How to Crop in Inkscape

 

 

Table of Contents

 

- Introduction

- Selecting Objects to Crop

    - Using the Select Tool

    - Selecting Multiple Objects

    - Select All

- Using the Crop Tool

    - Drawing the Crop Box

    - Cropping to Paths and Shapes

    - Snapping Crop Box to Guides

    - Status Bar Tips

    - Keyboard Shortcuts

    - Crop and Export

- Cropping with the Node Tool

    - Deleting Nodes

    - Adjusting Remaining Nodes 

    - Cropping Complex Shapes

    - Combining with Selection Tool

- Cropping to a Specific Aspect Ratio

    - Using the Aspect Ratio Rectangle

    - Resizing with Document Properties

    - Custom Aspect Ratios

    - Social Media Sizes

- Cropping Linked Objects

    - Grouping for Cropping

    - Maintaining Object Relationship

    - Individual Object Adjustments

- Cropping Clipped Objects

    - Selecting with Clipping Mask

    - Moving the Mask

    - Resizing Mask and Object

- Cropping Behind Other Objects   

    - Changing Stacking Order

    - Restoring Stacking Order

    - Hiding and Locking

- Cropping to a Selection or Shape

    - Using a Custom Shape

    - Adjusting Node Alignment

    - Combining Shapes

- Tips for Precise Cropping

    - Using Snap Controls

    - Status Bar Dimensions

    - Nudging Selections

    - Keyboard Shortcuts

    - Hiding and Locking

    - Zooming In

    - Grid Snapping

    - Pixel Precision

- Cropping Images

    - Raster vs Vector Graphics

    - Crop Tool on Images

    - Node Deletion

    - Image Editor First

- Cropping All Objects

    - Selecting All

    - Group Cropping

    - Layers Panel

- Conclusion

- FAQs

 

 Introduction

 

Cropping in Inkscape allows you to cut out a specific area of your design or artwork 🎨. Knowing how to crop images and objects precisely gives you more control over your compositions.

 

Inkscape provides several handy tools for cropping vector shapes, text, and raster images like JPGs and PNGs. This comprehensive guide will walk through the various methods for cropping in Inkscape step-by-step 👣.

 

Let's dive into mastering cropping in Inkscape!

 

 Selecting Objects to Crop

 

Before cropping, you first need to select the object or objects you want to crop. Inkscape provides a few ways to make selections:

 

 Using the Select Tool

 

The Select tool is the default tool in Inkscape, indicated by the arrow icon in the toolbar.

 

To select an object with the Select tool:

 

- Click directly on an object to select it. A bounding box will appear around the selected item.

- Click and drag a box around multiple objects to select them together. Any objects fully inside the box will be selected.

 

This is the easiest way to select objects for cropping in Inkscape.

 

 Selecting Multiple Objects

 

In addition to box selection, you can use these shortcuts to select multiple objects:

 

- Click an object, then Shift+click additional objects to add them to the selection.

- Draw a box with the Select tool to select multiple objects at once.

- Ctrl/Cmd+click objects to selectively add or remove them from the current selection.

 

Combining these selection methods allows you to gather multiple objects for cropping together.

 

 Select All

 

You can also crop everything on the canvas using Select All:

 

- Ctrl/Cmd+A will select every visible object on the current layer in one go.

- This select all groups can then be cropped as needed.

 

Now that you know how to select objects in Inkscape, let's look at the various cropping tools and methods available.

 

 Using the Crop Tool

 

The Crop tool in Inkscape provides a quick and easy way to crop selected objects. To use it:

 

1. Select the object or objects you wish to crop on the canvas.

2. Click on the Crop tool in the Inkscape toolbar (shaped like a pair of scissors).

3. With the Crop tool active, draw a rectangle or box around the area of the selected objects you want to keep.

4. Everything outside the crop box you drew will be automatically deleted, leaving only the cropped area remaining.

 

Let's take a deeper look at using Inkscape's crop tool:

 

 Drawing the Crop Box

 

The crop box you draw with the Crop tool defines the boundaries for cropping your selection. For precision, here are some tips:

 

- Hold Shift while dragging to constrain the box to a perfect square or circle.

- Hold Ctrl to snap the box to guide lines, object edges, etc.

- Use the status bar to view the crop box size as you draw it.

 

 Cropping to Paths and Shapes

 

In addition to rectangular crop boxes, you can crop to more complex shapes:

 

- Draw any shape with the Pen or Shape tools

- Select this shape and your objects

- Use the crop tool to conform to the path outline

 

 Snapping Crop Box to Guides

 

For precision cropping, add guide lines and use snap controls:

 

- View > Snap Controls Bar

- Check boxes for snap to guides, grids, objects, etc.

