5. Placing and Working with Graphics

Introduction

You can use InDesign’s Place command to insert artwork into an open document. InDesign lets you place graphic files saved in Illustrator AI, Photoshop PSD, JPEG, EPS, TIFF, PICT (Mac), and PDF (Portable Document Format) formats, to name a few. You can even place another InDesign INDD file into a document. With the Place command, you can place multiple graphics of different types at the same time. If you need more control over the import and placement of graphics in your document, you can display and use an import dialog box for the type of graphic that you want to place.

When you place graphics, InDesign loads them into a graphic preview cursor, which you can use to place them into a new or existing frame. When you place a graphic, InDesign creates a link to the original file. You can display and work with linked graphics in the Links panel.

Before you can work with the graphic in a frame, you need to select it first. You have several options depending on what you want to accomplish. You can select the frame and graphic, just the frame, or just the graphic. When you place a graphic into a frame, it doesn’t always fit the way you want. You can automatically resize the graphic to fill the entire frame or proportionally fill the frame. In some cases you want to place a graphic on top of an existing graphic. This is called a nesting graphic. For example, you can place a graphic in a rectangle frame, and then place another graphic in a circle frame inside the rectangle frame.

When you place multiple graphics in a document, the display performance of your screen can slow down. You can change display resolution settings for the entire document or for individual graphics to improve performance.

Placing Graphics

   ID 4.1

You can use InDesign’s Place command to insert artwork into an open document. InDesign lets you place graphic files saved in Illustrator AI, Photoshop PSD, BMP, JPEG, EPS, PNG, TIFF, GIF, WMF, PICT (Mac), SCT, DCS, and PDF formats, to name a few. You can even place another InDesign INDD file into a document. You can place multiple graphics of different types at the same time. When you place graphics, InDesign loads them into a graphic preview cursor, which you can use to place them into a new or existing frame. When you draw a new frame, the frame constrains to the proportions of the graphic unless you hold down Shift. The scale is displayed as part of the loaded cursor (New!).

Place a Graphic

To place a graphic into an existing frame (rectangle, elliptical, or polygon), select the frame using the Selection or Direct Selection tool on the Tools panel.

Click the File menu, and then click Place.

Click the Files of Type (Win) or Enable (Mac) list arrow, and then click Importable Files, or select a specific file format.

Navigate to the drive or folder location with the file you want to import.

Select the graphic file you want to place.

Select the Replace Selected Item check box to replace the selected item with the imported graphic.

Click Open.

The imported graphic is placed in a loaded preview cursor.

Click or drag a rectangle frame with the loaded cursor to place the graphic in a new frame, or click in an empty frame to place it in an existing frame.

• To place the graphic in an existing frame with a graphic, Alt (Win) or Option (Mac) click in the frame to add the graphic to it.

Placing Graphics with Options

   ID 4.1, 4.4

If you need more control over the import and placement of graphics in your document, you can display and use an import dialog box for the type of graphic that you want to place. For example, when you import Illustrator artwork, you can specify import options to select individual artboards (New!), layers, and a transparent background. When you import most images, such as TIFF and JPEG, you can specify import options to apply a clipping path along with an Alpha Channel and specify a color profile. For a Photoshop image, you can also select layers.

Place Graphics with Options

Click the File menu, and then click Place.

Click the Files of Type (Win) or Enable (Mac) list arrow, and then click Importable Files.

Navigate to the drive or folder location with the file you want to import.

Select the file you want to place.

Select the Show Import Options check box to select import options.

Click Open.

• If you don’t select the Show Import Options check box, you can press Shift as you click the Open button to show import options.

Select the options you want. Options vary depending on the imported file format.

Click OK.

The imported graphic is placed in a loaded cursor.

Click or drag a rectangle frame with the loaded cursor to place the graphic where you want it in your document.

