# Multiple images

Choose **File > Place** (Cmd+D on macOS) and select several images, or drop a selection of images from your file manager onto the document. Multiple images load into a placement cursor in the order supplied by the file picker (or the drop). The cursor shows the next image's thumbnail and, beside it, how many are loaded ("(6)").

- Click to place the next image at its natural size.
- Drag to draw its frame: it keeps the image's proportions, and shows the scale beside the pointer.
- Click an existing graphic frame to replace its contents.
- While drawing, Right/Left add/remove columns and Up/Down add/remove rows. Release to place a grid in row order with 6-point gutters. Extra images remain in the cursor; unused grid cells create no empty frames. A drag too small for the grid's cells shows and places one frame instead, as an ordinary drag does.
- Press Escape or select another tool to cancel the remaining placement.
- Switching to, opening or closing a document also cancels it, and goes back to the Selection tool.

A single selected file retains the normal Place behavior, including filling a selected frame and PDF import options. A multi-page PDF in a batch stops the batch at its import options; once confirmed, it queues after the images loaded before it. Image batches support up to 1000 images. Rows and columns each range from 1 to 100. A batch containing an unreadable image fails without replacing the existing queue or changing the document. An invalid grid area also leaves the document and queue unchanged.

## Dropping files

- One image dropped on an empty or graphic frame fills it, or replaces the image in it.
- One image dropped anywhere else loads into the place cursor, as File > Place does with nothing selected: the next click or drag places it.
- Several images dropped together load into the place cursor in the order they came, wherever they are dropped.
- Images dropped while the cursor already holds some queue after them.
- DesignCraft, IDML and InDesign documents open; text files (.txt, .docx, .rtf, .md) and spreadsheets go into a new frame where they are dropped; a PDF is placed where it is dropped (or fills the frame under it); swatch exchange (.ase) files load their swatches.

Images here are PNG, JPEG, GIF, WebP, BMP, TIFF, SVG, PSD and EPS files.

## Automation

All placement behavior is available through the engine, CLI, control channel and MCP:

```json
{"command":"place.load","params":{"files":[{"path":"/images/one.png"},{"path":"/images/two.jpg"}]}}
{"command":"place.load","params":{"files":[{"path":"/images/three.png"}],"append":true}}
{"command":"place.grid","params":{"rect":[36,36,576,756],"columns":3,"rows":4,"gutter":6}}
{"command":"place.cancel","params":{}}
```

Each source can instead supply `base64` and `name`, including on the web. `append` queues the images after those already loaded instead of replacing them. `place.grid` consumes only the images that fit. Undo removes placed frames together, while the cursor remains at its current position in the queue. The UI command `app.placeDialog` takes `paths` for a File > Place of several files without the dialog.