COLOR

There are two color palettes in InDesign; one for the process colors and any PMS or other inks (swatches), and one for mixing colors to use for any reason.

In both palettes, you’ll find the text/object icons that determine what will be affected by the color you select.

You also have a transparency palette, which shouldn’t be confused with the tint field in the swatches palette

Transparency means something underneath will show. Tint refers to a percentage of color, and in InDesign, objects with a tint percentage are still opaque, just paler versions of the selected color.

Objects with a transparency assigned can also have a blending mode, the same way you can assign a blending mode in Photoshop. Tints are flat.

The gradient palette is identical to the one in Illustrator. Use your color palette to select different colors for the color stops. Note the "reverse" option to switch the direction of the gradient.

Gradients can be transparent (see above, right).