Setting Place Import Options

   ID 4.1, 4.4

When you import graphics saved from Photoshop, Illustrator, or other compatible graphics programs, you can specify import options to use the same transparency as the original file, set the visibility of layers, and use clipping paths, which allows you to use only part of a graphic (the rest is transparent). If you save a Photoshop file with an Alpha Channel (white or shades of gray) as a PSD, TIFF or JPEG, or with a clipping path as a PSD, TIFF or EPS, you can import the graphic into your document and retain the Alpha Channel transparency or clipping path. For Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and PDF files, you can specify which layers in the file you want to import into your document.

Import Layers or Transparency

Click the File menu, and then click Place.

Select the file (PSD, AI, INDD, or PDF) you want to place.

Select the Show Import Options check box to select import options.

Click Open.

The Image Import Options dialog box appears.

To set transparency, click the General tab, and then select the Transparent Background check box.

To set layer visibility, click the Layers tab, and then do any of the following:

• Show or Hide Layers. Click the visibility icon.

• Update Links. Select options to reset/use or maintain layer visibility overrides.

Click OK.

Click or drag a rectangle frame with the loaded cursor to place the graphic.

To edit the layers options, click the Object menu, and then click Object Layer Options.

Import and Modify Clipping Paths or Alpha Channels

Click the File menu, and then click Place.

Select the file (PSD, TIFF, JPEG, or EPS) with the clipping path or Alpha Channel you want to place.

Select the Show Import Options check box to select import options.

Click Open.

The Image Import Options dialog box appears.

Click the Image tab.

To import clipping paths, select the Apply Photoshop Clipping Path check box.

To select an Alpha Channel, click the Alpha Channel list arrow, and then select the one you want or select None.

Click OK.

Click or drag a rectangle frame with the loaded cursor to place the graphic.

To edit the clipping path, do any of the following:

• Modify Path Shape. Click the Selection tool, select the path, and drag points and handles.

• Convert Path to a Frame. Select the path, click the Object menu, point to Clipping Path, and then click Convert Clipping Path to Frame.

• Set Path Options. Click the Object menu, point to Clipping Path, and then click Options.

Placing Multiple Graphics

With the Place command, you can place multiple graphics of different types at the same time. When you place graphics, InDesign loads them into a graphic preview cursor, which you can use to place them into a new or existing frame. A number appears in the loaded cursor indicating the number of loaded graphics. With the loaded cursor, you can also create a contact sheet to place multiple graphics in a grid arrangement (New!).

Place Multiple Graphics

Click the File menu, and then click Place.

Click the Files of Type (Win) or Enable (Mac) list arrow, and then click Importable Files.

Navigate to the drive or folder location with the files you want to import.

Select the graphic files you want to place.

• To select multiple files, use the Ctrl (Win) or (Mac) key for individual files or the Shift key for a range of files.

Click Open.

The imported graphic is placed in a loaded preview cursor. A number appears indicating the number of loaded graphics.

• Use the arrow keys to cycle through the graphic preview in the loaded cursor.

• Press Esc to delete the graphic in the preview of the loaded cursor.

• Use Alt (Win) or Option (Mac) to swap the element in the frame with the graphic in the loaded cursor.

Click or drag a rectangle frame with the loaded cursor to place each graphic in a new frame, or click in an empty frame to place the graphic in an existing frame.

Place Multiple Graphics to Create a Contact Sheet

Click the File menu, and then click Place.

Click the Files of Type (Win) or Enable (Mac) list arrow, and then click Importable Files.

Navigate to the drive or folder location with the file you want to import.

Select the graphic files you want to place.

• To select multiple files, use the Ctrl (Win) or (Mac) key for individual files or the Shift key for a range of files.

Click Open.

The imported graphic is placed in a loaded preview cursor. A number appears indicating the number of loaded graphics.

• Use the arrow keys to cycle through the graphic preview in the loaded cursor.

• Press Esc to delete the graphic in the preview of the loaded cursor.

• Use Alt (Win) or Option (Mac) to swap the element in the frame with the graphic in the loaded cursor.

