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    Frame edge highlighting

    Jeremy AB Community Member

      A new feature in InDesign CS5 is Frame edge highlighting. I find it quite annoying and can't find a way to disable it... anyone know how?

        • 1. Re: Frame edge highlighting
          Cari Jansen CommunityMVP

          Hi Jeremy,

           

          Don't think you can disable that.

           

          However, when you want to view your document AND have the ability to hover the cursor over 'frames' without them highlighting, you can do so in the new Presentation Screen Mode.

           

          Hope that is a suitable work-around?

           

          Cari

          --

          www.carijansen.com

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          • 2. Re: Frame edge highlighting
            Jeremy AB Community Member

            Hi, thanks for the suggestion... I'd rather just have it completely disabled. I find it annoying when I'm working and fail to see the point of the feature.

            The content grabber is optional (which I promptly disabled) so I wonder why frame edge highlighting is not?

            • 3. Re: Frame edge highlighting
              designerdave72 Community Member

              I agree it is annoying but I have only just got used to using the presentation mode as a fix. Maybe an update will bring the option to disable it but I won't hold my breath!

              • 4. Re: Frame edge highlighting
                Eugene Tyson CommunityMVP

                Well a sneaky way to do it, fake it, change your Layer Colour to white (or whatever colour you background is)?

                • 5. Re: Frame edge highlighting
                  designerdave72 Community Member

                  I tried that too, just makes everything seem to jump around!!!

                  • 6. Re: Frame edge highlighting
                    Eugene Tyson CommunityMVP

                    How do you mean "jump around"? It just makes the frame edges the same colour as the layer, which is white. The frame edges are defined that colour from the Layer Colour.

                     

                    Pity there is no "None" though.

                    • 7. Re: Frame edge highlighting
                      Jeremy AB Community Member

                      It is more of an annoyance than anything... I hope they add a setting in the menu to disable it like the others.. you can hide just about anything else except the highlighting.

                      • 8. Re: Frame edge highlighting
                        Eugene Tyson CommunityMVP

                        I'm surprised that with all the changes to CS5 and "enhancements" that are basically taken from other Apps, that this wasn't included.

                        • 9. Re: Frame edge highlighting
                          Skitomatic Community Member

                          I am not able to tell you a solution since I was looking for one myself.  I would definitely agree with you, this highlight frame edge feature is beyond useless.  It makes me think that every time my cursor is over a frames edge, that I have it selected.  There definitely should be a way to disable this feature.  I was thinking it was apart of smart guides (like it is in illustrator), but that is not the case.  Please Adobe, make it a feature that can be disabled like the content grabber (which was another useless tool in my opinion, bring back the position tool [shift-A]).

                          • 10. Re: Frame edge highlighting
                            Ben Frey Community Member

                            Yeah, this is driving me nuts, too. If I want to know where my frames are, i leave Preview mode and see them all. I don't want them constantly popping up when I move my cursor around the screen when "W" disables every thing else.

                             

                            Is it my imagination, or does it also interfere with selecting objects in a stack? I don't want to select anything except the top item under my cursor unless I hold down CMD when I click. It seems like I'm inadvertently selecting things that am hovering over the frame of at some point as I am mousing to where I plan on clicking, and instead of responding to where I click, it responds to where I had moused over from.

                             

                            Very frustrating.

                             

                            Almost as bad as the content grabber, but worse in a way because at least you can disable that ridiculous thing!

                            • 11. Re: Frame edge highlighting
                              Eugene Tyson CommunityMVP

                              It seems the enhancements that have been made to InDesign to make selecting things easier has actually made it more difficult.

                               

                              I'm not really sure what the issue with the frame highlighting is? It's never been an issue for me in 6 years of using InDesign.

                               

                              However, I do disagree about the content grabber. I miss it when I go back to CS3, it was very frustrating in Cs3 and CS4 to content grab, it's so much easier in CS5.

                              • 12. Re: Frame edge highlighting
                                designerdave72 Community Member

                                Six of one and half a dozen of the other although it would be nice to at least have the option. Maybe someone will write a script like swap places - that script is brilliant

                                • 13. Re: Frame edge highlighting
                                  Ben Frey Community Member

                                  That's exactly the problem...it's SO much easier that it is hard NOT to grab the content.

                                   

                                  Believe it or not, I usually want to move the frame, not the content. Most of my content is ready to go into the layout before InDesign ever sees it, so cropping after the fact is less important for me.

                                   

                                  Probably 90% of my links get CMD-OPT-C applied upon placement.

                                   

                                  Honestly I've already forgotten about the content grabber because I got it turned off 2 days after installing CS5. I guess I don't see what's so hard about double-clicking.

