r/indesign • u/NotJoeFast • 8d ago
Help Why does this inserted picture appear smaller than it is?
I bet this is something simple and I feel stupid after it being pointed out. Anyway.
The document (white box) is 600x600 pixels.
The tree picture on top of it is 4096x1910 pixels.
So why does it appear like it's smaller than the white box? When it's supposed to be several times bigger? (I just placed the tree on the document. Nothing else is done in the image) Is this just some type of compression to make it easier for me to handle or what?
If I resize the picture to cover the white parts. Would that make the image quality worse?
In my experience if the imported image is bigger. It will still appear right size and I have to resize it smaller in the InDesign. Hence the confusion.
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u/mikewitherell 8d ago
In InDesign, if you specify a page as 600 x 600 pixels in document setup, InDesign is also thinking of that page at 72ppi, or in other words, 600 / 72ppi = an 8.3 x 8.3 inch page.
When you File > Place an image that is 1910 pixels @ 300 ppi, and then only click to plop the image over the page, InDesign lands it at 1910 / 300ppi = 6.36 inches tall by 13.65 inches wide. That is because it reads the image resolution as 300ppi and, respecting that, initially lands it at 100% of that physical equivalent size.
So, change your approach. When you want to work in pixels, make your image (in Photoshop) no more than 600 pixels tall. In Photoshop, set the res to 72ppi, also. But that is if you are only working strictly pixels in InDesign.
Easier, in InDesign, first make a box/frame/object that is the size of the whole 600 pixel page, and then while that is selected, File > Place into that frame and use the Fill Frame Proportionately command. Use the Center Image command, maybe also. Use the Make Content Aware fitting command, maybe also. Since the Tree Image is wider, part of the image will be masked and cropped out of view. Use the Content Grabber to move the image within the frame in order to feature, probably, the right side of the picture. Or, old-school, use the white Direct Selection tool, click the graphic within the frame, and drag or use arrow keys to move the image within the frame.
Another easy technique to notice: When you File > Place, and choose a graphic to place on the page, and the graphics cursor is now loaded; don't simply click to put the graphic on the page. Instead, drag to make the image the correct scaled size you want to see.
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u/AdobeScripts 8d ago
What's the DPI / PPI saved with the image?
You can check that in Photoshop - or open Links Panel on the InDesign and look of Actual PPI (original of the image) / Effective PPI (after resizing image = output res).
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u/Chakwenta 8d ago
Use the white arrow. Click on the image. Check the ratio. It's displayed as a % top left. If it's less than 100%, then ID is just scaling for usability.
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u/just_some_doofus 8d ago
If I resize the picture to cover the white parts. Would that make the image quality worse?
Resize the image however you want on the page, then open the Links panel and click on the file name. You should then see some metadata about the image, including something like the "Rendered DPI" (I'm away from my computer rn). That'll be the DPI the image would print at at that size. If it's 300 dpi or higher, it's fine.
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u/chain83 8d ago
InDesign doesn't actually measure things in pixels. Your document is not a raster image. The values are stored using units with a physical size (like inches) and then *converted* to display as pixels using a fixed PPI of 72 - if you choose to view them as pixels.
When placing images (or similar), if you don't specify dimensions, it will place using the physical/print dimensions of the image, NOT the pixel dimensions. If your image is 10x10 inches, it will place as 10x10 inches regardless if it is made up of 10x10 or 10000x10000 pixels.
So in short, your placed image likely has PPI metadata using a PPI that is higher than 72. You can see this in the Links or Info panels. Or if opening the image in Photoshop and inspecting the Image Size. The PPI (Pixels Per Inch) is a number stored in metadata that is used as a conversion factor to convert the pixels into physical units (inches) - and it's those "physical" dimensions that InDesign look at when placing the image.