- Crop box will snap to guides when dragged near them

 

 Status Bar Tips

 

As you drag the crop box, the status bar displays useful info:

 

- Size of the crop box (width x height)

- X,Y coordinates of the box corners

 

Use this to precisely position the crop box.

 

 Keyboard Shortcuts

 

Keyboard shortcuts help crop precisely:

 

- Arrow keys: Nudge crop box 1 px at a time

- Ctrl/Cmd+D: Select crop box to nudge with arrows

- Alt+drag: Draw box from its center point

 

 Crop and Export

 

Once cropped, export the object at its new cropped size for web or print use.

 

The Crop tool efficiently lets you cut vector and raster objects down to any rectangular or irregular shape. Next let's look at an alternate method using paths.

 

 Cropping with the Node Tool

 

Inkscape's Node tool provides another way to crop objects by directly editing an object's vector path. To use it:

 

1. Select object(s) to crop.

2. Click the Node tool in the toolbar (shaped like the Select tool but with a node icon).

3. With the node tool, drag to select the path nodes completely outside the area you want to keep.

4. Press Delete to delete the selected nodes.

5. Adjust any remaining nodes to refine the cropped shape.

 

Let's break down how to do precision cropping with nodes:

 

 Deleting Nodes

 

The node tool allows you to visually select specific nodes along a path and delete them. This removes unwanted sections.

 

- Drag the node tool to marquee select unwanted nodes

- Delete to remove them instantly

- Repeat to remove additional sections

 

 Adjusting Remaining Nodes  

 

After deleting nodes, you can adjust the remaining nodes to polish the new cropped edges:

 

- Drag nodes to new positions along the cropped edges

- Delete any extra nodes by merging them

- Add nodes for additional control if needed

 

 Cropping Complex Shapes

 

The Node tool has advantages for cropping complex shapes:

 

- Delete nodes to crop objects with curves and irregular shapes

- Affords more control than the Crop tool on complicated paths

- Create custom croppings rather than just rectangles

 

 Combining with Selection Tool

 

Use both the Select and Node tools when cropping:

 

- Select tool to choose objects and visualize crop area

- Node tool to actually delete nodes and crop path 

 

This combined workflow provides flexibility when cropping objects by their nodes.

 

 Cropping to a Specific Aspect Ratio

 

You can crop Inkscape objects to specific aspect ratios like 16:9 or square. Here's how:

 

 Using the Aspect Ratio Rectangle

 

1. Draw a rectangle at the target aspect ratio. For example, 16 width x 9 height to crop to 16:9.

2. Select object(s) to crop along with the aspect rectangle.

3. Use the Crop tool to conform them to the rectangle.

 

 Resizing with Document Properties

 

1. Draw an aspect rectangle, select it and object(s) to crop.

2. Open File > Document Properties.

3. Click "Resize page to content" to crop.

 

 Custom Aspect Ratios

 

Calculate a custom aspect ratio using width divided by height.

 

For instance, 3:2 aspect is 3/2 = 1.5 width to height.

 

 Social Media Sizes

 

Common aspect ratios include:

 

- 16:9 = HD video and TV

- 1:1 = Square Instagram crop

- 4:5 = Vertical Instagram crop

- 2:3 = Facebook cover photo

 

Set guides to these sizes when cropping content for social media.

 

 Cropping Linked Objects

 

If you want to crop multiple linked or grouped objects while maintaining their relationship, here's how to do it:

 

 Grouping for Cropping

 

1. Select the linked objects, press Ctrl/Cmd+G to temporarily group them.

2. Use the Crop tool or nodes on the group.

3. Ungroup with Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+G when done cropping.

 

 Maintaining Object Relationship

 

Grouping combines objects into one unit for cropping, then ungrouping restores the individual objects with their original relationship preserved, now cropped.

 

For example, if text was centered over a resized photo, grouping maintains this alignment while cropping both as one.

 

 Individual Object Adjustments

 

After ungrouping, selectively adjust any objects as needed:

 

- Tweak positions

- Fine-tune cropping individually

- Apply transformations like rotation

 

Regain full editing control over individual objects after cropping their group.