                                  • 14. Re: Frame edge highlighting
                                    Frans van der Geest CommunityMVP

                                    I must say that I really like the frame highlighting, it is VERY useful I find in more complex lay-outs

                                    • 15. Re: Frame edge highlighting
                                      Eugene Tyson CommunityMVP

                                      Oh I totally agree, there was nothing hard about double clicking, except when an image is burried under different layers or other images

                                       

                                      I felt the same way about the content grabber - but surprisingly it's very useful, I think it would have been better to have a modifier key enable the content grabber than it always being on or off.

                                       

                                      It annoyed the crap out of me for the whole time I used it. Then when I went back to CS3 I had to force remember how to grab the content of an image burried in the layers.

                                       

                                      It has it's merits and it's weaknesses. But I agree, double clicking is just as easy and the spring loaded tools would make grabbing the content easier anyway - http://indesignsecrets.com/spring-loaded-tools-in-cs5.php

                                       

                                       

                                      [sarcasm]Nonetheless - they felt adding content grabbers, roundy text frame handles, rotate, auto fit etc. than updating current features that are lacking, like variables splitting lines, footnotes (spanning columns, better formatting options etc.), endnotes, better table styles, and a few other things got the sideline so you can grab your content easier without double clicking. [/sarcasm]

                                      • 16. Re: Frame edge highlighting
                                        P Spier CommunityMVP

                                        I fiund frame edge highlighting to be very useful too in complex layouts, particularly when working in preview mode. It makes it meuch easier to know which object in a stack is going to be selected, and the new selection behavior allows you to select an object that is obsucred and move it without having to find the center spot.

                                        • 17. Re: Frame edge highlighting
                                          ukdesign1 Community Member

                                          I agree, very annoying

                                           

                                          I turned it off in Illustrator, in the preferences 'object highlighting'

                                           

                                          However I guess a totally different team, probably in India worked on Indesign, and didn't add the same preference option!!!

                                          • 18. Re: Frame edge highlighting
                                            Ben Frey Community Member

                                            I've figured out that there is a specific function you can no longer perform due to this new "feature."

                                             

                                            If you are trying to build a series of effects on an object, and creating the effect you're looking for requires multiple copies of the object stacked exactly on top of each other, in CS4 and earlier, you could build your "layers" of identical objects up and apply your styles as necessary, then select each object by clicking down under the top object and then shift clicking the top object and grouping them together as a single object.

                                             

                                            An example of when you'd do this: you need a red box on top of an image, and you want it to be set to "multiply", but you also want it to be opaque, solid red at the top, and then fade down to the multiplied red with a gradient screen applied. As long as you limit your needs to two layers, and there is nothing else in the way, it will work. Add a third, (the yellow in my example) and you in CS4, this wasn't a problem. Just cmd-click down to the bottom layer, then group it to the middle one. Then group that group to the top object, ungroup them all twice, and then group one last time, and you have a single group of 3 objects. yes, that's a lot of "group" and "ungroup" but it's just basically 2 seconds of toggling back and forth with the keyboard shortcuts when you're used to doing it all the time. Thanks to the frame edge highlighting in CS5, this is no longer the possible..

                                             

                                            In CS5, when you tunnel down through the stack, because the edges of the boxes you're working on in this situation are exactly overlaid with no hanging bits (such as circles), there is nothing for the frame edge highlighting to "see" of the top object, and so it won't select the top object in the stack when you shift-click on the stack.

                                             

                                            see the attached screenshot.

                                             

                                            There is no way to select the three circle layers and put them together as a group without laboriously selecting EVERYTHING and then unselecting things. If you cmd-click down to the bottom circle, and then attempt to shift-click the top layer, it will just deselect the entire stack. This is BROKEN, and in no way productive.

                                             

                                            Screen shot 2010-05-26 at 11.20.46 AM.jpg

                                             

                                            obviously in this example, the fastest thing to do would be select everything, and then deselect the background and the computer image. But in a complex layout, that wouldn't be practical or possible. I've had to start building my objects on the pasteboard, which can be pretty frustrating when you're dealing with something more complex than an empty circle.

                                             

                                            Message was edited by: Ben Frey (for clarity)

                                            • 19. Re: Frame edge highlighting
                                              ukdesign1 Community Member

                                              sounds like a definate bug I've not come across yet...

                                               

                                              don't forget to report it to adobe.

                                               

                                              I'm currently working in Dreamweaver cs5 on a web project, the bugs are really annoying me.

