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(bdkennedy1)
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How do I crop a clipping mask?

Jul 15, 2008 2:34 PM

I created a clipping mask and now I have a big transparent bounding box around the image. How do I crop out all the extra empty space to just leave the image as my object?
11311 Views   13 Replies   Latest reply: michaelbrown7878785446, Apr 26, 2012 6:07 AM
 
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    1. (Clint_Weatherwalks),
    Jul 15, 2008 6:03 PM   in reply to (bdkennedy1)
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    Unfortunately, in Illustrator, you can't. For some reason unknown to the rest of the world, the Illustrator programmers seem to think this is the way the application SHOULD work.

    There have been many requests to fix this behavior, but since it's not a new, snazzy feature that you can put in a press release, it's pretty far down the list of things for the Illustrator team to do.
     
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  • OldBob1957
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    2. OldBob1957,
    Jul 16, 2008 4:24 AM   in reply to (bdkennedy1)
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    Here's a workaround that (I believe) came from this forum:

    How do I crop an image in Illustrator?
    LenHewitt - 03:10am Jan 18, 2007 Pacific

    Cropping an Image to a clipping mask

    Place your image in Illustrator as an emebedded image.
    Create your clipping mask using any of the drawing tools.
    Select both image and clipping mask and select Object > Clipping Mask > Make.

    The visual image will be 'cropped' to within the clipping mask. If the clipping mask is released the whole image will again become visible.

    Embedded images can be permanently cropped within Illustrator to reduce file size:
    With the image and clipping mask still selected, in the transparency palette select any mode other than 'Normal'.
    Select Object > Flatten Transparency. Set the Raster/Vector Balance to 100 (Raster). Click 'OK'.

    The image will be permanently cropped to the smallest rectangle that will enclose the clipping mask. Releasing the clipping mask will not reveal the original image. Releasing the clipping mask will not reveal the original image.
     
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    3. (bdkennedy1),
    Jul 16, 2008 7:29 AM   in reply to (bdkennedy1)
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    This worked. Thanks!
     
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    4. (RenéG),
    Jul 16, 2008 7:44 AM   in reply to (bdkennedy1)
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    >Embedded images can be permanently cropped within Illustrator to reduce file size:
    With the image and clipping mask still selected, in the transparency palette select any mode other than 'Normal'.
    Select Object > Flatten Transparency. Set the Raster/Vector Balance to 100 (Raster). Click 'OK'.

    Good tip.

    But now my image is separated in 5 sections (i.e. I have 5 embedded imags in the links palette); is that normal?
     
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  • OldBob1957
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    5. OldBob1957,
    Jul 16, 2008 8:40 AM   in reply to (bdkennedy1)
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    Sometimes it does that to me too. I don't know why. Often, if I just start over and do it again (same image, same crop), I get it as one image. On the other hand, when it does cut up the image like that, it has always printed fine for me.

    Probably why it's a workaround, though, and not a feature. ;)
     
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    6. (RenéG),
    Jul 16, 2008 9:23 AM   in reply to (bdkennedy1)
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    OK, thanks for letting me know.
     
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    7. (nicholasmcroberts),
    Nov 1, 2008 10:27 AM   in reply to (bdkennedy1)
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    The solution to having it broken up into different images is then to do a pixelisation (setting the resolution to 600 or something high) and then it's just one block... like if Adobe had thought fit to include an Object - Flatten clipping mask feature!
     
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  • JETalmage
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    8. JETalmage,
    Nov 2, 2008 6:14 AM   in reply to (bdkennedy1)
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    Be aware that the Flatten Transparency workaround also outlines all strokes. Thus, it is not a substitute for the much-needed proper cutting capability which Illustrator still embarassingly lacks.

    JET
     
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  • Wade S Zimmerman
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    9. Wade S Zimmerman,
    Nov 2, 2008 7:13 AM   in reply to (bdkennedy1)
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    A crop tool is a must have!
     
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    10. (japchap),
    Nov 2, 2008 3:58 PM   in reply to Wade S Zimmerman
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    I second that - a crop tool for raster images on the artboard<br />would be a thing of beauty.<br /><br />Jeff<br /><br /><br />On 08/11/03 0:13, in article 59b5db08.8@webcrossing.la2eafNXanI,<br />"Wade_Zimmerman@adobeforums.com" <Wade_Zimmerman@adobeforums.com> wrote:<br /><br />> A crop tool is a must have!
     
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    11. (japchap),
    Nov 2, 2008 4:00 PM   in reply to (Clint_Weatherwalks)
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    According to Mordy Golding's blog, CS4 adds this functionality at last.<br />He wrote:<br /><br />    Clipping Masks. One of the biggest complaints about the masking features<br />in Illustrator has been that when artwork is clipped, you can still select<br />that artworkeven if it isn¹t visible. In Illustrator CS4, masked artwork is<br />now truly hiddenfrom view and from your selection tool. However, this new<br />functionality is only in place for clipping masks, not for layer clipping<br />masks.<br /><br />The blog is at: <br />http://rwillustrator.blogspot.com/2008/09/illustrator-cs4-facts.htm l<br /><br />Jeff<br /><br /><br />On 08/07/16 11:03, in article 59b5db08.0@webcrossing.la2eafNXanI,<br />"Clint_Weatherwalks@adobeforums.com" <Clint_Weatherwalks@adobeforums.com><br />wrote:<br /><br />> Unfortunately, in Illustrator, you can't. For some reason unknown to the rest<br />> of the world, the Illustrator programmers seem to think this is the way the<br />> application SHOULD work.<br />> <br />> There have been many requests to fix this behavior, but since it's not a new,<br />> snazzy feature that you can put in a press release, it's pretty far down the<br />> list of things for the Illustrator team to do.
     
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  • Wade S Zimmerman
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    12. Wade S Zimmerman,
    Nov 2, 2008 7:04 PM   in reply to (bdkennedy1)
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    I want a crop tool to crop every thing.
     
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  • michaelbrown7878785446
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    13. michaelbrown7878785446,
    Apr 26, 2012 6:07 AM   in reply to (bdkennedy1)
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    classic case of illustrator making easy things hard, or in this case impossible.

    no crop tool? i wanted to make sprite sheets for my game and Paint.net only lets you rotate in 90% increments, so i spent 7 hours downloading the illustrator trial. after figuring out the whole clipping mask thing, now i cant get rid if the white space around my sprite pieces. time to uninstall illustrator and go back to free Paint.net which lets you crop, jesh.

     
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