 

 Cropping Clipped Objects

 

Objects clipped or masked by another object's shape can be cropped:

 

 Selecting with Clipping Mask

 

1. Select both the clipped object and the clipping mask or path together.

2. Crop both simultaneously with the Crop tool.

 

 Moving the Mask

 

The clipping path will mask the clipped object at the new cropped size:

 

- Reposition and scale the clipping shape as needed

- The object will remain masked to the shape

 

 Resizing Mask and Object

 

Cropping lets you resize both the mask and clipped object in tandem:

 

- Shrinking the mask and object retains their relationship

- Expanding reveals more of the masked artwork

 

 Cropping Behind Other Objects

 

If you need to crop an object located behind another object in the stacking order, use these steps:

 

 Changing Stacking Order

 

1. Select the frontmost object covering the object to crop.

2. Use Object > Lower to Bottom to send it behind everything temporarily.

 

 Restoring Stacking Order

 

Now the underlying object is accessible:

 

- Crop the uncovered object as needed with nodes or crop tool

- When done, raise the top object with Object > Raise to Top

 

 Hiding and Locking

 

Alternately, hide or lock the front object instead of reordering:

 

- Ctrl/Cmd+H hides the top object until you unhide it

- Locking prevents unintended changes 

 

 Cropping to a Selection or Shape

 

You can crop objects to match the size and shape of a custom selection or path:

 

 Using a Custom Shape

 

1. Draw any shape or make a selection of the target cropping size and shape.

2. Select both that and the object(s) to crop. 

3. Use the Crop tool to conform the objects to the shape.

 

 Adjusting Node Alignment

 

If nodes don't align perfectly at first:

 

- Use the Node tool to nudge nodes into place

- Add nodes along the cropping shape if needed

- Delete any unwanted nodes on the cropped objects

 

 Combining Shapes

 

Booleans can add or merge crop shapes with objects:

 

- Path > Combine creates unions

- Path > Cut subtracts overlap

- Path > Intersection keeps only overlap

 

 Tips for Precise Cropping

 

Here are some tips for achieving extremely precise cropping results in Inkscape:

 

 Using Snap Controls

 

Enable snapping for the crop box:

 

- Snap to guides, grid, nodes and paths for perfect alignment

- Display snap guides when cropping to see snap points

 

 Status Bar Dimensions

 

The status bar provides info as you drag crop boxes:

 

- Exact width and height

- X and Y coords of box corners

 

Use this to position the crop box precisely.

 

 Nudging Selections

 

Nudge objects or crop boxes 1 pixel at a time with the arrow keys for micro adjustments.

 

 Keyboard Shortcuts

 

- Alt+click anywhere to reposition crop box from that point

- Shift+drag to lock aspect ratio of crop box

 

 Hiding and Locking

 

Temporarily hide or lock objects that obstruct cropping access using:

 

- Ctrl/Cmd+H to hide objects

- Object > Lock to lock them 

 

 Zooming In

 

Zoom in close for pixel-level precision when cropping:

 

- Z to quickly toggle between zoomed in and out

- Scroll to zoom in and out incrementally

 

 Grid Snapping

 

Use grid snapping features under View > Grid:

 

- Snap objects and nodes to grid lines at any interval

- Toggle pixel grid to snap selections to exact pixels

 

 Pixel Precision

 

At high zoom levels, enable snapping and pixel grid to crop down to the individual pixel.

 

 Cropping Images

 

Cropping raster images like JPG and PNG files works similarly to vector objects with some caveats:

 

 Raster vs Vector Graphics

 

- Raster images are made of pixels

- Vector shapes use mathematical paths

- Cropping raster images delete pixels permanently

 

 Crop Tool on Images

 

The Crop tool works the same on raster images:

 

- Draw a box around the area to keep

- Discards pixels outside the box

 

 Node Deletion

 

Deleting pixels with the Node tool:

 

- Convert image to a vector path with Path > Trace Bitmap

- Use node tool to delete pixel nodes

 

 Image Editor First

 

For critical images, crop non-destructively in a bitmap editor like GIMP before bringing into Inkscape.

 

In summary, exercise caution when cropping raster images to avoid permanent pixel loss.

 

 Cropping All Objects

 

You can crop everything on the canvas globally in a couple ways: 

 

 Selecting All

 

- Ctrl/Cmd+A to select all objects

- Group them (Ctrl/Cmd+G)

- Crop the group as desired

 

This crops all visible objects together.

 

 Layers Panel

 

Hide any objects you don't want included in the all objects cropping by:

 

- Using the Layers panel

- Toggle layer visibility eye icon

- Lock layers as needed

 

Then crop everything on the visible layers.

