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mortyfromqueens
Inspiring
January 21, 2017
Answered

I can't seem to move an object on a text page in my document.

  • January 21, 2017
  • 2 replies
  • 5427 views

In my InDesign CC 2017 document that I'd placed from a Microsoft Word for Mac doc,

the photos and other visuals in it were placed center of the pages, but some I want to move them

to the left and then wrap words around them (if "wrap" also applies to the words being on only one side of the object).

I went to Objects in the menu, but what I tried there didn't work.

     Thank you,

       Morty

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer Barb Binder

    I started to study it through, but it's too much of a study for me with all the stuff I'll never use or need, so I went to work directly and refer to it when I need to. However, it didn't help with this problem now of moving an object to wrap around it.

    Morty


    Morty—I agree 100% with Jane's advice. It is a herculean task to learn InDesign while laying out a document. First learn InDesign, then lay out your file.

    That said, this is the workflow I suggested.

    1. Here is the file in Word. The photos are each on their own paragraph, and centered.
    2. Here is the same file in InDesign. With this set up, the images will flow with the text. If you add/delete text above them, they will move with the text. This is also why you can't drag them where you want to.
    3. Using the Selection tool, click on an image. Do not click the doughnut in the center. Note the bounding box on the selected image, and the anchor symbol in the top right.
    4. Edit > Cut
    5. Edit > Paste. The selected object will always paste in the center of the current view. That is fine. Do not deselect the image.
    6. Window > Text Wrap. Pick button #2 to turn on text wrap around the bounding box. Set the offset to move text away from the edge of the image.
    7. Use the Selection tool to drag the image to the desired position on any page.

    NOTE: These specific steps allow you to move an image anywhere you want, but the image will not flow with the text if you add or remove text in advance of the image. If you need the images to move, you will need to re-anchor them. That is a separate question, and should be asked as a separate post, but before you do that, work though this online documentation: Work with anchored objects in InDesign​ .

    2 replies

    Barb Binder
    Community Expert
    Barb BinderCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    January 21, 2017

    Do the images need to move with the text edits, or do you want them in a static position?

    Migintosh​ gave you what you need for images that are anchored to the text and will move with the edits. If the images aren't going to move, there is an easier approach:

    • Click the image (not the doughnut) with the Selection Tool
    • Edit > Cut
    • Edit > Deselect all
    • Edit > Paste
    • Window > Text Wrap > Wrap Around Bounding Box
    • Adults the Offsets (distance btw the frame and the text)
    • Drag into position on the page and the text will get out of the way
    ~Barb at Rocky Mountain Training
    M
    mortyfromqueensAuthor
    Inspiring
    January 21, 2017

    I'm not sure what you mean, BarbBinder, but let me tell you in my own words:

    In Word I put images in their own paragraphs and placed the whole ms into InDesign CC 2017 that way.

    I had centered them all horizontally in Word and that was maintained in InDesign.

    I want the images to stay where they are in the text (in their own pagaraphs), and the ones that fill

    or almost fill the widths of the page, I will leave as is.

    But some are narrow and I'd like to move those to about .25 inches from the left margin of the page,

    and wrap text to their right.

         I followed what you said to do and when I got to Edit > Paste, the image appeared on the page

    to the right of the page it was on, but on top of text.

         When I went to Window > Text Wrap > Wrap Around Bounding Box and chose Right Side,

    that worked fine—BUT ON THE WRONG PAGE, not on the page I had the visual and still want it.

    I hope you can help. This is encouraging so far!

         Morty

    jane-e
    Community Expert
    jane-eCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    January 21, 2017

    Morty,

    If you want them to be inline, do it the way Migintosh​ said.

    If you want to be able to move them around, do it the way BarbBinder said.

    If it's on the wrong page, move it to the correct page if you made it a moveable object.

    Hope this helps,

    Jane

    M
    Migintosh
    Legend
    January 21, 2017

    If the images came from Word, they are inline with the text. That means that they act similarly to a character in a font. If the paragraph that contains the image is aligned right, the image will be on the right. Similarly, you can center or left-align an image, but it really works best if the image is in it's own paragraph if that's how you want to work.

    If you want the image to be more adjustable, click on the image and go to Object>Anchored Object>Options and change Inline to Custom. There are several parameters to play with in this mode, so you might want to read up on it. Also, I found a Lynda video with a quick Google search about working with Word files in InDesign. I haven't watched it myself, but you might want to give it a view.

    InDesign tutorial: How to import Microsoft Word files | lynda.com - YouTube

    M
    mortyfromqueensAuthor
    Inspiring
    January 21, 2017

    Thanks, Migintosh,

    I tried what you said, but still can't move the object.

    By the way, all my objects are in their own paragraphs.

         Morty

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