Polished Posters: Indesign Formatting Essentials

How to Format Images in InDesign

In this section, we'll walk you through the process of formatting images in Adobe InDesign.
Follow these steps to adjust size, crop, and align images for a polished layout.

1. Place an Image

• Go to File > Place (or use the shortcut Ctrl/Cmd + D), then select and insert your image file into the document.
  
  
   

2. Resize the Image Frame

• Select the image with the Selection Tool (V). Hold the Shift key while dragging the corners to maintain the aspect ratio, or drag freely to resize. Hold the Ctrl key while dragging to scale both image and frame together.
   

3. Fit the Image in the Frame

• Right-click the image and choose Fitting > Fit Content Proportionally or Fill Frame Proportionally to adjust the image inside the frame without distortion.

4. Crop the Image or Adjust Placement

• Use the Direct Selection Tool (A) to select the image within the frame. Then drag the edges of the image to crop it or adjust the frame size for a different crop and/or Move and position the image within its frame by selecting and dragging the image with the Direct Selection Tool.

5. Align the Image

• Use the Align panel (Window > Object & Layout > Align) to center or align the image to other objects on the page.

6. Lock the Image

• Once your image is positioned and formatted, you can lock it in place by right-clicking and selecting Lock to avoid accidental adjustments.