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Image Inspector

the Image Inspector

Use the Image Inspector to add a new image, replace an existing image, or adjust image settings. A wide range of image types are supported, which are listed here:

Instructions about how to add or replace an image, including a multi-page PDF file, are provided here:

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If your current selection includes several shapes any settings changes will be applied to all of them, including adding or replacing images.

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The following image adjustments are available:

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Use DPI (Dots per inch).

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Opacity.

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Flip.

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Size and fit within the shape (choose from options: Original Size, Fit - No Stretch, Fill - No Stretch, Stretch to Fill, Tile or Manual) - see below for more information.

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Position within the shape (either Manual, or from automatic alignment options based on different combinations of Top/Center/Bottom with Left/Center/Right) - see below for more information.

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About the Use DPI setting:

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When you insert an image into a document, the value of the Use DPI pop-up list is set to match the DPI (Dots per inch) value read from the image file's meta data, or else if this value isn't available it's set to a default value of 72.

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If the Use DPI setting is changed, the Scale values (width and height) will change accordingly. The only exception to this is if the Fit setting is Original Size, in which case the Scale values remain at 100% and the image display size will change.

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Choose the Use DPI: From File setting to return to the DPI value read from the image file.

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To achieve good image quality at the output stage, for printed documents images should maintain a minimum resolution of 300 DPI, whereas a minimum of 72 DPI is usually sufficient for a document that will only be viewed on a computer screen.

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Image resolution changes as an image is resized. During image resizing, the Scale values (width and height) will be seen to change. To maintain adequate image resolution, all that's required is to select a Use DPI setting of either 300 DPI (for printed output) or 72 DPI (for computer screen output) and then make sure that the Scale does not exceed 100%. Scale settings above 100% are displayed in a red warning color to alert that the image has been stretched and may appear pixelated when printed or displayed.

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To delete an existing image without deleting its containing shape, simply deselect the Image checkbox.

To size/fit an image inside its shape:

Having inserted an image into a shape, and adjusted the Use DPI setting, you are now ready to adjust image size and fit. Image size is determined by how the image is set to fit in its containing shape and (for some Fit options) the size of the containing shape.

How an image fits in its containing shape is controlled by the options available in the Fit pop-up list. Images are added to shapes with a default Fit setting of “Fit - No Stretch”, which makes the image resizable.

How to apply the fit settings is decribed below in terms of four main outcomes you can achieve: full size, resized, resized and cropped, and tiled:

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Full size: Choose Fit: Original Size to fix the image size at full size for the selected Use DPI setting. The Fit controls for manual sizing are disabled.

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Resized: If you want to change the image display size and require all, or most, of the image to be visible, the easiest approach is to choose one of the following three Fit options. Each of these options scales the image to fit entirely within the bounding box of its containing shape, and enables image repositioning/resizing by selecting and moving/resizing the containing shape.

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Fit - No Stretch, scales an image proportionally, such that it always just fits within (and fills) the smallest relative dimension (width or height), and fits within the largest relative dimension with space around.

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Fill - No Stretch, scales an image proportionally, such that it always just fits within (and fills) the largest relative dimension (width or height), and crops the image in the smallest relative dimension.

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Stretch to Fill, scales an image disproportionally (changing it's aspect ratio), such that it always just fits within (and fills) both dimensions (width and height).

All three of these Fit options disable the Fit controls for manual sizing.

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Resized and cropped: Choose Fit: Manual if you want to change the image size and crop an image so that only part of it remains visible. All of the manual sizing controls are enabled (as shown in the above image).

IMPORTANT: Avoid setting Fit: Manual and then scaling down an image so that its containing shape remains much larger than the image. This can become inconvenient if the containing shape covers other document content and prevents its selection. We recommend only setting Fit: Manual when you want to crop an image.

The manual sizing controls have a default setting of proportional scaling for the image width and height. To apply disproportional image scaling (change the aspect ratio), you must deselect the proportional scaling lock by clicking the blue chain icon (next to the Size label).

TIP: After adjusting the aspect ratio, you can reapply the proportional scaling lock to maintain the new aspect ratio during any further resizing.

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Tiled: Choose Fit: Tile to create a tile pattern made up of multiple copies of an image that fills it's containing shape. The tiling effect may not be visible until you make the image size smaller than its containing shape. One copy of the image behaves as a "seed image"; you apply all image settings to the seed image and all the surrounding image copies change to match. All of the same Fit settings as for Fit: Manual are available for adjusting the seed image. If you switch to and fro between Fit: Manual and Fit: Tile you will see that the only difference between them is the extra image copies that get added in Tile mode.

As an alternative to the Image Inspector, you can use the Image Tool to size images graphically, using your mouse.

To position an image inside its shape:

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Use the alignment controls.

IMPORTANT: The alignment controls are only enabled when you choose one of the following Fit options:

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Original Size

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Manual

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Tile

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Each option in the Align pop-up list (apart from Manual) provides automatic alignment of an image relative to its containing shape.

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Choose Align: Manual to change image position and rotation with complete freedom. As you move an image around manually, notice that any part of the image area lying outside the shape's outline becomes invisible. By changing the shape you can achieve fully adjustable shaped cropping/clipping of an image.

As an alternative to the Image Inspector, you can use the Image Tool to position images graphically, using your mouse.

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