to the eyeball icon with a slash through it.
Show the pop-up window again to access the Close Button in the group.
Click on the Close Button and in the Buttons and Forms panel, add a third Action of Show/Hide Buttons and Forms.
In the Visibility section, Ignore the Open Button, and Show the Close Button. This can be done by switching the X to the eyeball icon with a slash through it.
The button interactivity has been set up but there's one last step in order for the animation not to appear on page load. Click on the grouped pop-up window and in the Animation panel, deselect On Page Load from the Event(s) dropdown. Do the same for the Dimmed Background.
Follow along in the video tutorial to learn how to set Timing to both animations so once triggered, they play together.
