Create a border or background, Crop or mask objects – Adobe InDesign CS3 User Manual
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INDESIGN CS3
User Guide
387
Create a border or background
A graphics frame is ideally suited for use as a border or background for its content, because you can change the
frame’s stroke and fill independent of the content.
Adding borders to graphics frames
A. Photo in graphics frame B. Frame with stroke applied C. Frame enlarged with both stroke and fill applied
1
Using the Selection tool
, click an imported graphic to select its frame.
2
To enlarge the frame without resizing the graphic, drag any bounding box handle outward. To maintain frame
proportions, hold down Shift as you drag.
3
Use the Swatches panel and the toolbox to apply a stroke and fill color.
4
Use the Stroke panel to adjust the frame’s stroke weight, style, or alignment.
You can quickly enlarge a frame equally around all sides by using the Transform or Control panel. Select the frame
with the Direct Selection tool
, set the panel reference point locator
to the center point, and enter new values
for the width and height.
See also
Crop or mask objects
Cropping and masking are both terms that describe hiding part of an object. In general, the difference is that cropping
uses a rectangle to trim the edges of an image, and masking uses an arbitrary shape to make an object’s background
transparent. A common example of a mask is a clipping path, which is a mask made for a specific image.
Use graphics frames to crop or mask objects. Because an imported graphic is automatically contained within a frame,
you can crop or mask it immediately without having to create a frame for it. If you haven’t created a frame for an
imported graphic manually, the frame is automatically created at the same size as the graphic, so it may not be
obvious that the frame is there.
Note: For efficient printing, only the data for the visible parts of cropped or masked images is sent when you output the
document. However, you will still save disk space and RAM if you crop or mask images to their desired shapes and sizes
before importing them into your document.
•
To crop an imported image or any other graphic already inside a rectangular frame, click the object using the
Selection tool
and drag any handle on the bounding box that appears. Press Shift as you drag to preserve the
frame’s original proportions.
C
A
B