How to Cut an Image in Illustrator

If you’re looking to cut an image in Illustrator, you’ve come to the right place. In this blog post, we’ll show you how to do it quickly and easily.

Checkout this video:

Introduction

If you’ve ever needed to cut an image into pieces for printing or web design, you know that it can be a tedious process. Fortunately, Adobe Illustrator has a number of built-in tools to make the task easier. In this article, we’ll show you how to cut an image into pieces using the native functionality in Illustrator.

Step One: Open Your Image in Illustrator

If you want to create a vector image, you’ll need to open your image in Illustrator. To do this, go to File > Open, and select your image file. Once your image is open, it will appear on the “Canvas.”

Step Two: Select the “Pen Tool” from the Toolbar

Now that you have your image opened in Illustrator, it’s time to begin cutting it into smaller pieces. The first step is to select the “Pen Tool” from the Toolbar.

Once you have selected the Pen Tool, you will notice that your cursor has changed from an arrow to a pen. Position your cursor at the corner of the image that you would like to begin cutting from.

Click once and release the mouse button. This will create a point. Now, move your cursor to another location on the image and click again. Continue doing this until you have created a “path” around the entire perimeter of the image that you want to cut.

Once you have created a complete path, double click on the last point that you created. This will “close” the path and connect it back to the original starting point.

Step Three: Outline the Shape of Your Image

Open the image you wish to cut in Adobe Illustrator. Using the “Pen” tool, draw an outline around the image. To do this, click on the “Pen” tool in the left toolbar and then click around the edge of your image. Once you have completed the outline, right-click and select “Make Clipping Mask.”

Step Four: Select the “Image Trace” Option

With your image selected, click on the “Image Trace” button in the control panel. This will bring up a new dialog box with a bunch of options. The first thing you want to do is change the Mode from “Color” to “Black and White”. This will ensure that your traced image is only made up of black and white pixels, which is what we want for our engraving.

Step Five: Convert the Image to a Vector

Now that your image is in place, you’re ready to convert it into a vector. This will allow you to make edits without losing any quality.

To do this, select the image with the Selection tool and go to Object > Image Trace > Make.

Step Six: Export the Vector Image

The final step is to export the vector image. Go to File > Export > Export As. In the dialog box that appears, select the file format you want to use and click Export.

Conclusion

In conclusion, cutting an image in Illustrator is a relatively simple process that can be completed in just a few steps. With a little bit of practice, you’ll be able to create professional-looking results that are perfect for a wide variety of applications.

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