Crop or mask objects

Cropping and masking are both terms that describe hiding part of an object. In general, the difference is that cropping uses a rectangle to trim the edges of an image, and masking uses an arbitrary shape to make an object’s background transparent. A common example of a mask is a clipping path, which is a mask made for a specific image.

Use graphics frames to crop or mask objects. Because an imported graphic is automatically contained within a frame, you can crop or mask it immediately without having to create a frame for it. If you haven’t created a frame for an imported graphic manually, the frame is automatically created at the same size as the graphic, so it may not be obvious that the frame is there.

Note: For efficient printing, only the data for the visible parts of cropped or masked images is sent when you output the document. However, you will still save disk space and RAM if you crop or mask images to their desired shapes and sizes before importing them into your document.

To crop an imported image or any other graphic already inside a rectangular frame, click the object using the Selection tool and drag any handle on the bounding box that appears. Press Shift as you drag to preserve the frame’s original proportions.
Cropping an image using a graphics frame
To crop or mask any object, use the Selection or Direct Selection tool to select one object you want to mask. Choose Edit > Copy, select an empty path or frame smaller than the object, and choose Edit > Paste Into.
To crop frame content precisely, select the frame with the Direct Selection tool, and use the Transform or Control panel to change the size of the frame.
To specify crop settings for an empty placeholder frame, choose Object > Fitting > Frame Fitting Options, and then specify the crop amount.

With an imported graphic, you can also create a mask by using the drawing tools to change the shape of the graphic’s existing frame.