askvity

How do I crop an irregular shape in Inkscape?

Published in Image Cropping 3 mins read

You can crop an irregular shape in Inkscape by using the "Clip" feature.

Cropping with a Custom Shape in Inkscape

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to crop an image to an irregular shape:

  1. Import Your Image: First, import the image you want to crop into your Inkscape document. Go to File > Import.

  2. Create Your Cropping Shape: Draw the irregular shape you want to use as a mask using Inkscape's drawing tools (e.g., the Bézier tool, circle tool, or rectangle tool). Make sure that the shape you want to use as the cropping shape is above the image in the stacking order. You can raise the shape above the image by right-clicking on the shape and choosing Raise to Top in the context menu.

  • Tip: You can also import a pre-made shape as an SVG file.

  1. Select Both Shape and Image: Select both the shape and the image. You can do this by clicking on the first object, holding down the Shift key, and clicking on the second object. Make sure both the shape and the image are selected.

  2. Apply the Clip: With both the shape and the image selected, go to the Object menu, choose Clip, and then click on Set Clip. This will crop the image to the shape.

    • The shape you used will act as a mask and disappear. Only the image cropped by the shape will remain visible.

  3. Adjust the Clip (If Necessary): After the initial clip, you might need to adjust the image or the shape further. You can do this by moving or scaling the shape, which will in turn move or change the clipped area of the image.

    • To remove a clip, go to Object > Clip > Release.

Example

  • Imagine you have a photo of a landscape and you want to crop it into a star shape. You would draw a star shape over your landscape photo in Inkscape, then select both objects, then choose Object > Clip > Set Clip. The landscape photo will now only show within the bounds of the star shape.

Key Points

  • The shape used for clipping acts as a mask and becomes invisible after applying the clip.
  • The shape must be above the image in the stacking order for the clip to work correctly.

This process allows you to crop images to any irregular shape you can create or import into Inkscape.

Related Articles