selecting multiple objects with InDesign CS

[Tim_Horning@adobeforums.com]

I have a brochure with an image that fills the entire background. I want to select multiple objects in order to group and move them together but prefer not to Shift-click each object individually because there are so many.

When I try to click-and-drag to select the objects with the Selection Tool, invariably the background image gets selected before anything else and shifts out of position "thinking" that I am performing a Move on it, I guess, and the other objects don't get selected. Is this just the curse of having a background image, or is there some trick to doing this? Thanks.

[Bob_Levine]

Lock the background image and / or put it on its own layer to keep it
out of the way.

Bob

[Tim_Horning@adobeforums.com]

Thanks for the tip. Moving the background to its own layer was key. But I also had to turn off its visibility because the Selection Tool detected it even when I was on the other layer and despite that the background layer was locked -- I got the padlock symbol and still couldn't lasso any objects.

Seems like an oversight. I'll admit that I'm new to this, but it sure seems like grouping and moving objects on top of a background image would be commonplace, and having to turn off that background makes positioning other objects potentially problematic.

[Lisa_Spike@adobeforums.com]

Still not a perfect solution, but if you start dragging OUTSIDE of the boundaries of the background image (even if you start on the pasteboard), drag over what you want to select, then shift-click on the background image to unselect it, you'll get what you want.

Once you have those objects selected, if you find you're selecting them over and over...group them. Then next time you only have to click on one of them and they'll all be selected.

[Bob_Levine]

Or create a master page with that background and apply to only the one page.

Bob

[Tim_Horning@adobeforums.com]

Super tips -- thanks much!