Create image captions

Last updated on Jun 2, 2026

Learn how to generate live or static image captions in Adobe InDesign using metadata variables.

Captions provide descriptive information for images, helping readers understand visual content within a layout. In InDesign, captions can be generated automatically using image metadata such as descriptions, filenames, or copyright details. You can create static captions for manual editing or live captions that update dynamically when image metadata or placement changes.

Set up caption settings

Select Object > Captions > Caption Setup.

Enter any text to appear before the metadata in the Text Before field.

Select an option from the Metadata drop-down menu.

Enter any text to appear after the metadata in the Text After field.

Select the plus icon to add additional metadata rows and combine multiple metadata fields in a single caption.

Select an option from the Alignment drop-down menu.

In the Offset field, specify the distance between the caption and image frame edge.

Select an option from the Paragraph Style drop-down menu.

Select the layer where the caption should be placed from the Layer drop-down menu.

Select Group Caption with Image to keep the caption and image together when moving them in the layout.

Select OK.

Generate a caption from a placed image

Select the image frame using the Selection tool.

Select Object > Captions > Generate Live Caption for captions that update automatically or Generate Static Caption.

Generate captions while placing images

Select File > Place.

Select Create Static Captions.

Select the image file, and then select Open.

Select anywhere in the document to place the image.

Select the document again to place the caption text frame.

Create custom caption variables

Select Type > Text Variables > Define.

Select New to create a variable or select an existing variable to Edit.

In the Type field, select Metadata Caption.

Type any text to appear before the metadata in the Text Before field.

Select an option from the Metadata drop-down.

Type any text to appear after the metadata in the Text After field.

Select OK to create the variable, then select Done.

Insert caption variables manually

Create a text frame using the Type tool.

Select Type > Text Variables > Insert Variable, then choose the required caption variable.

Using the Selection tool, position the text frame so that it touches or overlaps the image frame.

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