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Creating an Embedded Clipping Path

By , About.com Guide

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Save Work Path as an Embedded Clipping Path in EPS or TIFF Image
clipping path

Save the edited work path as a clipping path to use in your page layout app.

After you have the work path like you want it, save the path. Now it's time to save the image in a suitable format with the embedded path. Both EPS and TIFF images can contain embedded clipping paths. However, not all programs can access this information. This is where you'll need to know the capabilities of the programs which you are using.

TIP: It is not necessary to delete your background or whatever portion of the image you are hiding with the clipping path. The clipping path does that for you once placed in your page layout application. By not deleting that portion you have it readily available in case you decide to "turn off" or tweak the clipping path.

For Photoshop, with your saved path selected in the Paths Palette, choose "Clipping Path" from the Paths Palette menu before saving as EPS or TIFF.

Photo-Paint converts the mask or path to an alpha channel when exporting TIFF images. For EPS, from the EPS Export options that appear choose to save the Mask or Path to a clipping path, as appropriate.

TIP: For EPS files saved in Photo-Paint, it may be necessary to use a B&W TIFF header (preview image) in order to see the transparency properly on screen in some programs, such as Adobe PageMaker. When using a color TIFF header the EPS may preview without transparency but will print properly to a PostScript printer or PDF file.

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