How To

How to Use the Direct Selection Tool in Adobe InDesign

Contributor
By Kristen Force
eHow Contributing Writer
(1 Ratings)

If you're working in Adobe InDesign, the "Direct Selection" tool (white arrow) is necessary to make adjustments to graphics and other content within frames.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Instructions
  1. Step 1

    To see the size of a graphic, click on the graphic while the "Direct Selection" tool is active. A red border with scale handles indicates the content of the frame. The contents may be larger, smaller or the same size as the frame itself.

  2. Step 2

    If the graphic is larger than the frame and you want to see more of it, switch to the "Selection" tool (black arrow) and expand the size of the frame (blue border). If the graphic is smaller than the frame, switch to the "Selection" tool and decrease the size of the frame.

  3. Step 3

    To change the size of the graphic, switch to the "Direct Selection" tool and drag the scale handles that appear along the red border. To keep the proportions of the graphic, hold the "Shift" key while dragging a corner scale handle.

  4. Step 4

    To see how much a graphic has been scaled, select it with the "Direct Selection" tool and view the size information in the "Control" or "Transform" panel.

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