Crop Clip Art to Show Only What You Need

There's no rule that says you have to use the entire clip art image. Crop out parts you don't want or don't need. Cropping clip art can help to focus on important parts of the image, simplify it, or change the meaning. Take the clip art apart and use bits and pieces of the image.

Crop bitmap clip art in an image editor using a combination of selection tools and the eraser tool. With vector images you can use illustration programs to ungroup the individual objects that make up an image then select and delete individual objects.

While you can crop clip art in a page layout program, use this option only during the initial layout stages while trying out different arrangements. Those cropping tools simply mask part of the image. The entire graphic is still part of the file and must be rendered by the printer even if it doesn't show on the page. Once you find the look you like, crop it in a graphics software program then place the new cropped clip art into the page layout software.

Extra Tips: Crop it close