You can easily resize an image by holding down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) and dragging the bounding box until the image is the desired size.
Hi! My name is Liuda. InDesign is my favorite tool for making layouts and publishing designs because there are many sophisticated tools and features that make the process easier and deliver great results.
I like to insert and use images in my InDesign document because every brochure and user guide looks simpler to read and understand with images. As usual, I have to resize, and make the image bigger or smaller after inserting it. And then move to the proper place on your page.
In this article, I will show you a few different methods to resize an image in your InDesign file on Windows and macOS.
Let’s dive in.
Key Takeaways
- You can resize an image by holding down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) and dragging any bounding box handle until the object is the desired size.
- You use the shortcut Command + < to decrease or Command + > to increase the size of the image.
- Or you can go to Object > Transform > Scale.
Method 1: Free Scale Using the Bounding Box
You can drag the bounding box to make your image bigger or smaller in InDesign.
Step 1: Select the image using the Selection Tool.
Step 2: Click on one of the point on the bounding box, holde down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) and drag to resize the image.
Alternatively, you can use a keyboard shortcut Command/Ctrl + < to make the image smaller, or Command/Ctrl + > to make the image bigger.
Method 2: Scale Tool
You can also use the Scale Tool to resize an image in InDesign as well.
For example, let’s make this image bigger to match the text content better.
Step 1: Select the image and go to Object > Transform > Scale.
It’ll open the Scale setting box and you can adjust the X and Y value, which are the height and width of the image.
Step 2: Change the value of the Scale X from 100% to 140% for example. My advice is to preview before pressing the OK button.
You can choose the option to keep the X and Y proportions for scaling if needed. Press OK when finished.
See, now your image is now bigger.
Final Thoughts
It’s important to know how to resize an image in Adobe InDesign because you often need to make the image smaller or bigger to fit the text content.
You can do this by holding down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) and dragging the bounding box to resize. If you want to preserve the proportions of the image, hold the Shift key. To scale objects from the center include the Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) key.
If you like to use shortcuts, you can use Command/Ctrl + < or > to increase or decrease the size of the image.
What is your favorite method to resize the image in Adobe InDesign? Do you have any other tips? Let me know in the comments below.
