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how to make a clipping mask in illustrator

HeyBraza points at the shape that has to sit on top and the exact make-clipping-mask menu so the mask works first try.

a clipping mask hides everything outside a shape - perfect for cropping a photo into a circle or any vector form. it only works if the mask shape is on top of what it's clipping, which is the one rule that trips everyone up. here's the right order.

or do it yourself

  1. 1draw the shape you want to crop into (circle, rectangle, custom path) and place it over the image or art.
  2. 2make sure the mask shape is on top - right-click it and choose arrange > bring to front if it isn't.
  3. 3select both the shape and the artwork underneath (drag a marquee or shift-click both).
  4. 4right-click and choose 'make clipping mask', or go object > clipping mask > make (ctrl/cmd+7).
  5. 5double-click into the group to reposition the image inside the mask, then click outside to finish.

let HeyBraza do this with you

HeyBraza is a tiny on-screen guide that points at the right buttons and talks you through it, on windows and mac.

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common questions

do i need to outline text before using it as a clipping mask?

no - a live text object can be the mask shape; just keep it on top of the image when you make the mask.

can the mask shape be more than one object?

yes, but select all the pieces and make them a compound path (object > compound path > make) first, or only the top object will clip.

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