How to proportionately resize an image in Writer

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#8

Images need a hosting object managing the anchoring and the visual position, size, ratios, boders, and … without changing the imported image data at all.
In case of Writer this service is provided by a frame object using the predefined FrameStyle Graphics. The frame is what you then actually handle using the UI.
There is an inconsistency, imo (V7.3.2 -on Win 10 in my case, but very probably independent of the OS): The Keep Ratio is disabled by default, but the behaviour is as if it’s enabled. In fact the setting is simply disregarded. It should be possible, however, to negate this for dragging with the help of modified Shift+Drag to the effect of NOT Keep Ratio. .
I even checked the probably related setting (UIser Profile) using the Expert Configuration, but didn’t get a satisfying clue.

You may file a bug report to bugs.documentfoundation.org .

You may also check on your system if the behaviour is caused by a kind of user profile corruption (disabling the user profile temporarily)

Who are you?
I surerly will hurry to get a Mac now …

#10

Dear Lupp, you’ve lost me! I started to fade out around ’ frame object using the predefined FrameStyle Graphics‘. ’ The Keep Ratio is disabled by default’? I don’t even know where that is. If you haven’t gathered by now, I’m now a programmer, I’m writer struggling with Libre Writer.

BTW, I am using a Mac, well 2 or 3 actually. Right now I’m working on my ancient imac (circa 2011) and it works fine, for most things. If not this one, then on my MacBook Air circa 2015, so they’re getting newer.

Who am I? Why do you want to know?

Go well

#11

Resizing an image: Chapter 11 Images and Graphics
But page 244 of Writer Guide 7.2 pdf available from documentation also shows keep ratio box

ImageHandles

2 Likes
#34

Hi,
This, corner handle alone, still works on Mac Os Ventura 13.7.4 in 2025 for resizing proportionally an image…

#9

Works for me this way with LO 7.2 on Linux and a stand-alone Picture with and without surrounding frame. In the latter case I Shift+drag the surrounding frame which resizes the frame with its embedded picture proportionally.
A frame with a caption (“Illustration 1:”) may be added to a picture automatically when the respective option is set in Writer’s “Auto Caption” settings.
To get rid of an existing frame you can select and cut the inner picture object, delete the empty frame and paste the picture back into the document.

#28

Villeroy, yes that’s what I’ve been doing, or trying to.

#12

Hi, I’m running LO 7.1.8.1 on a Mac and it works as described/expected. Perhaps you have a dodgy install. Try reinstalling it. There are no preferences that impact this functionality. So if you are grabbing a corner marker of the image and dragging it about then the shift/not-shift functions should work as expected.

#13

Okay, practical info! Thanks, I’ll try it. Should I also delete any accompanying files eg plist etc?

#14

No, just grab a copy and install. It cures most inconsistencies. Maybe even take the opportunity to upgrade a little.

#15

User profile corruption might be cause LibreOffice user profile - The Document Foundation Wiki

#16

EarnestAI
Well, it all started when I upgraded to the latest (mac) version and when I downgraded to:

Version: 7.1.8.1 / LibreOffice Community
Build ID: e1f30c802c3269a1d052614453f260e49458c82c
CPU threads: 4; OS: Mac OS X 10.12.6; UI render: default; VCL: osx
Locale: en-GB (en_GB.UTF-8); UI: en-US
Calc: threaded

The bug didn’t go away

#17

Okay, wiped it out and all the supporting files and reinstalled and, the resize works! However, one thing I note that if you’ve added a caption to the image, you can’t resize it. Is this deliberate or is there a setting I’ve missed?

#18

(That’s not the way it works for me [LibO V7.2.3.2 under Win10], however, it may be useful to note:)

Inserting a caption for an image you create an additional TextFrame containing the image with its automatic frame (Graphic) and the caption (TextField for numbering and chosen text).
It may make a difference which one of the two frames you resize.

#19

That’s weird! If I select both boxes then the frame gets bigger but not the image.

If I just select the image, then it gets fractionally bigger but the frame box stops it.

You can’t just select the caption box by itself. So the only way to resize the image is to do it before the caption box is added, right? It’s a very clunky way of doing things and basically ignores the Mac GUI.

BTW, I’m running: Version: 7.1.8.1 for the Macintosh

#20

Okay, I see what’s happening!

If both boxes are selected, you have to do resizing in three steps:

  1. Resize the entire box (image and text) first;
  2. Then resize the image but only within the enlarged boundary;
  3. Get rid of the excess space (if there is any) in the text box.
#21

However, the original problem persists; once an image is inserted and the caption added, if Wordwrap was turned on before the caption was added, wordwrap of any kind, can’t be turned off. The only way is to delete it all and start again!

#22

The “boxes” should be of type TextFrame, the inner one having assigned the FrameStyle named Graphic, the outer one’s stylename Frame.

I don’t know a way to select more than one TextFrame at a time.

1 Like
#23

What object did you allow to edit a property Wordwrap?

To understand and fight this kind of probably convoluted and interdependent issues we should use an (the) unmistakable terminology.

As far as I could see you strill never attached example documents showing thje (more than one!) issues for you.
It may be high time now.

#24

Okay, let me see if I can do it with screenshots as I’m not uploading actual content.

BTW, I never said I was trying to select two TextFrames at the same time. I have an image, I place it in the document, size, position and then I select insert TextFrame (is that better?) and key in my content. If I then double-click on the Graphic, I see that all the options are greyed out. So the image and text are frozen. Whatever parameters I set can’t be changed.

#25

Then it is because you in fact didn’t select the inner frame and remained with the outer frame selected.

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