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Using the Crop tool in Illustrator to define areas for print or export

Mordy Golding


This video shows you how to create multiple crop areas in an Illustrator image. You learn how to use crop area presets to define areas for print or export, such as for video or mobile devices, and how to manage crop area options.

Requirements

To follow along with this article, you will need the following software and files:

Watch this tutorial in the Adobe Creative Suite 3 Video Workshop.

Using the Crop Area tool

  1. In Illustrator, choose File > Open and select the snowboard.ai file. Click Open.

    This document contains an illustration of a snowboarder (see Figure 1). You may want to use artwork like this for a variety of applications: as a poster or print piece; on the web or on a mobile device; or even as a video presentation. A variety of crop settings in Illustrator make it easy to repurpose the artwork.

    The sample illustration can be resized and repurposed for different media types

    Figure 1: The sample illustration can be resized and repurposed for different media types.

  2. Select the Crop Area tool in the Tools panel, and draw a crop area around the figure of the snowboarder as shown in Figure 2.

    Use the Crop Area tool to crop an area around the snowboarder.

    Figure 2: Use the Crop Area tool to crop an area around the snowboarder.

  3. In the Control panel at the top of the image window, choose NTSC DV from the Presets pop-up menu. NTSC DV is for use in video. This preset automatically resizes the crop area (see Figure 3).

  4. Reposition the crop area so that it fits over the image area.

    Use presets to crop to a predefined size (shown as NTSC DV).

    Figure 3: Use presets to crop to a predefined size (shown as NTSC DV).

  5. With the Crop Area tool selected, hold down the Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) key and draw a new crop area. Draw as many crop areas as you need simply by holding down Alt/Option and drawing another square.
  6. In the Control panel, choose 176x208 from the Presets pop-up menu; 176x208 is designed for use with mobile devices. Reposition the crop area over the snowboarder.

  7. With the Crop Area tool selected, hold down the Alt/Opt key and draw a new crop area like that shown in Figure 4. As you Alt/Option-drag with the Crop Area tool, a preview shows the other areas you have drawn, numbered in the order in which they were drawn as 1, 2, 3, and so on.

    Press the Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) key to reveal other crop areas.

    Figure 4: Press the Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) key to reveal other crop areas.

  8. In the Control panel, choose Letter from the Presets pop-up menu. Letter is designed for use in print.
  9. Reposition the crop area over the snowboarder.

  10. Next to the Presets pop-up menu in the Control panel, click the Open Crop Area Tool Options Dialog button. This opens the Crop Area Options dialog box (see Figure 5).

    The Crop Area Options dialog box lets you select preset crop sizes.

    Figure 5: The Crop Area Options dialog box lets you select preset crop sizes.

  11. Examine the Crop Area Options dialog box. It includes options to select from the same preset sizes as in the Presets menu, plus options to display different screen guides. The Fade Region Outside of Crop Area is useful for focusing on the current crop area.
  12. Click OK to close the dialog box.

  13. To select one of the multiple crop areas within the document, click with the Crop Area tool and choose File > Save.

    The crop settings will be exported according to the format you specify. Its a very efficient way to export just the section of the document you need.

Where to go from here

For more information and additional tutorials, visit the Adobe Design Center.