How do I crop a clipping mask?

[_bdkennedy1_]

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?

[_Clint_Weatherwalks_]

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.

[_japchap_]

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.html<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.

[OldBob1957]

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.

[Patton330488005pmm]

You saved my day!

[RLChris121]

Excellent workaround. Thank you.

[_bdkennedy1_]

This worked. Thanks!

[_RenéG_]

>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?

[OldBob1957]

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. ;)

[_RenéG_]

OK, thanks for letting me know.

[_nicholasmcroberts_]

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!

[JETalmage]

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

[Wade S Zimmerman]

A crop tool is a must have!

[_japchap_]

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!

[Wade S Zimmerman]

I want a crop tool to crop every thing.

[michaelbrown7878785446]

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.

[MindyLL]

I've tried everything but nothing is getting rid of that space and I need to save it as a JPEG and PNG but I'm getting a ton of empty space from my clipping mask. Any other suggestions?

[Ton Frederiks]

Select the clipping path and go to Object > Artboards > Fit to Selected Art.

Check the "Use Artboards" option when exporting