Creating a dynamic PDF document is a good way to create an interactive slideshow. You can create interactive documents with buttons, movies and sound clips, hyperlinks, bookmarks, and page transitions. You can also set up documents in InDesign that can be converted to forms in Acrobat.

You can export Adobe PDF documents that include the following interactive features.

Bookmarks you create in the InDesign document appear in the Bookmarks tab on the left side of the Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader window. Each bookmark jumps to a page, text, or graphic in the exported PDF file. See Bookmarks.

You can add movies and sound clips to a document, or you can link to streaming video files on the Internet. These movies and sound clips can be played back in the exported PDF file. See Movies and sounds.

In an exported PDF document, clicking a hyperlink jumps to another location in the same document, to a different document, or to a website. See Hyperlinks.

A cross-reference refers readers from one part of your document to another in the exported PDF file. Cross-references are especially useful in user guides and reference manuals. When a document with cross-references is exported to PDF, the cross-references act as interactive hyperlinks. See Cross-references.

Page transitions apply a decorative effect, such as a dissolve or wipe, when you turn the page in the exported PDF while in Full Screen Mode. See Page transitions.

Export to interactive PDF options

The following options appear in the Export To Interactive PDF dialog.

General tab

Indicate whether all pages in the document, or a page range is included. If you select Range, specify a page range, such as 1-7, 9 to print pages 1 through 7 and 9. See Specifying pages to print.

Indicate whether you want to export the document as pages or spreads.

Select this option to create separate PDFs for each page or spread.

Initial view settings of the PDF when it’s opened.

Initial layout of the PDF when it’s opened.

Select Opens In Full Screen Mode to display the PDF in Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader without menus or panels displayed. To advance the pages automatically, select Flip Pages Every and specify the number of seconds between page turns.

Opens the newly created PDF file in the default PDF viewing application.

Specify one page transition to apply to all pages during export. If you use the Page Transitions panel to specify transitions, choose the From Document option to use those settings.

Select Include All to allow movies, sounds, and buttons to be interactive in the exported PDF file. Select Appearance Only to include the normal state of buttons and the video posters as static elements.

Embeds a thumbnail preview for each page in the PDF, increasing the file size. Deselect this setting when users of Acrobat 5.0 and later view and print the PDF; these versions generate thumbnails dynamically each time you click the Pages panel of a PDF.

Saves each InDesign layer as an Acrobat layer within the PDF. The layers are fully navigable, which allows users of Acrobat 6.0 and later to generate multiple versions of the file from a single PDF.

During export, automatically tags elements in the story based on a subset of the Acrobat tags that InDesign supports. This includes recognition of paragraphs, basic text formatting, lists, and tables. (You can also insert and adjust tags in the document before exporting to PDF. See Adding structure to PDFs.)

During export, uses the Tab Order specified using Object > Interactive > Set Tab Order. This option is only available for tagged PDFs.

Compression tab

Choose JPEG (Lossy) to remove image data and possibly reduce image quality. However, file size is reduced with a minimal loss of information. Choose JPEG 2000 (Lossless) to export the file without lossy compression. Choose Automatic to let InDesign determine the best quality for color and grayscale images.

Specifies the amount of detail in the exported image. The higher the quality, the larger the file size. This option is dimmed if you choose JPEG 2000 (Lossless) for Compression.

Specify the resolution of bitmap images in the exported PDF. Choosing a high resolution is especially important to allow viewers to zoom in on pixel-based content within your exported PDF. Choosing a high resolution can significantly increase the file size.

Advanced tab

Choose what to display in the title bar of Acrobat when it opens your PDF. Available options are Document Title and File Name.

Choose the document language for the PDF. This determines the default language for the exported PDF. If the required language is not in the list, you can also type the standard language ISO code.

Security tab

Select this option to require users to type the password you specify to open the document.

Specify the password that users must type to open the PDF file.

Restricts access to the PDF file’s security settings. If the file is opened in Adobe Acrobat, the user can view the file but must enter the specified Permissions password to change the file’s Security and Permissions settings. If the file is opened in Illustrator, Photoshop, or InDesign, the user must enter the Permissions password, since it is not possible to open the file in a view-only mode.

Specify a password that is required to change the permissions settings. This option is available only if the previous option is selected.

Specifies the level of printing that users are allowed for the PDF document.

Prevents users from printing the document.

Lets users print at no higher than 150‑dpi resolution. Printing may be slower because each page is printed as a bitmap image.

Lets users print at any resolution, directing high-quality vector output to PostScript and other printers that support advanced high-quality printing features.

Defines which editing actions are allowed in the PDF document.

Prevents users from making any changes to the document that are listed in the Changes Allowed menu, such as filling in form fields and adding comments.

Lets users insert, delete, and rotate pages, and create bookmarks and thumbnails.

Lets users fill in forms and add digital signatures. This option doesn’t allow them to add comments or create form fields.

Lets users add comments and digital signatures, and fill in forms. This option doesn’t allow users to move page objects or create form fields.

Lets users edit the document, create and fill in form fields, and add comments and digital signatures.

Lets users select and copy the contents of a PDF.

Lets visually impaired users read the document with screen readers, but doesn’t allow users to copy or extract the document’s contents.

Allows users to copy and extract content from the PDF. Selecting this option allows storage/search systems and search engines to access metadata stored in the document. 

Create PDF forms (CS5.5 and CS5)

Although InDesign does not provide tools for adding form fields, Adobe Acrobat does. You can create a form in InDesign that includes placeholders for fields such as radio buttons, check boxes, and text fields. Then you can export to PDF, and use Acrobat to convert the placeholders into form fields.

Additional Resources

The Acrobat team provides an article on Designing forms for auto field detection in Adobe Acrobat.

Michael Murphy provides a video tutorial about creating forms at Acrobat Friendly Form Design.

Preview interactive documents

Use the EPUB Interactivity Preview panel to preview the current selection, the current spread, or the entire document. You can resize, dock, or float the Preview panel, or move it to a second monitor.

Use Presentation Mode

Presentation Mode displays the active InDesign document as a presentation. In Presentation Mode, the application menu, panels, guides, and frame edges are hidden. The background area has a dark color by default in case your document size is a different proportion from your current monitor dimensions.

Presentation Mode is a helpful companion feature to the Adobe Connect feature. You can start a web meeting by using the File > Share My Screen command. Once the screen sharing has started, you can put your InDesign document into Presentation Mode.