                                              1. Launch Dreamweaver and the first document takes AGES to open

                                              2. Live View is unusable even though totted as a 'new feature' - it thinks all the 'related files' are in the wrong folders

                                              3. VERY annoying, it forgets all ftp passwords

                                               

                                              Grrrrr.... have we just bought a beta product?

                                              I've a business to run!

                                              • 20. Re: Frame edge highlighting
                                                Jeremy AB Community Member

                                                I sent this in as a feature request... the option to disable Frame Edge Highlighting. Wasn't sure if it should go as a bug report, cause really it could be either.

                                                • 21. Re: Frame edge highlighting
                                                  P Spier CommunityMVP

                                                  It's even easier to select those objects now in CS5. Open the new Illustrator-style layers panel and you have access to all the objects, even onthe same layer (as they must be in a group).

                                                   

                                                  But I'm not sure I understand what you see as different about the Cmd-Click through the stack behavior? I don't see any difference in behavior at all.

                                                  • 22. Re: Frame edge highlighting
                                                    KrisHunt Community Member

                                                    I hate this "feature"! I'm not an idiot; I know how to see a frame if I want to. I don't want my document going schizo every time I pass my cursor over it!

                                                     

                                                    I particularly love this gem from Adobe's help site:

                                                     

                                                    InDesign now temporarily draws the frame edges as you use the Selection tool to hover over items on a page... This feedback is especially helpful when working in Preview Mode or with Hide Frame Edges selected.

                                                     

                                                    Showing frame edges is helpful for people who have expressly chosen to hide frame edges? Note to Adobe: if people know how to find the Hide Frame Edges command, they also know how to find the Show Frame Edges command when they need it. Morons.

                                                    • 23. Re: Frame edge highlighting
                                                      Ben Frey Community Member

                                                      P Spier wrote:

                                                       

                                                      It's even easier to select those objects now in CS5. Open the new Illustrator-style layers panel and you have access to all the objects, even onthe same layer (as they must be in a group).

                                                       

                                                      But I'm not sure I understand what you see as different about the Cmd-Click through the stack behavior? I don't see any difference in behavior at all.

                                                       

                                                      good point about the layers panel, but the problem still remains with cmd-click and the stack behavior.

                                                       

                                                      You can recreate this easily to see what i mean.

                                                       

                                                      1. create a new document in CS4

                                                      2. draw a box. give it a cyan fill

                                                      3. duplicate that box in place, and change the fill to magenta on the top copy

                                                      4. repeat that step again, changing the 3rd box to yellow

                                                      5. cmd-click down to the cyan box.

                                                      6. shift-click on the top box. note that your swatch panel now shows a question mark, because the fill for your selection is cyan/yellow

                                                       

                                                      Nnow attempt to do the same thing in CS5

                                                       

                                                      When you get to step 6, instead of adding the top box to your selection, shift-clicking will in fact deselect everything, because the frame edge highlighting has decided that what you actually wanted to focus on was the box you cmd-clicked down to earlier.

                                                       

                                                      The only way that would be a GOOD thing is if you had selected an object by cmd-clicking down a few levels, and then shift-clicked a few other items on your page, and then decided you wanted to deselect that original item for some reason. Since you can't cmd-click once you already have multiple objects selected, there isn't a time when that "good" side-effect of this new behavior could be a benefit.

                                                      • 24. Re: Frame edge highlighting
                                                        ukdesign1 Community Member

                                                        This frame edge highlighting is really ******* me off today. I'm working on a job and it is SO irritating when all I do is move the mouse when looking at the design and keep seeing flashes of blue lines....

                                                         

                                                        Adobe really messed up here, god I hope they get rid of it soon or give us the option to turn it off before I do something bad.

                                                        • 25. Re: Frame edge highlighting
                                                          designerdave72 Community Member

                                                          Although I feel the same, I'm used to them now and even find it a help sometimes. You could change the colour to white (Layers palette) as suggested earlier in this topic. Not a complete fix but it may help unless of course you use the colouring for layer recognition.

                                                          • 26. Re: Frame edge highlighting
                                                            [Jongware] Community Member

                                                            "Swap places script"? One of mine?

                                                            • 27. Re: Frame edge highlighting
                                                              designerdave72 Community Member

                                                              Yep. Brilliant.

                                                              • 28. Re: Frame edge highlighting
                                                                ukdesign1 Community Member

                                                                Changing to white or any colour doesn't help on multi page documents which have different background colours or images in rows etc.

                                                                 

                                                                Also we are opening up different jobs all the time as clients call, and sometimes have several jobs open at one time. We can't keep switching the guide colours.

