We’re all pretty familiar with the big new features in InDesign CS5. Features such as multiple page sizes have gotten plenty of air time, but there are so many hidden gems in CS5 that’s it’s really hard to know where to start.
Many have already been discussed but one of my favorites involves the use of Mini Bridge to find all of the links used in a document. This is particularly handy when you’re working on a document and would like to use a graphic that you’ve used in a different InDesign file. In the past, you’d have to open that other document, then look for the link in the links panel and finally, find where it’s stored.
Those steps can be eliminated now. With Mini Bridge open, browse to the InDesign CS5 file that has the graphic you’d like to use. A small icon will appear if you have either detail views or thumbnail views enabled.
Right clicking (control+click if you’re still using a one button mouse) on the file will bring up a contextual menu:
Choose Show Linked Files and Mini Bridge will display all of the assets used in the document regardless of where they are stored. Find the one you need and just drag it into your new document.
As I understand it, this feature uses a new method of embedding metadata InDesign files and therefore won’t work with files saved in earlier versions. And in case you’re wondering, this also works in the full version of Bridge.
This article was last modified on December 20, 2021
This article was first published on July 16, 2010
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