10.2

Working with clipping paths
A clipping path is a closed Bézier shape that indicates which parts of a picture should
be displayed and which parts should be treated as transparent. Clipping paths are
especially useful when you are attempting to isolate the picture's subject from its
surrounding background in the original picture file.
You can create clipping paths from scratch in QuarkXPress or QuarkCopyDesk, or you
can use embedded path or alpha channel information to create clipping paths. Clipping
paths created by QuarkXPress or QuarkCopyDesk are based on the picture file, and
are stored with the layout.
A clipping path lets you control which parts of a picture show and which parts are hidden.
Creating clipping paths
To create or assign a clipping path, choose Item > Clipping on Windows, and then
choose an option from the Type drop-down menu, or use the Clipping tab on the
Measurements palette on Mac OS X:
• Choose Item to crop an image to the box boundaries. Choosing Item does not create
a clipping path; it simply crops the picture to its box.
• Choose Embedded Path to clip a picture around a path already embedded in the
picture file. Choose a path from the Path drop-down menu if the picture file contains
more than one embedded path.
• Choose Alpha Channel to clip a picture around an alpha channel already embedded
in a picture file. Choose an alpha channel from the Alpha drop-down menu if the
picture file contains more than one embedded alpha channel. Note that using a clipping
path around an alpha channel will create a hard edge rather than a blended effect. If
you want a semi-opaque blend, use an alpha mask. (See "Working with alpha masks.")
• Choose Non-White Areas to create a clipping path based on the picture's subject.
Depending on the image and the value in the Threshold field, the clipping path will
outline a non-white figure within a larger white or near-white image (or vice versa).
The Non-White Areas option works best when the unwanted parts of the image are
much lighter than the subject itself (or vice versa).
• Choose Picture Bounds to clip a picture around the rectangular "canvas area" of the
imported picture file. This includes any white background areas saved with the original
picture file. Enter values in the Top, Left, Bottom, and Right fields to determine the
outset of the clipping path from the picture's boundaries. Positive values increase the
outset, and negative values decrease the outset.
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