Participating Frequently

Question

Graphic Frame Threads?

Forum|Forum|2 years ago
December 6, 2023
7 replies
1211 views

Hi All,

Is there a way to thread or connect graphic frames in indesign so that if I place a full picture in 1 frame it will automatically populate to 16 other frames throught the document with the full picture.

Tried the compound path option but it splits the picture into 16 parts and i need the full picture in all the frames. Also bonus if I adjust a photo within 1 of the frames scale or position it will also automatically update in the other linked/threaded/connected frames.

Thanks

How to

This topic has been closed for replies.

Robert at ID-Tasker

Legend

There is a way to significantly speed it up - and have even greater functionality / flexibility - but it would work only on a PC...

It's not a free solution if you need it on a daily basis - but I could give you access to the full version for some time.

T

Thunder-Lightning

Inspiring

/* Deleted my message after reading all the suggestions here */

Willi Adelberger

Community Expert

I think you mean Compound Paths:

Select several empty graphic frames.
Go to menu Object > Paths > Make Compound Path > or click cmd/ctrl 8

Now you can place any image you want into this compund path.

Willi Adelberger

Community Expert

Another way is to use the Pathfinder Commands with several Paths and fill the result with an image.

C

Chloe30549217kstfAuthor

Participating Frequently

hi -the compound path is not what im looking for. That combines the frames so that the whole picture is separated into parts in each frame. I need each fram to have the full picture.

Joel Cherney

Community Expert

I like @Mike Witherell's suggestions. That's what I would do, most likely. However, I suppose it's possible to place your images into a threaded text frame. They'd become "inline anchored objects." You can:

1) Thread some frames

2) Place a graphic somewhere (out on the pasteboard, perhaps)

3) Copy that placed image onto your clipboard

4) Choose the Text tool

5) Click into your threaded text frames

6) Paste your image

Each image will behave pretty much like a single character.

To get your bonus functionality: all of those placed images will show up in your Links panel. Edit a placed image in an outside application (e.g. change the scale or aspect ratio in Photoshop) then come back to the Links panel and refresh the link.

C

Chloe30549217kstfAuthor

Participating Frequently

Okay great! So I got the image placed into the text box...how do I make it show up in the same place in the next 15 text frames? without copy and pasting?

Joel Cherney

Community Expert

It turns out I didn't understand what you were asking for at all. However, having read all the other comments and responses here, including your response to me, I now understand that Mike is still right - you're asking for the Content Collector, more or less. It's not 100% what you are looking for, but it's as close as you're going to get in InDesign.

First, you load an object onto the Conveyor with the Content Collector

Then you select the Content Placer, making sure that you choose the "Place multiple and keep in conveyor" setting, and that "Create link" is checked

Now you place your 15 instances of your image (I'm only doing four for this demonstration)

If you edit your source image, it doesn't change the other images, but it does flag your modified links

You can then update the links

So, it's not what you are actually looking for, but I think it's as close as InDesign is going to get, unless you're talking about custom plugin development.

Mike Witherell

Community Expert

If the 16 other frames on 16 other pages show up in the same place, you could build a parent page with the picture on it; then apply the parent page to the 16 other pages.

If the frames occur in different x/y positions on the 16 other pages, you might try Edit > Place and Link. Use the Conveyor to put a duplicate on the 16 other pages. When you edit the first picture, the others will update.

Mike Witherell

C

Chloe30549217kstfAuthor

Participating Frequently

So for the place and link option I still have to click on every frame to insert the photo right? like there isnt a way to group the frames so they can all be placed at the same time if I place into one of the 16 frames?

C

Chloe30549217kstfAuthor

Participating Frequently

Also - I cant use parent pages because I already have 6+ different parent pages applied and the 16 frames are located on different parent templates.

Steve Werner

Community Expert

Look at Text Frames and notice they have an "in port" at the upper left corner and an "out port" at the lower right corner. These are used for threading. Graphic Frames don't have this feature. Thus, they cannot be used for threading.

C

Chloe30549217kstfAuthor

Participating Frequently

ok thank you. maybe thread isnt the right word. How can I have them talking/corresponding/cloning each other so that when i place an image into 1 frame it automatically populates in an identical way to the "Cloned" other 16 frames without having to place the same image 16 times?

Robert at ID-Tasker

Legend

If they are in grid - you can use Step&Repeat.

If they are in "random" places - then you could use @Joel Cherney approach.

Otherwise - custom script - but you would have to show us a example of what exactly are you trying to achieve.

Steve Werner

Community Expert

Graphic frames can't be threaded like text frames.

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