InCopy CC. Collaborate with copywriters and editors. What can you do with InCopy? InCopy lets copywriters and editors style text, track changes, and make simple layout modifications to a document while designers work on the same document simultaneously in Adobe InDesign CC all without overwriting each other’s contributions.

InCopy is a remarkable word processing program that is integrated with InDesign and simplifies collaboration. Adobe InCopy is capable of manipulating text without affecting the layout of the publication. This way the author, editor or proofreader gains control over the text, and the designer gains control over the page’s appearance. Besides, they can work on one document simultaneously (for instance, when using a local network). So, if you are working on an InDesign project with a team or independently, InCopy is a great tool and worth trying.

Adobe InCopy now boasts a completely new stylish, modern and user-friendly interface. Tools and palettes/panels feature new icons. It is possible to customize the interface according to the user’s preferences by selecting one of the four available color themes: dark (as you can see in the picture above), medium-dark, medium-light or light. InCopy enables users to be productive, fast and efficient no matter the task and the time when the project has to be completed. With the newly introduced Quick Apply feature, users can apply text styles and don’t remove the hands from the keyboard.

You can clearly see that developers have put a lot of thought into making the workflow as swift as possible. One more helpful feature is automatic text macros that expand short text strings, like “ic”, into lengthier portions of text. As for the automated bullets and numbering, they simplify the writer’s workflow.

In this Adobe InCopy review, I can’t help but mention a favorite feature of mine – Application frame. It was the standard view in the Windows version. With this feature, it is possible to enclose all the program’s panels and documents in one window in order to eliminate distracting background elements. This will simplify the working process and make it clearer. With the Application bar’s control buttons at hand, users may effortlessly alter the document view and switch between numerous commands to organize various open documents.

The newly introduced Workspace Switcher drop-down menu is meant for a quick choice of a task-specific working area from a variety of them. You may try changing from the standard working area to a custom table-editing one that will showcase only those menus and panels necessary for editing tables. The Links panel showcases thumbnail pictures of files. It has been improved and now provides detailed, editable data about linked files, such as the date of creation and last modification, the name of the user who was the last to modify the story, the status of all modifications and so on. When this info is easily accessible, file management won’t bring you any difficulties.

Thanks to the joint design workflow, one person may design a page, a chapter or a spread in a layout application and then wait for an editor or writer to complete the copy. Once it is done, the text is being imported in to the layout application. In case the copy requires a small edit at a short notice, the editor will be waiting for the designer to complete the work in the layout application. Only after that, it will be possible to make the edit.

In the same way, when the designer has to make such edits to the layout, they will be waiting for the editor to complete the file. This process seems to be incessant and is a pain in the neck for everyone involved. With this ineffective linear approach, people have to constantly wait for each other. The bottom line is that it slows down the entire publishing process.