How to crop an image in Illustrator

Cropping an image in Illustrator is quick and easy, and you can crop both linked or embedded images. The process will vary slightly depending on the version of Illustrator you use, but our video tutorial and guide below will work for the majority of users. 

Remove the unwanted areas of your image or photo, and crop it easily using Illustrator. Follow our step-by-step for the best results:

1. Open your image.

2. Select the Rectangle Shape tool.

3. Draw a rectangle over the image.

4. Hold down shift and click on the image and then the rectangle you've just created.

5. Right click and select Make Clipping Mask.

6. To change the crop, double click on the image then adjust the size of the rectangle.

7. Double click outside of the image once you're happy.

8. Press File > Save As…

9. Name your image and save in your preferred format.

10. Leave the defaults as they are, then press OK.