Small particles of Pt, Rh, and Ir, epitaxially grown on NaCl substrates and subsequently embedded in Al2O3 or TiO2, provide a suitable model for supported metal catalysts. Owing to the regular as‐grown particle shapes, examined by high resolution electron microscopy, weak‐beam dark‐field imaging, and selected‐area electron diffraction, these films are in particular suited to study structural and morphological changes occurring during the catalyst activation pretreatment. These changes strongly depend on the as‐deposited film structure. While only slightly established at isolated particles, e.g. by microfaceting, they seriously alter by coalescence and spreading the catalyst structure and performance at closely neighboured particles.