How to crop in an illustrator? Beginner’s guide to image editor in an adobe illustrator for Graphic designers and Photoshop experts

Adobe Illustrator is the primary choice of source for working your way around the image and video editing. From the best SEO company in Surat to foreign countries and freelance video editors for Netflix’s top-notch series like Disenchantment season 3, every professional uses Adobe for the best experience. How to crop in an illustrator? is one of the majorly asked yet, most basic tutorials demanded by beginners in photoshop and graphics designing.

To begin with, how to crop in an illustrator? is a guide that can be useful for genuine internet users. If you love to photoshop your videos and images before putting them on social media, you are in for a treat of learning in this reading. For the most part, you can learn the basic rules of Adobe illustrator and why it is the best pick for the top 10 video and image editors on Play Store. Hence, let’s begin:

How to crop in an illustrator?

Want to cut someone out of your favourite photo? Or, do you not want them to steal your thunder? Don’t worry! Adobe Illustrator is one of the most favourite designing tools, which is simply helpful in such sensitive moments. To your surprise, the illustrator app by Adobe comes with remarkably advanced features. Unlike other free graphic designing tools, Adobe Illustrator ensures that the quality of your photo or image remains preserved after cropping. I learned about its advanced features at the best SEO company in Surat, where I was required to design and crop photos for social media marketing purposes. Isn’t that great? Here’s a stepwise process that will surely help you in cropping photos and videos quicker than ever without compromising on the quality factor:

Method 1: How to crop images in an illustrator using clipping mask?

More often than not, while cropping images on Illustrator, professional image editors get new ideas and, further, regret their choice of making quick decisions. This is why cropping images in an illustrator using clipping mask is a perfect solution. The reason being, it is a non-quick process that gives you enough time to think and share your image, an excellent final outcome at the end.

By image masking, the user can hide some portions of the photo and adjust in order to get a preview. Therefore, the user attains a better understanding of what an image will look like after “cropping.”

Check out the step-to-step process given below. I used these steps to crop images for the Disenchantment Season 3 meme series on my Instagram page.

Note: Please login to your Adobe Illustrator profile beforehand. For advanced features, you can also purchase a premium version of the software. If not, you can go for a seven days trial (free for beginners).

STEP 1: Add linked or embedded image

●        First, go to the file option given in the toolbar.

●        Next, click on the place option to go forward.

●        Now, “finder” on your macOS or “my files” on your PC will open.

●        Choose the image that you need to crop a part of.

Now, remember that if the image comes from a third party such as your computer (in JPEG format) or the internet, it will be considered a linked image on Adobe Illustrator. Whereas, if you choose an image that you have previously saved via AI (in AI format), then the image will be embedded. You can see annotations over the image if it is linked. If embedded, you will not.

STEP 2: Apply clipping mask on the image

This step is very crucial. Thus, take actions carefully.

●        First of all, visit the control panel.

●        Further, tap on the Windows (icon).

●        Next, go to the Control section.

Note: In few operating systems or PC models, in place of “control panel,” “properties panel” remains available. Hence, make a logical choice here. Try this shortcut: Windows < Properties < Properties Panel.

●        Once the properties panel is open, you will see endless options.

●        Do you see the “mask image” option? If yes, click on the same.

●        Now, you will be able to see edges around the image in Illustrator.

●        You can use these edges to change the size of the image (called vector sizing).

Note: When you adjust the image’s size via vector sizing, it will not change or impact the previously applied mask.

It is noteworthy that “clipping mask” allows you to automatically save the image in an adobe illustrator format during vector sizing. Henceforth, you can easily preview or view the original version of the image if you do not get satisfying results after cropping.

Step 3: Finally, crop it!

Wondering how to crop in an illustrator with 100% clarity on the edges? Well! Clipping masks have already ensured quality. Now it’s time to crop the image:

●        View the right-side tool menu on the screen.

●        Click on the quick actions option.

●        Then, select the crop image option.

●        Click on the “Apply” button at the downside to save the changes.

Method 2: Crop in Illustrator CC without masking (shortcut to crop image in Adobe CC)

Here’s a fact, to begin with, Joe Namath net worth also runs a company with C.C. Ryder initials. Just wondering what’d be his skills in Adobe? Well! Let’s refocus on our guide.

If you are in a haste to crop your image and put it online during mainstream timing on social media, here’s a shortcut for you.

Note: Before cropping the image using this method, please ensure that you have saved the original copy on PC beforehand.

●        Open the image in the Adobe Illustrator profile.

●        Follow: File > Place > New Image > Select Image > Enter.

●        Now, observe the “erase” option at the left-side menu. Or, look for an eraser icon.

●        Click on the same.

●        Then, tap on the crop option.

●        A dotted outline on the image will appear.

●        Use the edges around the image to crop it.

●        Finally, click on the “crop” option to save changes.

●        Now, save the image on your PC for further use.

Epilogue Want to know more about how Adobe Illustrator works? We are here for you at every step of the way. With us, learn the basics of graphic designing, photoshop, image and video editing. Thanks for reading. Good luck!

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Christophe Rude

Christophe Rude

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