Learn How to Create an Interactive Scrolling Newsletter in Adobe InDesign

https://youtu.be/gL3iiQ2dMhA

In this tutorial, we’ll take a static newsletter layout in Adobe InDesign and turn it into an interactive web experience using animation, Multi-State Objects, buttons, scrolling frames, and Publish Online.

Instead of exporting a standard PDF, this workflow allows you to create a more engaging digital layout that can be viewed directly in a web browser. This is a great option for newsletters, digital reports, portfolios, internal communications, and other interactive publishing projects.

Setting Up the Newsletter Layout

For this project, I started with an A4 web-sized InDesign document. The width is set to 595.276 pixels, while the height was extended to 1500 pixels to give the layout room for a longer scrolling newsletter design.

Later in the tutorial, this taller layout will be placed inside a scrolling frame so the final published version can scroll vertically in the browser.

Before setting up the scrolling frame, we’ll begin by adding animation and interactivity to the newsletter.

Adding Animation

The first interactive effect focuses on the three round images and the horizontal line shape near the top of the layout.

The goal is to animate the line so it grows horizontally from right to left, followed by the three round images flying in from left to right.

To animate the line, select the line object and open the Animation panel. Apply the Grow animation and set the duration to 0.75 seconds.

Under the animation properties, use the Animate dropdown menu and choose To Current Appearance. This ensures the line does not physically move to a new location. Instead, only the appearance changes, creating the effect of the line expanding into place.

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Next, unlink the width and height values in the Scale options. Set the Width to 0% and the Height to 100%. This tells InDesign to start the animation with the line collapsed horizontally while maintaining its height.

By default, the line grows from the center. For this design, we want the line to grow from right to left, so change the reference point to the Right Centre anchor point.

Animating Multiple Images

Once the line animation is complete, the next step is to animate the three circular images.

Select the images from right to left. This is important because InDesign applies animation based on the order in which objects are selected. By selecting the third image first, then the second, then the first, you control the sequence in which the images animate.

With all three images selected, apply the Fly in from Left animation in the Animation panel. Leave the event set to On Page Load, and set the duration to 0.75 seconds to match the line animation.

This creates a consistent animation style where the line animates first, followed by the images flying into place.

Adjusting the Animation Timing

After applying the animations, open the Timing panel to control the pacing.

In the timing stack, the line animation appears first, followed by the three image animations. Select the first image in the stack and add a delay of 0.5 seconds. This creates a short pause between the line animation and the first image animation, making the sequence feel more intentional and polished.

To preview the animation, click the EPUB Preview button from one of the interactive panels. This allows you to test how the animation will play before publishing the final project.

Creating Multi-State Objects

Next, we’ll add interactivity using Multi-State Objects, also known as MSOs.

In this section of the newsletter, there are three stacked images and three corresponding text frames. Each image represents a top producer, and each text frame contains that producer’s bio.

The images are named:

• Jessica Thompson

• Daisy Stillman

• Tommy Walker

The text frames are named:

• Jessica Thompson Bio

• Daisy Stillman Bio

• Tommy Walker Bio

Renaming layers and objects is optional, but it makes this part of the process much easier. When adding interactivity, clear naming helps remove the guesswork and makes it easier to identify which object or state you are targeting.

To create the first Multi-State Object, select all three stacked images. Then open the Object States panel and click the plus icon to create a new MSO.

Rename the object to Top Producer Pics. Then rename the individual states to match each producer:

• Jessica Thompson

• Daisy Stillman

• Tommy Walker

Next, repeat the same process for the three bio text frames. Select all three text frames, create a new Multi-State Object, and rename the object to Top Producer Bios.

Then rename the states:

• Jessica Thompson Bio

• Daisy Stillman Bio

• Tommy Walker Bio

At this point, the images and bios are each set up as separate Multi-State Objects.

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Adding Button Interactivity

With the Multi-State Objects created, the next step is to add button interactivity so users can move through the carousel.

In the layout, there is a right arrow icon and a left arrow icon. These will be converted into interactive buttons.

Start by selecting the right arrow icon. Open the Buttons and Forms panel and convert the object into a button. Rename it Next Button.

Next, add the first action by clicking the plus icon and choosing Go to Next State. Set the object to Top Producer Pics.

Then click the plus icon again and add another Go to Next State action. This time, set the object to Top Producer Bios.

By adding both actions to the same button, the next button will advance both the image and the matching bio at the same time.

Repeat the same process for the left arrow icon, but use Go to Previous State instead. This creates a previous button that moves both Multi-State Objects backward through the carousel.

Preparing the Scrolling Frame

Before setting up the scrolling frame, you’ll need to download and install the Universal Scrolling Frames plug-in from Ajar Productions. Once downloaded, follow the included installation instructions and make sure you are using the latest version of InDesign so the plug-in works properly.

To prepare the newsletter for scrolling, select all the content on the page and group it by going to Object > Group, or by pressing Command/Ctrl + G.

Once grouped, cut the content by going to Edit > Cut, or by pressing Command/Ctrl + X.

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Now adjust the document height back to the proper A4 height. In the Properties panel, change the height value to 841.89 pixels.

Using the Rectangle Frame Tool, create a frame that covers the full page. Then right-click on the frame and choose Paste Into. This places the full newsletter design inside the frame.

You may need to reposition the content slightly so it sits correctly inside the container frame.

Applying the Universal Scrolling Frame

With the content pasted into the frame, select the container frame and open the Universal Scrolling Frame panel by going to Window > Universal Scrolling Frame.

Set the scroll direction to Vertical.

This allows the taller newsletter content to scroll vertically inside the visible A4 page area when the project is published online.

Publishing the Interactive Newsletter Online

To test the final interactive newsletter in a browser, use InDesign’s built-in Publish Online feature.

Go to File > Publish Online. This opens the Publish Online window, where you can give your project a name and review the publish settings.

For this example, the default settings work fine. Click Publish, and InDesign will upload the interactive newsletter to an Adobe-hosted server.

Once the upload is complete, open the published project in your web browser.

Testing the Final Result

After launching the published newsletter, refresh the browser to view the animation from the beginning.

The animated line and circular images should appear on page load, just as they were set up in InDesign. The vertical scrolling frame should also allow the user to scroll through the longer newsletter layout.

Next, test the interactive carousel. Click the next button to move to the next producer image and bio. Then click the previous button to move back to the previous state.

This confirms that both Multi-State Objects are being triggered together by the button actions.

One thing to note is that interactive elements may sometimes render slightly differently when using Publish Online. For example, button icons or navigation elements may appear slightly smaller in the published browser version depending on how the artwork is converted and scaled.

Final Thoughts

This workflow is a great way to turn a static InDesign layout into a more engaging digital experience.

By combining animation, Multi-State Objects, buttons, scrolling frames, and Publish Online, you can create interactive newsletters, digital reports, portfolios, presentations, and other web-based layouts directly from Adobe InDesign.

Instead of limiting your design to a static PDF, this approach gives your audience a more dynamic way to view and interact with your content online.