Ctrl (Win) or (Mac)+Shift+drag a rectangle frame with the loaded cursor to place the graphics (New!).

• Before you release the mouse, use the arrow keys to adjust the number of rows and columns in the grid (New!).

Placing Graphics from Adobe Bridge

Adobe Bridge allows you to search, sort, filter, manage, and process files one at a time or in batches. You can open or place graphics directly into InDesign by using the Open With (Adobe InDesign) or Place (In InDesign) commands in Bridge from the File menu. You can also drag thumbnails from Bridge into an open InDesign document window.

Browse and Open Graphics with Adobe Bridge

Click the Go to Bridge button on the Application bar or click the File menu, and then click Browse in Bridge.

Adobe Bridge opens, displaying files and folders on your computer.

Navigate to the drive or folder where the file is located.

Select the graphic thumbnail representing the file that you want to open in your InDesign document.

Click the File menu, point to Open With, and then click Adobe InDesign CS4.

Place Graphics with Adobe Bridge

Click the Go to Bridge button on the Application bar or click the File menu, and then click Browse in Bridge.

Adobe Bridge opens, displaying files and folders on your computer.

Navigate to the drive or folder where the file is located.

Select the graphic thumbnail that represents the file you want to place in your InDesign document.

Click the File menu, point to Place, and then click In InDesign.

Copying or Moving Graphics

Instead of using the Place command, you can also copy and paste or drag-and-drop graphics from other programs directly into frames in your document. When you copy and paste graphics, InDesign converts the image to a compatible format during the transfer and embeds the graphic in your document at full resolution. Embedding inserts a copy from one document into another. An embedded graphic doesn’t appear in the Links panel. When you drag-and-drop a graphic, InDesign creates a link just like when using the Place command.

Copy or Move Graphics

Open the program with the graphic that you want to copy or move into your InDesign document.

Select the graphic you want to use in InDesign.

Click the Edit menu, and then click Copy or Cut.

Close the program and switch back to InDesign.

Select the frame in which you want to place the graphic.

Click the Edit menu, and then click Paste Into.

Drag and Drop Graphics

Open the program with the graphic that you want to copy into your InDesign document together with the InDesign program.

Select the graphic you want to use in InDesign.

Drag the graphic from the original program into your InDesign document.

Using the Links Panel

   ID 4.3, 4.5

When you place a graphic, InDesign creates a link to the original file. Linking displays information stored in one document (the source file) in another (the destination file). You can edit the linked object from either file, although changes are stored in the source file. If you break the link between a linked object and its source file, the object becomes embedded. Embedding inserts a copy from one document into another. You can display and work with linked graphics in the Links panel. The Links panel allows you to relink a missing graphic, display a linked graphic, update a linked graphic, or edit a linked graphic in another program. Special icons appear next to linked graphics indicating a missing or modified link. You can also sort items (New!) and display information about a linked graphic, such as name, color space (mode), dimension (resolution), scale, format, and the path to the source in the Links panel.

Display Linked Graphic Information in the Links Panel

Select the Links panel.

• Click the Window menu, and then click Links.

Select the linked graphic for which you want to display information.

Click the Show/Hide Link Information button on the panel.

• You can click the Next and Previous button to view links.

Scroll down the list as needed to review the information for the selected linked graphic.

To sort items (New!) in the Links panel, click the Name, Status icon, Page icon, or Type icon at the top of the panel to sort items in the list. Click the icon again to change the sort order.

Managing Linked Graphics

   ID 4.5

After you link or embed a graphic image file into an InDesign document, you can use the Links panel in InDesign to manage and work with the files. The Links panel displays a list of all the linked or embedded (contained within the document) files in your document. You can use the Links panel to update, replace, or relink a graphic image file. If a linked file is moved from its original location, you need to repair the link the next time you open the document. If a linked file needs to be updated, a warning icon appears in the Links panel to let you know.

Replace a Linked Graphic

Select the Links panel.

