How to insert a photo in InDesign: A guide to PNG, INDD, and file placement
How do I insert a photo in InDesign?
To insert a photo in InDesign, use the Place command: navigate to File > Place, select your image file (such as a PNG), and click Open to position it within your document. InDesign links to the original file rather than embedding it, keeping your INDD project lightweight and editable. This method supports all common image formats, including PNG, JPEG, TIFF, and EPS.
File management is the practice of storing, organizing, locating, and distributing digital files.
What is a PNG?
A PNG stands for Portable Network Graphic and is a file type that has lossless compression. This means it keeps the original quality of an image even when it’s shrunk in size. A PNG image file uses raster graphics as it is made up of a grid of pixels.
What is an INDD?
The INDD is the Adobe InDesign file extension. It’s designed to manage things such as newsletters and books. INDD is capable of keeping all the different parts of a project together as they were originally intended. It is a large file type.
How to convert a PNG to an INDD
The PNG and INDD aren’t exactly compatible. Unlike other image file types, the INDD has different characteristics than the PNG. It’s a completely different type of file used for other things. However, it is possible to bring a PNG file into the InDesign system.
In order to move a PNG to the InDesign system, you’re going to need to use the ‘place’ feature. First, open the InDesign software. Select ‘file’ then ‘place’ and choose the PNG graphic you want to use. You’ll now have a workable, editable version of the PNG inside an INDD.
How to convert an INDD to PNG
If you’re looking for a program to convert an INDD to PNG, you won’t find one. That’s because just like with the inverse conversion, the INDD isn’t compatible with PNG in a way that allows conversion. Instead, it takes some maneuvering to turn an INDD into a PNG.
First, export your INDD file as an EPS. In InDesign, choose ‘file’ then ‘export’ and save the file as an EPS. Next, open the newly-created EPS file using Adobe Illustrator. Once inside Illustrator, save the file as a PNG. There probably won’t ever be a program dedicated to converting INDD to PNG, so take these extra steps when necessary.
When it comes to image files, there’s often confusion about which extensions are interchangeable with one another. Though PNG is convertible into a lot of different file types, INDD isn’t one of them. Fortunately, you can get creative to create a usable PNG in InDesign.