Image Frames

Moving on with other types of frames,
including image frames.

So, we looked at using the type tool
to draw our frame, now we're going to use

our rectangle or other frames which is
right here to draw some

areas for some images.

So, this looks a lot like our standard
rectangle, but it isn't, notice here we've

got this X going through the rectangle?

That's a frame.

Whereas here, which is a regular
rectangle tool,

it acts like a shape.

Underneath the rectangle frame tool,
you have a circular version or

a polygon version, all of those are
great.

Remember frames are going to be used
to sort-of contain the area of the image,

it's almost like, um, a picture frame.

So, let's just start with the rectangle
frame and I am simply going to

draw out an area where I want my image
to go; I just click and drag, there it is,

there's the frame, big ol' X in the
middle.

Now again, this is different than a
rectangle.

I'm going to use this as a place holder
for now, or place my image

if I'm ready to go.

Often, you can create a design where you
lay it out without any of your information

yet, maybe you send it to a photographer,
they fill in the images, vice versa.

Okay, so, let's go ahead and place a
graphic; a couple ways to do this, its

going to go inside this frame, so if
you've clicked off for some reason,

you can click back on it, make sure you've
got it selected with your selection tool,

you can use the quick action down here
called import file or file place.

These are the same--getcha to the same
place.

Okay, so file, place, you're going to
navigate to where your image might be,

I've got some images ready to go in this
Lorax folder and I'm just going to grab

one of them; this little Lorax,
here we go, open.

Now, important to note, images are always
placed at 100% of their size, so if you're

working with photographs you need to
make sure you're working in photoshop,

editing it correctly, sizing it to the
correct size and resolution before

putting it into InDesign.

So, you can see this file actually is a
little bit smaller than my frame but,

that's okay, I can always adjust my frame
using my selection tool, so I can

drag it in from the top to the bottom,
or if you want to do that a little bit

quicker, so there's no space around it,
you can use frame fitting down here.

So, there's some really good opportunities
here.

you can fill your frame proportionally,
now this is an interesting one where

it does make it feel like it sized it,
but again, if your image is low quality

you might notice some degradation,
so it basically filled it out

proportionally, so not skewing it,
but you do loose some of your image.

We have fit content proportionally,
so that will fit it towards the

top and bottom edge, but it's not actually
skewed it.

Then we have some fit content to frame,
watch what happens, this is stretch it

so, I don't really recommend that.

Same idea, uh, actually this fourth one is
a really good one where this one makes

your frame go down to size of your actual
image and then this autofit sometimes

can also be really useful, this is going
to, um,

autofit your frame and your content
together, so those can be good.

But let's divide into what's happening in
this actual image.

Now, we've got our frame, this is the
bounding box, I can see all eight

of those editing boxes, I can move my
frame in, notice I'm not moving the image

I'm moving the frame because I've got the
frame with that blue box,

so all I'm doing is adjusting the frame,
image is staying the same,

the frame kind-of acts like a cropping
mechanism in this case, so that's useful.

I can, of course, make a skewed frame by
using my direct selection tool.

I can also, think about how to work with
the actual image.

Now, so far, I've only been using the
frame.

The image itself, if you hover over,
in this middle zone, you get what's called

content grabber, click here, just once,
now, we have a new colorful edge,

this is like this orange kind-of golden
color, right?

You see that?

So, that is the image, not the frame,
the moment you enter the content

grabber, you're working with the image.

If I move, notice I'm moving the image,
you can see the orange bounding box,

I've just shifted this whole image over,
which is getting it really misaligned

to my frame, so be really careful,
now look, my frame is in the same spot,

but my image is way over.

If you want to size up or down, scaling,
your actual image, not the frame,

this is where you go, you need to be on
the orange bounding box.

Now, holding shift is important depending
on your version that keeps it proportional

so you aren't skewing your image and then
come into the image and get it aligned

with your frame in the way that you want
it to be aligned.

Now again, let's do this one more time.

I'm going to go ahead and just click off,
click anywhere else.

Normal, image, frame, blue,
blue bounding box, the moment I enter the

content grabber right here in the middle,
orange bounding box, that orange bounding

box is how I can scale up or down,
I can move the image

let to right, excreta.

If you are attempting--now I've got things
real crazy here--if you are attempting

to move them both at the same time,
if you just grab your actual frame,

you should be able to carry them together.

If you want to scale them together at the
same time--oops command-Z--shift and

command are what you need to do,
so I'm going to back myself up.

So, notice I just got the blue bounding
box, I'm going to hold down shift and

command, that tells InDesign 'resize the
frame and resize the content',

shift and command, their both getting
smaller in the same proportion.

Okay, so that is our basics of working
with images.

I'm going to delete this, now I'm going
to draw a couple other frames,

let's do something more interesting,
let's do a polygon.

Remember if you hold shift you're
going to keep things proportional.

Polygon, I know it's a frame, it has the
X.

Let's try the import file.

Import file, find your file, say open,
now its placed it in their, now again,

its not quite right as far as the sizing
goes, so do I need to edit

the size of the frame?

I can use the selection tool,
editing the size of the frame,

making it fit a little bit better to my
content, scaling it down, now I have a

frame that's constraining my image
to this particular shape.

So, if I need to edit the image itself,
click on the content grabber, now I see

the orange frame and I know this is the
image scaling it up or down, left or right.

Okay, other ways of working.

You can always draw out your design first,
knowing perhaps that you want a big image,

draw it out, maybe you want one smaller
image, put it right here, and perhaps you

want some text, you could just draw some
text right there and maybe fill it with

some dummy text right here so you can
start to build your design.

If you want to place more than one image
at a time, we can do that.

I'm going to go back here, I'm going do
do file, place, and let's say I absolutely

know I want this one and the one beneath
it, I'm going to hold the shift key,

I've grabbed two files and say open,
now look what's happened to my cursor,

it is preloaded with my two files, it has
an icon that says number two, if you

use your arrow on your keyboard you can
scroll through to get a preview of which

one you're starting with.

I want to start with this one and I'm
going to place it here, now its preloaded

my second one and I'm going to place it
in this frame.

Now, this one of course, was not quite
the right size, so maybe I want to do

some frame fitting, I can fill the
frame proportionally, here it looks like

I'm not quite there either with the actual
image size, I'm going to leave it for now

just to keep it simple, but that's a way
where you can load multiple images

into your cursor and then place them on
fly really quickly.

So, practice placing your images,
also called importing, drawing out your

image frames and understanding how to
edit them with the content grabber

and the bounding box.