Animation, Button actions, and Object States can be created with InDesign’s built-in panels.

HTML embeds (like YouTube, Google Maps, Twitter feeds, etc) can be pasted onto the page or inserted via Object > Insert HTML.

Video and animated GIFs can simply be placed in InDesign using File > Place.

The tools are visually-oriented and easy-to-use, so you don’t have to know any code. It’s rather straight-forward to create interactivity with InDesign. I’ve detailed three ways to export HTML from InDesign (included in the video above as well).Įach of these solutions is HTML at its core. How to create interactive HTML from Adobe InDesign

True responsiveness (some PDF reader do automatic adjustments on small screens)ĭon’t know how to (or don’t care to) write HTML? Not a problem.

Remember the list of interactivity from above?

HTML has all of the same layout capabilities that PDF does and has a much greater interactive capacity. It’s the language of the web page that you’re reading right now. Here’s what you can switch to today that supports interactivity To see the breakdown of an interactive PDF in action, and to get a sneak peek at the solutions that I describe below, you can watch the following video.

The introduction of smartphones and tablets-almost none of which now support Flash-and a slew of new PDF readers, essentially guarantee that interactive PDF features will not work when your clients view your PDFs. *Video was supported previously in Acrobat and Adobe Reader, but it was dependent on the Flash Player (which no longer comes bundled with the Adobe apps).

Custom page transitions (like flipbook pages).

Button actions related to several of the above items.

Embedded HTML content (like YouTube videos).

Here’s a list of things that you can create with InDesign that don’t work in a PDF: It sounds like I’m exaggerating doesn’t it?Īlmost none of the interactivity in an interactive PDF actually works, even in Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader.

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