Placing, cropping or removing images in the Print editor of Studio

Working on a story for a print article not only involves working with the article itself and the layout it is placed on, but it typically also means working with one or more accompanying images.

At some point, these images need to be added to the story (possibly by replacing images that are already added), cropped or removed.

This article explains how to use the Print editor of Studio to place an image on the layout, how to make it fit the frame or how to remove it from a frame.

Before you start

To make this feature work, some preparation is needed.

• The Studio Server plug-in 'Automated Print Workflow' has to be enabled in Studio Server. When this is not the case, the following may occur:
• The Cropping tools on the layout and the Images panel cannot be accessed.
• The notification 'Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'Params')' appears when placing an image on a layout.

• It is assumed here that a Print article is already created and that it is placed on a layout that contains graphic frames.

• The article and layout should be placed in the same Dossier, it is assumed here that this is the case. When the opened article is not in a Dossier, the message 'No Dossiers found' is shown in the Images panel and a button is provided in the panel to create a new Dossier. The article and layout are then automatically added to the new Dossier.

• Any images that are going to be placed also need to be part of the Dossier that the article is in. It is assumed here that this is the case. For information about adding images to a Dossier, see Working with Dossiers in Studio.

Placing an image

Step 1. Open the article in the Print editor and use the View options to show the Images panel and the Layout preview. Optionally, hide the Edit window.

Figure: Use the View options in the Print editor to show or hide the Edit window (A), Layout preview (B) and Images panel (C).

Figure: The Images panel (A) and empty graphic frames in the Layout preview (B).

The following is shown:

• The Images panel shows the following images:

• All images that are currently placed on the layout on which the article is also placed.

• All images from all Dossiers that the article is part of. (This is only the case when the article is opened outside of a Dossier.)

• Only the images that are in the Dossier from which the article is opened.

Tip: Select an image to show a list of its properties at the bottom of the panel. A property value can be copied by selecting it and pressing Ctrl+C or Cmd+C, or by clicking the Copy button which appears when hovering the mouse pointer over the property.

• The Layout preview shows icons for each empty graphic frame to indicate that an image can be placed in it.

Step 2. (Optional) Type (part of) the file name in the Filter of the Images panel to narrow down the list of images.

Step 3. Drag an image from the Images panel or directly from Assets onto any graphic frame on the layout, including those that already contain an image.

A dark overlay and the text "Drop your image here" will appear in the frame. (When this is not the case, see Troubleshooting below).

The image is placed and the Layout preview is updated.

By default, the image is made to fit the frame. If needed, the image can be cropped (see below).

Figure: By default, a placed image is fit to the frame it is placed in.

Cropping an image

By cropping the image, you specify how it fits in the frame and which portions of the image are visible or hidden.

Step 1. Hover the mouse pointer over an image to make the icons for the Cropping tool and the Trash Can appear.

Figure: When hovering the mouse pointer over a placed image, the icons for the image tools appear.

Step 2. Click the Cropping tool.

The cropping tools appear.

A		Fill the frame proportionally: the entire frame is filled with the image, any parts of the image that do not fit are cropped.
B		Fit the content proportionally: the image is scaled to fit proportionally within the frame.
C		Fit the content to the frame: resize the image to exactly fit the frame.
D		Reset the changes.
E		Save the changes.
F		Cancel and close Cropping Tool.
G	•	Resize handle.

Step 3. Do one or a combination of the following:

• Drag any of the handles on the side or corners of the image to manually change its size.

• Use any of the fitting options.

• Drag the image to re-position it.

Step 4. Save the changes by clicking the Save icon in the toolbar.

Removing an image

Step 1. Hover the mouse pointer over an image to make the tools for that image appear.

Figure: When hovering the mouse pointer over a placed image, the icons for the image tools appear.

Step 2. Click the Trash Can icon.

The image is removed from the frame.

Troubleshooting

Images cannot be placed in a frame

When dragging an image over a frame on the layout, you may notice that it is not always possible to place the image in that frame: when doing so, the frame does not appear darker and the text "Drop your image here" does not appear.

Note that images can only be placed in the following types of frames:

• Frames that contain an image that is stored in Studio Server (including planned images)
• Graphic frames that are part of an InDesign article (including empty frames)

Images cannot be placed in the following types of frames:

• Frames that are not a graphic frame
• Graphic frames that are not part of an InDesign article
• Empty graphic frames that are part of an Studio Server article but do not contain a placed image

Also note that when an image is placed in a frame that it cannot be placed in that frame again.

Frames do not appear in the Layout preview

When the Layout preview is opened together with the Images panel, any empty frames in which an image can be placed (see above) will have a light-gray background and an image icon in the center. This indicates that an image can be placed in that frame.

For any empty frames in which an image cannot be placed (see above), such indicators do not appear. When the empty frame also does not have a fill color or stroke color, such frames may seem to have disappeared from the page, even though they are available on the actual layout.

The Trash Can icon appears dimmed

Removing an image can only be done when the frame in which the image is placed is part of an InDesign article. For all other frames, the Trash Can icon is dimmed.

The reason is that the InDesign article preserves a relation between the frame and the layout and makes it possible for Studio to keep showing the frame in the layout preview.

When removing an image that is not part of an InDesign article, no such relation would exist anymore. This would make it impossible for Studio to show the frame.

Revisions

• 3 February 2026: Updated section 'Before you start' with information about the 'Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'Params')' notification.