                                                                 

                                                                Thanks for suggestion though

                                                                • 29. Re: Frame edge highlighting
                                                                  designerdave72 Community Member

                                                                  Ditto. Maybe we live in hope that Adobe are taking note... or still fighting with Apple!

                                                                  • 30. Re: Frame edge highlighting
                                                                    [Jongware] Community Member

                                                                    Thanks (I think -- anything from a year or longer ago is in Long Term Storage).

                                                                     

                                                                    Uhm, what did that script do? Perhaps it can be adjusted (but I need to know what it ought to do first).

                                                                    • 31. Re: Frame edge highlighting
                                                                      designerdave72 Community Member

                                                                      Off-topic but it replaced any item with another. As in, if there were two photos in frames on a spread (or page), located on opposite columns and in different positions and they needed to be swapped - just hit 'swap places (or swap images)' without doing it manually. Don't know why InDesign doesn't have this feature as a default. Works in CS5 too

                                                                      • 32. Re: Frame edge highlighting
                                                                        P Spier CommunityMVP

                                                                        Ben Frey wrote:


                                                                        The only way that would be a GOOD thing is if you had selected an object by cmd-clicking down a few levels, and then shift-clicked a few other items on your page, and then decided you wanted to deselect that original item for some reason. Since you can't cmd-click once you already have multiple objects selected, there isn't a time when that "good" side-effect of this new behavior could be a benefit.

                                                                        I don't have time to try the step-by-step at the moment, but I can tell you that what you are describing is far more likely to be the result of a change in behavior where selecting an object behind leaves it selected so you can move it or transform it easily, rather than having anything to do with highlighting frame edges. Use to be if you clicked down through the stack you had to grab the center spot to move the item. That's no longer true.

                                                                        • 33. Re: Frame edge highlighting
                                                                          P Spier CommunityMVP

                                                                          OK Ben,

                                                                           

                                                                          I followed your step by step and see what it is you are talking about. Frankly, I'll trade the current selection behavior that allows me to work with a lower-level object without being able to see its center over being able to add the top object to the selection any day (especially since I can do that in a jiffy inthe layers panel).

                                                                          • 34. Re: Frame edge highlighting
                                                                            designerdave72 Community Member

                                                                            C'mon people, it's not THAT bad a hindrance. OK, so it would be great if Adobe did give the option to disable it but what are you going to do if they don't offer this in the next update - revert to CS4, go back to Quack! We'll just have to learn to work with it...

                                                                            • 35. Re: Frame edge highlighting
                                                                              KrisHunt Community Member

                                                                              Like a thorn in my side, I might get used to it eventually, but it's insane that they would circumvent the user's choice to hide frame edges if the user had selected that option. Hide Frame Edges means I DON'T WANT TO SEE FRAME EDGES. EVER.

                                                                              • 36. Re: Frame edge highlighting
                                                                                ukdesign1 Community Member

                                                                                I'm currently designing an ad for a national magazine in ILLUSTRATOR to avoid the frame edges!!!!!!!

                                                                                 

                                                                                 

                                                                                 

                                                                                 

                                                                                Simon Gamble

                                                                                Managing Director

                                                                                 

                                                                                S Gamble Design & Web Ltd

                                                                                Calls4u Network www.calls4u.net

                                                                                Registered in England No. 6017927

                                                                                • 37. Re: Frame edge highlighting
                                                                                  designerdave72 Community Member

                                                                                  Awwww, how do you sleep at night?!

                                                                                  • 38. Re: Frame edge highlighting
                                                                                    ukdesign1 Community Member

                                                                                    i don't   terrible nightmares involving indesign frames

                                                                                    the crazy thing is, we can turn them off in illustrator!!

                                                                                     

                                                                                    the lack of shortcut for 'place' in illustrator (a 10 year old problem!) is now BUGGING ME!!! and I HATE bridge!

                                                                                     

                                                                                    ok rant over, back to work!

                                                                                     

                                                                                     

                                                                                     

                                                                                     

                                                                                    Simon Gamble

                                                                                    Managing Director

                                                                                     

                                                                                    S Gamble Design & Web Ltd

                                                                                     

                                                                                    Calls4u Network http://www.calls4u.net

                                                                                    Registered in England No. 6017927

                                                                                    • 39. Re: Frame edge highlighting
                                                                                      P Spier CommunityMVP

                                                                                      Here's a suggestion for all of you who hate frame edges (and I tend to agree that this should be a user choice), file a feature request on the official form.

                                                                                       

                                                                                      It might not get changed for this release, but maybe for CS6.

                                                                                       

                                                                                       

                                                                                      Adobe - Feature Request/Bug Report Form

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