Creating a Graphics Frame

Although you can use InDesign's illustration features to create the kind of vector graphics that can be created with dedicated illustration programs such as Illustrator, FreeHand, and CorelDraw, you may find yourself needing to import an illustration that you or somebody else created using another program. You may also want to add other kinds of digital images to a publication, such as a scanned photograph, a piece of clip art stored on a CD-ROM, or a stock photograph that you've downloaded from the Internet.

In InDesign, all imported images are contained within graphics frames. The Tools palette contains three tools for drawing graphics frames :

• The Ellipse Frame tool lets you create oval and round frames.

• The Rectangle Frame tool lets you create rectangular and square frames.

• The Polygon Frame tool lets you create equilateral polygons and starburst-shaped frames.

The first time you use InDesign, the Rectangle Frame tool is displayed in the Tools palette, as is the Rectangle tool for creating boxes that hold neither text nor graphics. (The frame tools have an X through their icons.) To access the other frame tools, click and hold on the Rectangle Frame tool to display a pop-up menu with the Ellipse Frame and Polygon Frame tools. Drag and release to select a different frame tool. When you do, it replaces the Rectangle Frame tool in the Toolbox until the next time you change the tool.

Tip ‚  

If you accidentally use the Ellipse, Rectangle, or Polygon tool (instead of the frame version of these tools) to create an object that you subsequently want to use as a graphics frame (or a text frame for that matter), you can change the frame's contents via Object ‚ Content.

You can create a graphics frame using any of the frame tools, and then use the Place commands (File ‚ Place, or z +D or Ctrl+D) to import an image into the selected frame, or you can use the Place command to import an image directly onto a page without first creating a graphics frame. In this chapter, you'll learn how to create basic graphics frames into which you can then import an image. (See Part V for more information about importing images using the Place command and modifying images.)

Tip ‚  

Whether you use the Place command to import an image into a selected frame or you place an image directly onto a page, the results are similar: A frame surrounds the picture and also serves as the picture's cropping shape.

Here's how to add a new graphics frame:

1. Select the Ellipse Frame tool, the Rectangle Frame tool (or press F), or the Polygon Frame tool.

2. Move the crosshair pointer anywhere within the currently displayed page or on the pasteboard .

3. Click and hold the mouse button, and while holding down the mouse button, drag in any direction.

   As you drag, the crosshair pointer is displayed in the corner opposite your starting point and a blue shape indicates the boundary of the frame. You can look at the width and height values displayed in the Control palette or Transform pane as you drag to help you get the size you want. Holding down the Shift key as you drag creates a circle if the Ellipse Frame tool is selected, a square if the Rectangle Frame tool is selected, and an equilateral polygon or starburst if the Polygon Frame tool is selected.

4. When the frame is the size and shape you want, release the mouse button.

   Don't worry too much about being precise when you create a graphics frame. You can always go back later and fine-tune it. Figure 10-2 shows an oval graphics frame.

   
   Figure 10-2: Creating a graphics frame with any of the framecreation tools is the same as creating a text frame with the Type tool. Choose the appropriate frame tool, then click, drag, and release. In this example, an elliptical graphics frame has just been created; its bounding box is displayed with resizing handles.

   Note ‚  

   When you release the mouse button after creating a graphics frame, the frame you created is active. If the Selection tool was previously selected, the frame is displayed within its bounding box, which contains eight resizing handles. If the Direct Selection tool was previously selected, moveable anchor points are displayed at each vertex of the frame. In both cases, you have to change tools if you want to change the shape or size of the bounding box or the frame. The Selection tool lets you change the shape of the frame's bounding box by dragging any of the resizing handles; the Direct Selection tool lets you change the shape of the frame itself by moving the frame's anchor points. Chapter 11 explains how to resize a frame with the Selection tool; see Part V for information about modifying the shape of a frame using the Direct Selection tool.

   Tip ‚  

   When you create a graphics frame with any of the frame tools, you can align the frame edge with a guideline by clicking within the number of pixels specified in the Snap to Zone in the Guides & Pasteboard pane of the Preferences dialog box (choose File ‚ Preferences on the Mac or Edit ‚ Preferences in Windows, or press z +K or Ctrl+K). When the crosshair pointer is near a guideline, a small, hollow arrowhead is displayed below and to the right of the crosshair.

If you've gone to the trouble of creating a graphics frame, chances are that sooner or later you'll want to place an image within it. To add a picture to a graphics frame, you can

• Use the Place command (File ‚ Place, or z +D or Ctrl+D) to import a graphic file in any supported format.

• Paste in a graphic that you've copied from within InDesign.

  Tip ‚  

  You can also place an image on a page ‚ and automatically create a new graphics frame ‚ by dragging a supported graphic file directly from Windows Explorer (desktop or folder) or the Mac Finder (desktop or folder) onto an InDesign page.

  Cross-Reference ‚  

  See Part V for more information about importing images and modifying imported images.