How to Crop Photos / Images Using Adobe Illustrator - Clipping Mask Method

Adobe Illustrator is a vector based graphic application. Therefore you cannot crop photos like in Adobe photoshop. To remove any unwanted area of a photo, still can be done in illustrator by using a method called as clipping mask.

1. Load Adobe Illustrator and Open Your Image File (or drag and drop the image file in illustrator).

2. Click the shape tool (either rounded rectangle or any shape according to your need). Using the left mouse button, create your desired shape.
















3. Using the selection tool (or press V), move the shape object over the image to the area where you want it to be visible.




















4. Then select both the image object and the shape object using either of the following
methods;
a) First activate Seelction tool (or press V), then while holding the SHIFT key, select both objects one by one   or
b) First activate Seelction tool (or press V), then using the cursor draw a box around the area  where both objects exist























5. You can clip using one of the following methods
a) Go to the "Object" menu and select "Clipping Mask" then "Make"
b) Press CTRL + 7
c) Right Click on the highligted selection, select "Make Clipping Mask"







































Done ! The image is now cropped to the same size as the shape object. You can try with various shapes in order to remove any unwanted section. Also you can try this with outlined text layers. If you are good at drawing vector shapes, then you can draw a vector path around the area you need and then clipped in the same manner as above.

( If you do not want to use clipping mask and prefer to use Photoshop to crop, still it is possible. This is how you do it; 1. Crop the image in Photoshop 2. then save the psd file while having a seperate white background layer 3. Open it in Illustrator 4. When Photoshop Import Option appears, " Select Convert Photoshop layers to objects" 5. Done ! )