WHERE IS THE FRAME TOOL IN ILLUSTRATOR 26.5

Forum|Forum|3 years ago
September 6, 2022
3 replies
23491 views

I am trying to use the frame tool in illustrator. I want to create a layout of empty frames and fill them with images via drag and drop like you can do in Indesign... but the frame tool doesn't seem to exist in Illustrator? That can't be true surely?

Correct answer Laura Coyle.

There is no frame tool in Illustrator. You can use a clipping mask if you want to crop an image non-destructively. Or, select the image and click the Crop Image button on the Properties panel to remove pixels. To create a clipping mask, select the image and click the mask button on the Properties panel. This creates an invisible rectangle the same size as the image, that will crop the image when you change its size. You can change the size of the clipping mask rectangle in the properties panel. Make sure the edit clipping path button is turned on at the top of the properties panel, then you can change the size numerically in the fields below, or use the selection tool to drag the bounding box handles around the image.

Bill Silbert

Community Expert

It sounds like you do have some familiarity with InDesign so is there some reason why you want to do this in Illustrator rather than it a program that is designed for page layout? Each of the programs offered through Creative Cloud has a primary reason for existing. Illustrator is a drawing program that has some layout capabilities. InDesign is a page layout program with some drawing tools. To expect that all of one program's capabilities will exist in the other is just not how it all works.

O

olivia_4504

Participant

Serious lack of imagination in that reply. The frame tool allows for uniformity and deference given to pattern and plan in design. Surely you don't believe that's only for publication design and not other types of illustration or design where high quality vectors are preferred. Illustrator is the primary tool for infographics creators who are often placing different icons in uniform places/sizes. Scaling each individual PNG/JPG is insane when a frame tool could easily be added to Illustrator.

Monika Gause

Community Expert

placing different icons in uniform places/sizes. Scaling each individual PNG/JPG is insane when a frame tool could easily be added to Illustrator.

By @olivia_4504

So maybe you could create a new thread and just describe what exactly you want to do. Perhaps it can be done in other ways?

I'm not quite sure how a "frame tool" would solve the scaling thing?

John Mensinger

Community Expert

While "page layout" can be done in Illustrator's object-based interface, that was never the primary thrust of the application's design onus, so many of InDesign's layout-purposed features are not paralleled in Illustrator.

Laura Coyle.

Correct answer

Community Expert

There is no frame tool in Illustrator. You can use a clipping mask if you want to crop an image non-destructively. Or, select the image and click the Crop Image button on the Properties panel to remove pixels. To create a clipping mask, select the image and click the mask button on the Properties panel. This creates an invisible rectangle the same size as the image, that will crop the image when you change its size. You can change the size of the clipping mask rectangle in the properties panel. Make sure the edit clipping path button is turned on at the top of the properties panel, then you can change the size numerically in the fields below, or use the selection tool to drag the bounding box handles around the image.

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