• Click the Window menu, and then click Links.

Select the linked graphic that you want to relink.

Click the Relink button on the panel.

Select the graphic file that you want to use as the replacement in the active document.

Click Open.

• You can also select the image in the document window, click the File menu, click Place, select a replacement image, select the Replace Selected Item check box, and then click Open.

Work with Linked Graphics

Select the Links panel.

• Click the Window menu, and then click Links.

Select the linked graphic that you want to change.

Do any of the following:

• Update a Link. Click the Update Link button on the panel.

• Update All Links. Click the Options menu, and then click Update All Links.

• Go to Link. Click the Go To Link button on the panel.

• Edit Original. Click the Edit Original button on the panel to open the program that created the file and edit it.

• View Information. Double-click the graphic name, and then view the link information at the bottom of the panel.

• Change from Linked to Embedded. Click the Options menu, and then click Embed Link.

Editing a Linked Graphic

   ID 4.5

When you link a graphic into an InDesign document, you need to edit the graphic in the source file using the original or a compatible program. You can open the program from Windows Explorer or the Finder and the open the graphic file, or you can have InDesign do it for you. You can use the Edit Original command to edit the file with the program associated with that particular file extension, or go to the Edit With submenu (New!) to select an editing program.

Edit a Linked Graphic in the Source

Select the Links panel.

• Click the Window menu, and then click Links.

Select the linked graphic that you want to edit.

Do any of the following:

• Edit Original. Click the Edit Original button on the Links panel.

• Edit With. Click the Options menu, point to Edit With, and then select an editing program.

The editing program opens, displaying the linked graphic.

Make the changes you want to the linked graphic.

Click the File menu, and then click Save.

Click the File menu, and then click Exit or Quit.

Your saved changes are updated in your document.

Displaying XMP Graphic Information

   ID 4.2

When you place a graphic into an InDesign document, the graphic file includes information and data about itself. This data is saved with the file as metadata in the XMP format (Extensible Metadata Platform), and can be recognized and accessed by InDesign or any other application, such as Adobe Bridge, that reads XMP metadata. For example, if an image is a photograph, the metadata includes the type of image, where the image was shot, the camera used, shutter speed, f-stop, and other information, such as author and copyright. You can do the same with video and audio data, too.

Display XMP Metadata for a Linked Image

Select the Links panel.

• Click the Window menu, and then click Links.

Select the linked graphic for which you want to display information.

Click the Options menu, and then point to Utilities, and then click XMP File Info.

Click the different tabs to display information about the selected graphic.

Review the information and enter any new information (if available) you have related to the graphic.

Click OK.

Creating Specialty Frames for Graphics

Instead of using the standard rectangle, ellipse, or polygon frames to place graphics, you can create and use specialty frames. A specialty frame is a vector-based compound path. You can create a compound path from one or more standard frames or text in InDesign, or you can import one from another vector-based program, such as Adobe Illustrator, that uses the AICB (Adobe Illustrator Clipboard). When you combine multiple frames into one compound path, the placed graphic appears across all the frames. You can unique specialty frames from text characters. The Create Outlines command converts characters in a text frame into a compound path. If you no longer want to use a compound path, you can use the Release Compound Path command to split the compound path up into individual frames.

Create and Release a Compound Path as a Frame

Select the Selection or Direct Selection tool on the Tools panel.

Select the frames that you want to use in the compound path.

• If the frames overlap, a transparent hole appears where the frames overlap.

Click the Object menu, point to Paths, and then click Make Compound Path.

A compound path displays diagonal lines across the entire set of frames instead of individual frames.

To release a compound path, select the compound path, click the Object menu, point to Paths, and then click Release Compound Path.

If there is a graphic in the compound path, it will only appear in the first frame after you release the compound path. The other frames will be empty.

Create Type Outlines as Frames

Select the Selection tool on the Tools panel.

Select the text frame or double-click the text and then select characters.

Click the Type menu, and then click Create Outlines.

