diff --git a/crates/edit/src/images.rs b/crates/edit/src/images.rs
index 85ae6b391b..83f6c108d0 100644
--- a/crates/edit/src/images.rs
+++ b/crates/edit/src/images.rs
@@ -420,6 +420,19 @@ fn exclusive_clip(ops: &[Op], op: usize) -> Option<(usize, Matrix)> {
     Some((at, Matrix(ops.get(at + 3)?.nums::<6>()?)))
 }
 
+/// The `q cm … Q` whose only content after its `cm` is `start..=end` (a `Do`, or a balanced
+/// `q … Q` scope), with the index and value of that `cm`. Another transform of the same
+/// placement is folded into it, so repeated moves and resizes don't nest one more `q` each.
+fn enclosing_transform(ops: &[Op], start: usize, end: usize) -> Option<(usize, Matrix)> {
+    let at = start.checked_sub(1)?;
+    let cm = ops.get(at)?;
+    if !ops.get(at.checked_sub(1)?)?.is("q") || !ops.get(end.checked_add(1)?)?.is("Q") || !cm.is("cm") || cm.operands.len() != 6 {
+        return None;
+    }
+    let m = Matrix(cm.nums::<6>()?);
+    m.0.iter().all(|v| v.is_finite()).then_some((at, m))
+}
+
 /// The `cm` to put before the clip so that user-space transform `t` also moves the clip:
 /// the clip is drawn in the CTM before the image's own `cm` (`cm` · that = `draw`).
 fn clip_matrix(draw: Matrix, cm: Matrix, t: Matrix) -> Option<Matrix> {
@@ -603,6 +616,20 @@ fn transform_image(
     if !local.0.iter().all(|v| v.is_finite() && v.abs() <= 1e12) {
         return Err(EditError::Invalid("the image transform is too large".into()));
     }
+    // Already alone in a `q cm … Q` (its own placement, or the wrapper an earlier edit added):
+    // change that `cm` in place. The CTM inside is `local · cm · outer` either way.
+    if let Some((at, cm)) = enclosing_transform(&ops, start, end) {
+        let folded = local.then(&cm);
+        if !folded.0.iter().all(|v| v.is_finite() && v.abs() <= 1e12) {
+            return Err(EditError::Invalid("the image transform is too large".into()));
+        }
+        let changed = crate::text::splice(&pieces, &ops, |index| {
+            if index == at { (vec![Op::new("cm", folded.0.map(Object::Real).to_vec())], false) } else { (Vec::new(), true) }
+        });
+        let contents = crate::text::rewritten_contents(doc, streams, changed);
+        doc.update_dict(page.obj, |d| d.set(b"Contents".to_vec(), contents))?;
+        return Ok(());
+    }
     let changed = crate::text::splice(&pieces, &ops, |index| {
         if index == start {
             let mut out = vec![Op::new("q", vec![]), Op::new("cm", local.0.map(Object::Real).to_vec())];
@@ -672,10 +699,25 @@ pub(crate) fn translate_images(doc: &mut Document, page: usize, indexes: &[usize
             plans.remove(&(stream, index));
             clips.insert((stream, at), c);
         }
+        // An image already alone in `q cm Do Q` moves by changing that `cm`, not by nesting another.
+        let mut folds = std::collections::BTreeMap::new();
+        for index in 0..ops.len() {
+            let Some(&(movement, _, _)) = plans.get(&(stream, index)) else { continue };
+            let Some((at, cm)) = enclosing_transform(&ops, index, index) else { continue };
+            let folded = movement.then(&cm);
+            if !folded.0.iter().all(|v| v.is_finite() && v.abs() <= 1e12) {
+                return Err(EditError::Invalid("the image move is too large".into()));
+            }
+            plans.remove(&(stream, index));
+            folds.insert(at, folded);
+        }
         let changed = crate::text::splice(&pieces, &ops, |index| {
             if let Some(c) = clips.remove(&(stream, index)) {
                 return (vec![Op::new("cm", c.0.map(Object::Real).to_vec())], true);
             }
+            if let Some(m) = folds.remove(&index) {
+                return (vec![Op::new("cm", m.0.map(Object::Real).to_vec())], false);
+            }
             let Some((matrix, _, _)) = plans.remove(&(stream, index)) else { return (Vec::new(), true) };
             let original = ops.get(index).cloned().into_iter();
             // Local translations can be tiny under a large CTM. Preserve their precision
diff --git a/crates/edit/src/tests.rs b/crates/edit/src/tests.rs
index ecbedb9b4f..5c555814a3 100644
--- a/crates/edit/src/tests.rs
+++ b/crates/edit/src/tests.rs
@@ -1630,6 +1630,61 @@ fn close(a: [f64; 4], b: [f64; 4]) -> bool {
     a.iter().zip(b).all(|(x, y)| (x - y).abs() < 1e-6)
 }
 
