Why frames?

[jlgarcia@adobeforums.com]

One reason not to use Quark is that they use frames for anything....

Does anybody know why InDesign needs to use frames instead of just placing any picture on the page like PageMaker, or Corel, or Illustrator? It is just to be like Quark?

[Dave_Saunders@adobeforums.com]

It's not like Quark. You can just place a picture on a page, just as you could we PageMaker, but it is placed with a frame so you don't have to go through the kinds of hoops you had to in PageMaker to create a keyline.

Dave

[Scott_McCullough@adobeforums.com]

Don't think of it as a "frame," but as a cropping box within which the graphic resides. Unlike Quark, you don't have to draw a box before you can place the picture. But unlike PageMaker, it's easy to crop, scale, and frame a graphic without changing tools. Once you get used to it, I think you'll realize InDesign offers the best of both Quark and PageMaker, without as many of the antiquated quirks and workarounds.

[Scott_Falkner@adobeforums.com]

I agree that the Indesign aproach is the best of both worlds. QuarkXPress's use of frames, especially for pictures, was miles ahed of PageWrecker's. I can't begin to describve the frustration of cropping an image, but keeping the same size, in PageMangler. Crop (oops, made it smaller), switch tools, enlarge (oh, now I need it moved within the frame), switch tools, crop (hmm, still a bit too small), switch tools, scale, switch tools, crop, go to drugstore, buy razor blades, slit wrists, decide that the upcoming Simpson's marathon is reason to live, call 911...

[JohnO@adobeforums.com]

>the upcoming Simpson's marathon ...

When????

jgarcia: you'll get used to ID pretty quick, and these new frames are real
easy to deal with. When I switched they made me crazy at first, but not
anymore.

-John O

[Scott_Falkner@adobeforums.com]

Oh, and the preview of cropped parts of an image: ya gotta love it!

[jlgarcia@adobeforums.com]

i'll give it a try. I just want to place an image in the page and adjust a bit... and you don't really want to be close to me when I resize the image and nothing happens... it's like pressing the accelerator pedal on the car and been still in the same place... thanks for your answers...

[Don_McCahill@adobeforums.com]

It could be worse ... when you press the brake pedal and nothing happens.

[Tom_Lassiter@adobeforums.com]

I'm obviously missing something. I can't crop and resize a photo in inDesign WITHOUT changing tools (from Select for cropping to Direct Select for resizing and back. I'm from the PageMaker/Freehand world, and the tool switching seems highly non-intuitive, though I've learned to cope.

In PageMaker, I had a proportional Scale tool in the little Info Palette that let me scale soooo easily. I'm missing that in inDesign.

Can someone point me to the trick for cropping and scaling without going to the Tool Palette time and again?

Thanks much.

[Bob_Levine]

If you're using ID CS then get yourself the PM plugin which include that
very tool. If you bought the entire Creative Suite, you're entitled to a
free copy. Call Adobe.

Bob

[Ellen_Pickels@adobeforums.com]

Tom,

You can indeed scale with the Select tool. Just hold down Ctrl + Shift and the frame and content resize together.

[Bob_Levine]

I don't think that's what he's trying to do, though. I think he wants to
scale and crop. You can't move the graphic around in the frame without
the direct select tool.

It really is easier with the PM tool especially for someone really used
to PM's way of doing it.

Bob

[Uwe_Rottkamp@adobeforums.com]

Tom,

> In PageMaker, I had a proportional Scale tool in the little Info Palette

that let me scale soooo easily. I'm missing that in inDesign.

What scale-tool do you mean? I don't remember any tools in the info
palette??

> Can someone point me to the trick for cropping and scaling without going

to the Tool Palette time and again?

To crop images use the selecting-tool at the frame, scaling use the same
tool pressung <Ctrl>+<shift>. Scaling the image without scaling the frame
use the direct-selecting tool, also to move the image withing the frame.

Though I like PM for some special features, THIS couldn't be done more
comfortable and took the advantages both from PM and quark....

Uwe