Page 35 - Adobe Indesign CC 2020

Create a Basic Graphics Frame
When you place an external image file into an InDesign layout, it is contained in a
frame. If you simply place the file into a layout, a containing frame is automatically
created for you based on the dimensions of the placed image. You can also create
graphic frames before placing images, which can be useful if you want to define the
available space without using the actual external files.
InDesign includes two groups of tools for creating basic shapes
in a layout: the frame tools and the shape tools. There is no practical
difference between the shapes created with the two sets of tools (for
example, a rectangle created with the Rectangle Frame tool or with the
Rectangle tool). The frame tools create empty graphic frames, which
are identified by crossed diagonal lines when Frame Edges are visible in
the layout (View>Extras>Show Frame Edges). Basic shapes do not have
these lines; however, if you place content into a shape created with one of the basic
shape tools, it is automatically converted to a graphic frame.
In this exercise, you will create the first of five graphic frames to hold the client’s
thumbnail images.

1. With gcm-letterhead.indd open, choose the Rectangle Frame tool in the
Tools panel.
If you don’t see the Rectangle Frame tool, click and hold the default shape tool until
the nested tools appear; slide over and down to select the Rectangle Frame tool.

2. Press Command/Control, then click away from the existing shape to make Note:
sure it is deselected.
If you don’t deselect the existing shape, the changes you make in the next step would To deselect objects,
affect the selected object. you can also choose
Edit>Deselect All.
Pressing Command/Control temporarily switches to the last-used Selection tool
(Selection or Direct Selection). This allows you to easily make selections — or, in this
case, deselect an object — without changing the active tool.

Press Command/Control No bounding box
to temporarily access the appears, so you know the
last-used selection tool. object is not selected.

Rectangle
Frame tool

Project 1: Letterhead Design 45