
In many ways, cropping is about reshaping an image into another form.
#Illustrator artboard transparent how to#
Method 1: How to Crop an Image in Illustrator with Clipping Mask Understanding this is necessary when cropping images in Illustrator, especially if your project involves Photoshop. Use the Place option under File or simply drag it into the open project to link the image. However, you should know that when you crop a linked image, the editor embeds a copy in the document.Īlso, opening an image using the Open With > Photoshop option embeds it in the document. On the other hand, an embedded image is fully present in the document at maximum resolution.Īlthough it is a vector graphics program, Illustrator allows you to link or embed raster images. These edits are then automatically applied within the Illustrator document.

Understanding Linked and Embedded Imagesīefore we get into how to crop in Illustrator, linked and embedded images are also worth mentioning.Ī Linked image is independent of the Illustrator file, which allows you to edit it in other applications. Raster images, however, lose their editability when cropped into a new form unless the user re-edits the original. So, how does this matter when it comes to cropping an image in Illustrator? Well, unlike raster graphics that lose quality during scaling, vector graphics maintain their quality.Īs a result, users have a lot more freedom when cropping vectors as they remain editable regardless of their shape or size. To edit a vector image, one needs a graphic design program specially designed to work with these formats. The files are saved in formats like AI, SVG, WMF, CDR, or EPS.

On the other hand, vector graphics are less common and consist of shapes and lines. Also, they are easy to work with and thus, have plenty of supported editing programs. They consist of pixels and are saved as a bitmap in file formats like JPG (JPEG), GIF, or PNG. Raster graphics are the most common form of images.
