Crop Images using Clipping Mask in Adobe Illustrator CS5

In this tutorial we will learn the use of Clipping Mask command to crop images in Adobe Illustrator CS5.

1. Open the image you want to crop.

2. Using the Pen tool (P) draw out a shape in which you want to crop the image, over the image. Make sure the fill color is set to none so that the actual image is visible while drawing the shape.

In this example, we are clipping shape of a petal. If you want to crop the image in circle or rectangle, you can use the Ellipse or Rectangle tool too.

3. With both the object selected (image and the shape) go to Object > Clipping Mask > Make or key in the shortcut Ctrl + 7.

And the output will be as seen below:

That was simple!