Resize objects – Adobe InDesign CS5 User Manual
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USING INDESIGN
Frames and objects
Last updated 11/16/2011
Resizing a frame
By default, when the frame (and not the frame contents) is selected, changing the values of the Width and Height fields
changes only the frame, not its contents, regardless of which selection tool is active.
Scaling a frame and its contents
When the frame is selected with the Selection tool, changing the values of the Scale X Percentage and Scale Y
Percentage fields changes the frame and its contents. If Auto-Fit is selected, the frame and its contents are resized
together.
Resizing or scaling frame contents
If you want to change only the content (resize or scale) of a frame, click the Content Grabber or use the Direct Selection
tool to select the contents. Once selected, you can use the Width and Height fields or the Scale fields, depending on
your preference.
Overriding defaults
If you want to scale the frame or its contents by a percentage and have the results returned in the current measurement
system, you can enter in a number with the percent sign to override the default measurement system. For example, if
the current width is 12p, and you want the new width to be 75% of the current value, you can enter 75% in the Width
field. After you press Enter, the new value for the Width displays as 9p.
Similarly, you can use other measurement system values if you want to scale to a specific increment but have the results
display in percent of the original. For example, you can replace 100% with 9p, and InDesign figures out which
percentage is required to make it that width/height.
More Help topics
Resize objects
Dragging the handle of a frame that includes contents, such as an imported graphic, does not resize the contents by
default. It’s important to understand that the content and the container frame are separate items, each with its own
bounding box. Simply dragging the frame of an imported graphic will either crop the graphic or leave a blank space
outside the graphic, depending on which direction you drag. Being able to modify the frame apart from the contents
adds flexibility, but it may take some time to get used to.
The Smart Guides feature makes it easy to resize objects based on other items in your layout. As you resize an object,
temporary guides appear, indicating that the object is aligned with an edge or center of the page or is the same height
or width as another page item.