2023

User Guide | 413
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 Item to crop an image to the picture component boundaries. ●
Choosing Item does not create a clipping path; it simply crops the picture to
its picture component.
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.