InDesign creates a compound path from the text in the text frame.

If you want to place different graphics in each of the letter frames, you need to ungroup (if needed) and release the compound path for the entire group first.

To release the compound path, click the Object menu, point to Paths, and then click Release Compound Path.

Import Paths as Frames

Open the program with the path that you want to copy into your InDesign document together with the InDesign program.

Drag the path from the original program into your InDesign document.

When a black line appears around the boundaries of your document window, release the mouse to place the path.

Selecting and Moving Frames and Graphics

Before you can work with the graphic in a frame, you need to select it first. There are two bounding boxes around the graphic. One for the frame (blue) and another for the graphic (brown). You have several options depending on what you want to accomplish. You can select the frame and graphic, just the frame, or just the graphic. If you want to resize the frame as well as the graphic inside, you need to select both. If you want to keep the frame the current size and resize the graphic, you need to just select the graphic and not the frame. The Selection and Direct Selection tools allow you to select the parts you want. If you want another option, you can also use the Position tool, which is a combination of the Selection and Direct Selection tools. The Position tool in InDesign acts as the Crop tool in Adobe PageMaker. After you select the parts you want, you can use options on the Control and Transform panels to modify the selection.

Select and Move Frames and Graphics

• Select and Move the Frame and Graphic. Select the Selection tool on the Tools panel, click the frame to show a bounding box, and then drag the selection.

If you move quickly, only the bounding box appears as you reposition the frame. If you press down the mouse and pause for a moment before you drag, the graphic in the frame appears as you reposition the frame.

• Select and Move the Frame. Select the Direct Selection tool on the Tools panel, click the edge of the frame to show the points on the frame, Alt+click (Win) or Option (Mac)+click the frame edge again to select all the points, release the keys, and then drag the frame.

• Select and Move the Graphic within the Frame. Select the Direct Selection tool on the Tools panel, click inside the frame to show a bounding box with the Hand cursor, and then drag the graphic.

Use the Position Tool to Select and Move Frames and Graphic

Select the Position tool on the Tools panel.

There are two bounding boxes around the graphic. One for the frame and another for the graphic. The graphic bounding box appears in brown and the frame appears in blue by default. When you place a graphic the brown bounding box is on top of the blue bounding box.

Use any of the following methods:

• Select the Frame. Point to the edge of the frame (cursor changes to an arrow with a dot), and then click to select the bounding box.

A square handle appears on the corners and mid-points.

• Resize the Frame. Select the frame to display the square handles, and then drag to resize the frame. By resizing the frame, you can crop the graphic.

• Select the Graphic. Point to the edge of the frame (cursor changes to a hand), and then click to select the graphic bounding box.

A square handle appears on the corners and mid-points.

• Resize the Graphic and Not the Frame. Select the graphic to display the square handles around the graphic, and then drag to resize the graphic.

• Move the Graphic and Not the Frame. Point to the graphic (cursor changes to a hand), and then drag the graphic to a new position in the frame bounding box.

Fitting Graphics in Frames

When you place a graphic into a frame, it doesn’t always fit the way you want. You can automatically resize the graphic to fill the entire frame or proportionally fill the frame. You can resize the graphic to fit the frame using buttons on the Control panel or commands on the Fitting submenu on the Object menu. If you want more control over how the graphic fits the frame, you can use the Frame Fitting Options dialog box.

Fit Graphics in Frames

Select the Selection or Direct Selection tool on the Tools panel.

Select the frame or the graphic.

Use any of the following methods:

• Resize the Graphic to the Frame. Click the Fit Content to Frame button on the Control panel.

• Resize the Graphic Proportionally to the Frame. Click the Fit Content Proportionally button on the Control panel.

• Center the Graphic in the Frame. Click the Center Content button on the Control panel.

• Resize the Frame to the Graphic. Click the Fit Frame to Content button on the Control panel.

• You can also double-click a frame handle to resize it to the graphic; a corner for proportional; a top or bottom for vertical; a right or left for horizontal.

