- In InDesign, images can be placed into rectangle frames that represent the size of the image. The image will initially appear at its actual size which may be larger than the frame. - To improve image quality for preview, go to View > Display Performance > High Quality Display. This will make the image sharper without affecting how it prints. - Adjusting the frame size only crops the image; the image content itself does not move or resize. Clicking the "Fit Content Proportionally" button fits the image within the frame without cropping.

1. InDesign’s Image Frame
Adding Images & Photographs

2. Images & Photographs
One aspect of InDesign is the ability to combine images
and photographs to your documents. InDesign handles
images a little differently than the other applications. We
will review how to add an image to an InDesign
document.

3. RECTANGLE
FRAME
Draw a rectangle in the document to
represent the size of your image.

4. PLACE…
While the Rectangle Frame is
selected, go to File/Place…
This will open a dialog panel for you
to locate your image.

5. HIGH QUALITY
DISPLAY
When the image comes into the Rectangle
Frame it will be at actual size and might be
larger than the frame.
Plus it might look like it’s low resolution. To fix
the resolution, go to View/Display
Performance/High Quality Display. You
should see the image become much sharper.
This will be an important step to remember.
Although the image may look like low resolution
when it comes in, it will still print at high
resolution. This is only for preview. Should you
document have many images, it might slow the
computer down if you kept everything at high
resolution. Normally I set to the high quality and
haven’t had an issue yet.

6. To change or adjust the frame, use the
Selection Tool and move one of the
anchor point. You’ll notice that the
image (or Content) doesn’t move, only
the frame is moving. It is just cropping
the imaging differently when you adjust
the frame, the content isn’t affected.
This is important to remember.
CENTER
ANCHOR
Drag down

7. FIT CONTENT
PROPORTIONALLY
With the Image Frame selected, click on the
Fit Content Proportionally button at the top,
see figure. This will cause the content, or
image to fit within the Image Frame with no
cropping.

8. You should now see this in your
Image Frame after clicking on the
Fit Content Proportionally
button at the top.

9. IMAGE
FRAME
Notice now that the image no
longer fill the Image Frame. The
image has shrunk until the total
image fit in the frame. There is
empty space top and bottom of
the image.

10. CONTENT
FRAME
With the Selection Tool Click on
the image center circle to be able to
see the Content and you can now
change the size of the content
(remember to hold the Shift key to
constrain the proportions). In this
image, we can see the shape of the
content by the brown bounding
box. And even though the content
is larger than the container, only
what is in the container is visible.
CONTAINER
FRAME

11. CONTENT
FRAME
Now the content (or
image) completely fills
the container. This way
the image is cropped to
the size of the
container.
CONTAINER
FRAME

12. LOADED
ICON
You may also place an image without first creating a
container for it. With noting selected, go to
File/Place… Then find your image and when you
return to InDesign, you’ll see what is known as a
Loaded Icon. The icon shows a small review of the
image, as shown here. Now you just need to
drag the area that you wan the image to fill.
Notice that there is no cropping,
you get the complete image.
After you place it you can go
back and adjust the container for it and modify the
image. That’s gives you two ways to insert an image
in InDesign.