In this simple tutorial, we’ll teach you how to crop an image in Illustrator with a few clicks.
This tutorial is perfect for beginners and will allow you to crop images in Illustrator in under a minute.
Tutorial: A simple way to crop an image in Illustrator
Step 1. Start with a new artboard
To get started, open Adobe Illustrator and create a new document.
Next, select the artboard size you need for your project.
Step 2: Place your image on the artboard
Go to the File menu and choose Place.
Browse to your image and place it onto the artboard.
Now click on one corner of the placed image and hold down Shift, drag to resize it maintaining proportions.
Position the image where you want it on the artboard. If you need precise placement, use the Properties panel or the Control bar to set exact X/Y values.
Step 3: Use the Properties panel to crop the image
When you select your image, you’ll find the options to crop an image in Illustrator in the Properties panel, as shown in the image below.
A crop box will pop up. Drag the crop handles to set the area you want to keep.
Once the crop area is set, click Apply.
Illustrator will trim the placed image to the selected area while keeping the result editable.
Below is the final result. As you can see, the image is nicely cropped.
That’s all there is to it! As you see, cropping an image in Illustrator is a straightforward process!
FAQ
Now that you have the skills to crop an image in Illustrator with confidence, let’s answer a few frequently asked questions.
Can I crop to a non-rectangular shape?
Not with the Properties > Crop Image tool (it crops to a rectangle).
To crop to a shape, draw the shape on top of the image and use Object > Clipping Mask > Make (or right-click > Make Clipping Mask).
Will cropping permanently delete parts of my image?
Using the Crop Image tool modifies the placed image, but Illustrator keeps a copy in the Links panel if the image is linked. If you embedded the image, consider saving a copy of the original before cropping.
Read this post, Manage linked and embedded files, to learn more about how image linking works in Adobe Illustrator.
How do I crop an image to a specific pixel size?
After placing and selecting the image, adjust the crop box and check the Width (W) and Height (H) values in the Properties panel. Enter exact pixel values if required.