+/// The deepest `q` nesting on the page.
+fn q_depth(doc: &Document) -> usize {
+    let mut depth = 0_usize;
+    let mut deepest = 0;
+    for op in pdfcraft_content::parse(&page_content_bytes(doc, 0)).ops {
+        if op.is("q") {
+            depth += 1;
+            deepest = deepest.max(depth);
+        } else if op.is("Q") {
+            depth = depth.saturating_sub(1);
+        }
+    }
+    deepest
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn repeated_image_edits_change_one_transform_instead_of_nesting() {
+    let variants = [
+        // Its own placement, a private crop, and a bare `Do` that the first edit wraps.
+        "q 200 0 0 100 100 100 cm /Im0 Do Q BT /F1 12 Tf 72 700 Td (Caption) Tj ET",
+        "q 100 100 200 100 re W* n 200 0 0 100 100 100 cm /Im0 Do Q BT /F1 12 Tf 72 700 Td (Caption) Tj ET",
+        "200 0 0 100 100 100 cm /Im0 Do",
+    ];
+    for content in variants {
+        let mut doc = image_page_with(content);
+        let resize = |doc: &mut Document, n: usize| -> usize {
+            let mut depth = 0;
+            for i in 0..n {
+                let r = images::page_images(doc, 0).unwrap()[0].visible_rect.unwrap();
+                // Grow by 3% about the lower-left corner and move right by 2, staying on the page.
+                let target = [r[0] + 2.0, r[1], r[0] + 2.0 + (r[2] - r[0]) * 1.03, r[1] + (r[3] - r[1]) * 1.03];
+                images::change_image(doc, 0, 0, &images::ImageChange::Transform(images::rect_to_rect(r, target))).unwrap();
+                let after = images::page_images(doc, 0).unwrap()[0].visible_rect.unwrap();
+                assert!(after.iter().zip(target).all(|(a, b)| (a - b).abs() < 1e-6), "{content}: {after:?} vs {target:?}");
+                if i == 0 {
+                    depth = q_depth(doc);
+                }
+            }
+            depth
+        };
+        let first = resize(&mut doc, 20);
+        assert_eq!(q_depth(&doc), first, "{content}: twenty resizes nest no deeper than one");
+        let mut doc = reopen(&doc);
+        let before = images::page_images(&doc, 0).unwrap()[0].rect;
+        for _ in 0..20 {
+            images::translate_images(&mut doc, 0, &[0], [1.0, -2.0]).unwrap();
+        }
+        let after = images::page_images(&doc, 0).unwrap()[0].rect;
+        assert!(close(after, [before[0] + 20.0, before[1] - 40.0, before[2] + 20.0, before[3] - 40.0]), "{content}: {after:?}");
+        assert_eq!(q_depth(&doc), first, "{content}: group moves change the same transform");
+        let caption: Vec<_> = text::text_lines(&doc, 0).unwrap().into_iter().map(|l| l.text).collect();
+        assert_eq!(caption.is_empty(), !content.contains("Caption"), "{content}: the text after the image is untouched");
+    }
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn page_images_move_turn_replace_and_delete() {
     let mut doc = image_page();
diff --git a/docs/editing-images.md b/docs/editing-images.md
index 3417b4c6d4..eba918ef39 100644
--- a/docs/editing-images.md
+++ b/docs/editing-images.md
@@ -6,6 +6,9 @@ that placement. The context menu also rotates or flips it. Changes support undo
 survive saving/reopening. For single-figure transforms, a clipping path exclusive to one image moves and resizes
 together with its pixels, including nested graphics states, intervening state operators
 and paths split across content streams. A clip shared with other content stays where it is.
+When the figure already sits alone in a `q … cm … Q` (its own placement, or the one an
+earlier edit added), moving or resizing it again changes that `cm`, so repeated edits don't
+nest one more graphics state each time.
 
 PDF figures are not always bitmap images. Imported diagrams often use a **Form XObject**,
 which packages text, vector paths, and nested images into one object. PdfCraft selects