Tip of the Week: Placing One Image into Multiple Frames

There are three new Links panel icons in InDesign CC that you'll see when working with Adobe Stock images. Here's what they mean.

This InDesign tip on how to place one image into multiple frames was sent to Tip of the Week email subscribers on October 20, 2016.

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You can create all kinds of fun, eye-catching design elements by placing an image into multiple frames. The trick is to use a compound path.

For example, this image of a scary clown lady just isn’t quite scary enough.

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But if we put it in a bunch of jagged frames, we can heighten the feeling of unhinged danger that should accompany every scary clown image.

To do this, take the Pen tool and draw a bunch of jagged, random closed paths over the original image.

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When you’re done, select them all and choose Object > Paths > Make Compound Path.

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Then cut the original image and delete the empty frame.

Select your compound path, and choose Edit > Paste Into.

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With the image in place, you can manipulate the individual points with the Direct Selection tool to modify the look.

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This article was last modified on July 25, 2019

This article was first published on October 25, 2016

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