• Resize the Graphic to Fill the Frame. Click the Fill Frame Proportionally button on the Control panel.

Fit Graphics in Frames Using Dialog Box Options

Select the Selection or Direct Selection tool on the Tools panel.

Select the frame or the graphic.

Click the Object menu, point to Fitting, and then click Frame Fitting Options.

Select the Preview check box to view your results in the document window.

Use any of the following methods:

• Crop Amount. Specify position values for Top, Bottom, Left, and Right to crop the graphic.

• Reference Point. Click the square you want to use as the positioning point for graphic fitting adjustments.

• Fitting. Select a fitting option to fit content to the frame, fit content proportionally to the frame, or to fill the frame proportionally.

Click OK.

Nesting Graphics in Frames

In some cases you may want to place a graphic on top of an existing graphic. This is called a nesting graphic. For example, you can place a graphic in a rectangle frame, and then place another graphic in a circle frame inside the rectangle frame. You can also nest a text frame in a graphic frame. Frames can hold multiple levels of nested frames. After you nest graphics in a frame, you can use commands from the Select submenu on the Object menu to select the main container frame or nested frames.

Nest Graphics in a Frame

Select the Selection tool on the Tools panel.

Select the graphic or text frame that you want to place in a graphic frame.

Click the Edit menu, and then click Cut or Copy.

Select the graphic frame in which you want to place a graphic or text frame.

Click the Edit menu, and then click Paste Into.

To select frames, do any of the following:

• Main Container. Click the frame using the Selection tool on the Tools panel.

• You can drag the center point square (cursor changes to a black arrow) to move the object.

• Nested Content. Select the main container, click the Object menu, point to Select, and then click Content.

• To select other objects, click the Object menu, point to Select, and then click Container.

Formatting Graphics in Frames

If you place a grayscale graphic into your document, you can change the color of the graphic to create a different effect. A grayscale graphics uses black values to display the image, which you can change to a different color. With the Direct Selection tool, simply select the grayscale graphic, and then apply a fill color to it. If you want to lighten the effect, you can change the tint of the color. You can also use the same technique to change the color of the graphic frame fill or stroke.

Color a Grayscale Graphic

Select the Direct Selection tool on the Tools panel.

Select the grayscale graphic that you want to color.

Adjust the Tint in the Color panel.

Select a Fill color using the Tools or Color panel.

Controlling Graphics Display Performance

When you place multiple graphics in a document, the display performance of your screen can slow down. You can change display resolution settings for the entire document or for individual graphics to improve performance. You can set default display performance settings for all documents in the Display Performance preferences dialog box, for the current document on the Display Performance submenu on the View menu, or for individual graphics on the Display Performance submenu from the Object menu.

Change a Graphics Display Performance

Click the View menu, point to Display Performance, and then click Allow Object-Level Display Settings to select it.

Select the Selection or Direct Selection tool on the Tools panel.

Select the imported graphic.

Click the Object menu, point to Display Performance, and then select a performance option:

• Fast Display. Draws raster images or vector graphics as a gray box. Use to quickly page through documents with a lot of graphics. Best performance, lowest quality.

• Typical Display. Draws a low-resolution image (default). Use to quickly identify parts of a graphic.

• High Quality Display. Draws a high-resolution image. Use to view image details. Lowest performance, highest quality.

Set Default Display Performance Options

Click the Edit (Win) or InDesign (Mac) menu, point to Preferences, and then click Display Performance.

Click the Default View list arrow, and then select a performance option. See the previous page for details.

Select the Preserve Object-Level Display Settings check box to specify different display performance settings for individual objects.

Click the Adjust View Settings list arrow, and then select a performance option. See the previous page for details.

If you want a custom setting, drag the sliders for Raster Images, Vector Graphics, and Transparency.

To specify text and graphic display performance with the Hand tool, drag the Hand Tool slider to the setting you want between better performance and higher quality.

Click OK.