 

 Conclusion

 

Cropping is an essential skill in Inkscape for editing images and vector artwork precisely. Use the Crop tool for quick rectangular cropping. For advanced shaping, crop paths with the Node tool or by combining objects with shapes using booleans and clipping masks.

 

Enable snapping and view dimensions when cropping for maximum precision. Objects can be cropped independently, in groups, or globally across all layers and the entire canvas.

 

With Inkscape's versatile cropping tools, you have the power to trim designs and objects down to any desired size or shape. Now get out there, select your artwork, and crop away! 💥

 

 FAQs

 

 What is the fastest way to crop an object in Inkscape?

 

The fastest way to crop in Inkscape is using the Crop tool. Simply select the object you want to crop, choose the Crop tool from the toolbar, and draw a box around the area you want to keep. Everything outside the crop box is automatically and instantly deleted, leaving you with the cropped area.

 

 How do I crop an object to an exact size in Inkscape?

 

To crop an object to an exact pixel size, first create a rectangle of that target size. Select the object to crop and the size rectangle. Go to File > Document Properties and click the "Resize page to content" button. This will crop the object precisely to match the dimensions of the rectangle.

 

 Can I crop in Inkscape without losing original artwork outside the crop area?

 

Yes, Inkscape is non-destructive. The original shapes are preserved when you crop - the crop box just hides anything outside it. To restore cropped areas, release the crop by selecting the object and deselecting it. The full uncropped artwork will reappear.

 

 Is there a way to crop multiple objects at once in Inkscape?

 

Yes, select all the objects you want to crop together, group them with Ctrl/Cmd+G, then use the Crop tool or Node tool on the group. Once cropped, ungroup them with Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+G to edit individually again.

 

 How can I crop an object that's behind another object in Inkscape?

 

To crop an underlying object, first use Object > Lower to Bottom to temporarily move the front object out of the way. Crop the back object as needed, then use Object > Raise to Top to move the top object back in place over it.

 

 Can I crop objects into custom shapes in Inkscape?

 

Absolutely! Use the Node tool to manually delete specific nodes forming the part of the object you want to remove. Or trace custom shapes to use as clipping paths - the objects will be cropped into those shapes.

 

 Is there a way to crop in Inkscape without distorting the object?

 

Yes, to avoid distorting an object while cropping, set the crop selection area to maintain the original aspect ratio by holding Shift as you drag the box. This constrains it to scale proportionally.

 

 How can I crop raster images in Inkscape without losing quality?

 

Cropping JPGs, PNGs, etc. permanently deletes pixels. To avoid quality loss, crop conservatively, use non-destructive masks instead of cropping, or edit the source image in a bitmap editor like GIMP first.

 

 Does the Crop tool in Inkscape allow specific measurements or ratios?

 

No, the Crop tool simply uses the rectangle you draw to define the crop area. To specify exact sizes or ratios, create a rectangle of known dimensions, then select it along with the object(s) to be cropped. Use the “Resize page to content” option in Document Properties to crop your selection to the rectangle’s size and proportions.

 

 Can I use guides or grids to help crop precisely in Inkscape?

 

Yes, you can display guides, grids, and snap controls in Inkscape to help crop objects accurately:

 

- Guides - Add horizontal and vertical guides where you want to crop. The crop box will snap to them.

 

- Grid - Show the grid (View > Grid) and snap objects to the grid lines.

 

- Snap Controls Bar - Enable snapping to guides, grids, objects, etc. (View > Snap Controls).

 

 How do I crop linked cloned objects in Inkscape?

 

To crop linked clones together:

 

1. Select the original object and all linked clones

2. Group them with Ctrl/Cmd+G to maintain links

3. Crop the group as needed

4. Ungroup with Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+G to finish

 

 Can the Crop tool crop individual nodes or segments of a path?

 

No, the Crop tool can only crop entire objects - it does not act at the node/segment level. To crop individual nodes or path segments, you must use the Node tool.

 

 Is there a way to crop objects on only one layer in Inkscape?

 

Yes, you can isolate a layer for cropping:

 

1. In the Layers panel, hide all other layers except the one to crop by toggling their eye icons off.

 

2. Lock the hidden layers if desired.

 

3. Crop objects on the visible layer.

 

4. Restore layer visibility after cropping.

 

 How do I crop an object around text in Inkscape to make a text box?

 

1. Type text and do text flow/wrapping 

2. Draw a rectangle around it, select text and rectangle

3. Open Object > Crop to Shape

4. Set rectangle fill to none

 

This will crop the text to the rectangle shape, creating a text box.