Image Options

Introduction

To begin the necessary adjustments to the frame contents, click the “Activate” check box just under the tab.

or simply click on the power icon .

If you click “Deacitvate” – all settings are maintained, but disabled. To reset your frame to the default settings for the selected frame, click "Reset" and "Activate".

Image Scaling

This module is used to keep the selected section of an image when scaling. For this purpose, you can define a reference point as well as a minimum and maximum image area to be preserved.

Proportional Frame Scaling

If the frame which is containing the image is scaled proportionally, the image will be scaled proportionally with the same scaling factor, so the cropping area will be identical before and after cropping.

The only exception: If the minimal image area is set that it doesn’t fit into the chosen image cropping before the adaption, the image scaling will move and if necessary will scale down the image so that the minimal image area can be ensured.

The rules for this occurence match the rules of the non-proportional scaling.

Non-proportional image scaling

If non-proportional image scaling is being used, Dylation will always try to use the numerical smaller scaling factor so that the scaled image will be as much similar to the original image as possible. This serves for the preservation of the image quality and the visual impression of the image.

Maximum image area

The maximum image area is the section that may still be visible in the frame after scaling. If additional image material is required after the adaption due to a non-proportional frame scaling, it is taken from the area up to the maximum range. The additional graphical material is removed according to the rules defined in the Reference Point section.

In the case of proportional frame scaling, the maximum image area to be displayed is not taken into account, since the image is scaled with the same scaling of the frame and the displayed image section does not change in the frame before and after scaling.

Minimum image area

The minimum image area is the section that must be visible even after scaling. If the defined minimum image area is not completely visible in the frame before adaption, the image is shifted and scaled in such a way that the defined minimum image area can be safely displayed after adaption. The applicable rules are the same as for non-proportional frame scaling.

The adherence to the minimum area has priority over the maximum area, i. e. if the image section is distorted extremely in one direction (height or width) by the adaption, the minimum area is always displayed, even if this leads to the maximum area being exceeded.

Reference Point

The position of the reference point indicates the percentage distribution of the extraction of the additional image material, which may be taken from above, below, left and right if necessary, even outside the maximum image area to be displayed.

Examples:

If the reference point is set to the center of the image, the image material will be taken or added from all sides alike.
If the reference point is set to the left of the image, more image material will be taken or added from the right.
If the reference point is set centered in vertical direction but to 25% of the width from the left and 75% of the width from the right, the image material will be taken or added from top and bottom alike but 25% of the image scaling will be taken/added from the left and 75% of the scaling factor from the right.

The minimal and maximal image sections will be respected.

Priority

For image scaling, the default priority is set to the minimum image area. Sometimes this can lead to the frame not being completely filled out by the image after the adaption and the page background (so-called white gaps) being visible. In these cases, it is better to prioritise the maximum image area.

Before adaption

After adaption - Priority on minimum image area

After adaption - Priority on maximum image area

Respect margins

Use the Respect Margins checkbox to influence the use of the minimum and maximum image area.

If the checkbox is deactivated (default), both areas are aligned with respect to the frame margin.
If it is activated, the two areas are aligned with respect to the frame margins limited by the page margins.

This is useful, for example, for images that overlap the page borders (additional cropping). If the checkbox is activated, the green area is aligned so that it is always completely visible in the visible area. The algorithm tries to prevent the red area from appearing in the visible area.

Before adaption

After adaption - Respect margins unchecked

After adaption - Respect margins checked

Image Fit

This module is used to automatically adjust the dimensions of picture frames according to their contents. Depending on the image content and settings, the frame can grow, shrink or be minimized in height and/or width.

Minimize

If the Minimize option is activated, an image frame without content will be minimized in width and height to 0.01 mm.
If a vertical or horizontal arrow is set, the frame is moved by the amount and direction of the arrow.
For picture frames with content, this option has no effect.

Example 1: Before adaption

Removing the image

Example 1: After adaption

Example 2: Before adaption

Removing the image

Example 2: After adaption

Apply InDesign frame fitting options

Activating this option will respect the InDesign settings (Object > Fitting > Frame Fitting Options) during the adaption.

Fit Content to Frame
Fit Content Proportionally
Fit Frame Proportionally

Fitting

After enabling the Fitting option, there are three customizing strategies for the frame:

If you select the Frame to content option, the dimensions (height and width) of the image frame are adapted to the dimensions of the image during adaption.
If you select the Frame width to content option, only the frame width is adapted to the width of the image during adaption.
If you select the Frame height to content option, only the frame height is adjusted to the height of the image during adaption.

Image Follower

With the help of this content rule, a frame (tracker) should follow an image frame (target frame) and use its scaling, even if the predefined image area has been moved and/or scaled after the adaption.

Example: An eyecatcher should remain fixed at a defined position on a main image. An adaption of the main image, which can lead to scaling and a displacement of the image’s position, is to be transferred to the eyecatcher, so that after the adaption the eyecatcher is at the same position with a scaled size.

Name

Insert the name (the script label) of the image frame to be tracked. The target frame must not be a text frame.

Before adaption

Notice the "maximum image area" priority.

After adaption

In this example both the image and the circle have been scaled to fit in the new frame (because of the "maximum image area" priority).