How to Crop an Image in Adobe Illustrator [Solved]

Do you want to remove unwanted parts of an image? Do you want to separate a subject from the background? Do you want to change the aspect ratio of an image? You can do this by cropping it. Adobe Illustrator is an excellent tool to crop an image. Let’s take a look at the following guide on how to crop an image in Illustrator.

How to Crop an Image in Illustrator

Adobe Illustrator offers three options for you to crop an image. You can crop the image by using the crop tool, the clipping mask, or the opacity mask. Before that, you should first get access to Adobe Illustrator and import the image you want to crop by clicking File > Place and selecting an image from your computer.

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Method 1: Using the Cropping Tool

The first method is to use the cropping tool that allows you to crop images directly on the artboard. This method is easy and convenient, but it only works for rectangular crops. Here are the steps to use the cropping tool:

Step 1. Select the image with the Selection tool with the black arrow icon on the left toolbar and click on Crop Image on the Control panel (the top toolbar) or on the Properties panel (the right toolbar). Then, it will appear a crop widget with handles around the image

Step 2. Drag the handles to adjust the crop boundaries as you wish. You can also use the options on the Control panel or the Properties panel to change the crop dimensions, position, angle, and resolution.

Step 3. Click Apply on the Control panel or the Properties panel to crop the image.

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Method 2: Using the Clipping Mask

You can also use the clipping mask to crop an image in Illustrator with any shape you want. Here are the steps to use a clipping mask:

Step 1. Draw a vector shape that covers the area of the image you want to keep. Use the drawing tools on the left toolbar to do it, such as the Rectangle tool, the Ellipse tool, or the Pen tool.

Step 2. Select both the vector shape and the image with the Selection tool.

Step 3.  On the Object menu, click Clipping Mask > Make or right-click the selection and click Make Clipping Mask from the context menu.

Now, you’ve created a cropped image in any shape you want.

Method 3: Using the Opacity Mask

Follow the steps below to crop an image in Illustrator with the opacity mask.

Step 1. Use any of the drawing tools on the left toolbar to draw a shape on where you want to crop.

Step 2. Select both the image and shape, then it will have a blue outline around them.

Step 3. Click Windows on the top menu and tap Transparency on the right toolbar to open the Transparency panel.

Step 4. In the Transparency panel, click Make Mask and you can adjust the opacity level, change the blending mode, or keep it as it is.

Your image should have been cropped to the shape you selected.

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An Alternate Method to Crop an Image

Apart from Adobe Illustrator, there is an alternative way to crop images more easily. Use MiniTool MovieMaker, a free image cropping tool on Windows.

Step 1. Click the Free Download button below to download and install this program. Then, open it and close the pop-up window.

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Step 2. Click on Import Media Files to import your image and drag it onto the timeline.

Step 3. Select the image on the timeline and click Crop on the toolbar.

Step 4. Crop the image manually or select an aspect ratio, then click on OK to confirm.

Step 5. Tap on Export to save this cropped image.

Conclusion

Cropping an image in Illustrator can help you remove unwanted parts or fit them into different shapes. How to crop in Illustrator? You can use the cropping tool, the clipping mask, or the opacity mask to crop an image depending on your preferences.