InDesign, the basics

Member lesson

Placing images and managing links

Lesson 4 of 7 in InDesign, the basics.

Checked against the makers' documentation on 9 October 2026.

The ULTIMATE Image & Link Guide | Design Tutorial | Adobe InDesign · Gareth David Studio
Lesson

File > Place brings a picture in. The pointer loads with it and shows a thumbnail, and you click to place it or drag to draw a frame for it. A picture always sits inside a graphic frame, and the two can move separately. The Selection tool moves the frame. Press Shift+Esc with the frame selected to select the picture inside it instead, which is how you crop by sliding the picture within its frame. Esc takes you back to the frame.

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Members answer these 3 questions and keep the ticket for this lesson. Every lesson has one.

  1. Question 1, locked

    A picture in the Links panel shows a Missing icon. What is the most likely cause?

    • Someone edited and saved the original in Photoshop
    • The picture is under 48K and was embedded automatically
    • The original file was moved or renamed
    • The picture is in RGB instead of CMYK
  2. Question 2, locked

    Which fitting command fills a frame with a picture and crops whatever overflows?

    • Fit Content To Frame
    • Fill Frame Proportionally
    • Fit Content Proportionally
    • Fit Frame To Content
  3. Question 3, locked

    When CreativePro tested InDesign's Generative Expand in 2024, what happened to the original picture's link?

    • It stayed linked and gained Content Credentials
    • It was converted to a CMYK TIFF in the Links folder
    • It was kept and a second linked copy was added
    • The result was embedded in its place and the link was lost

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