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                <h1>
                    Clipping paths
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                <br clear="both" /><div id="minitoc"><div class="t"><div class="b"><div class="l"><div class="r"><div class="bl"><div class="br"><div class="tl"><div class="tr"><div><h3>Contents [<a href="#" onclick="return toggleMiniToc('minitoc-links', this);" class="hideLink">Hide</a>]</h3><ul id="minitoc-links"><li><p><a href="#WSa285fff53dea4f8617383751001ea8cb3f-6f22a"><h3 class="topictitle3">Clipping paths</h3>
</a></p></li><li><p><a href="#WS2B2F74EF-A944-40c2-AE95-16B147EC9717a"><h3 class="topictitle3">Crop using a graphic’s path or alpha channel</h3>
</a></p></li><li><p><a href="#WSa285fff53dea4f8617383751001ea8cb3f-6f1fa"><h3 class="topictitle3">Create a clipping path automatically</h3>
</a></p></li><li><p><a href="#WSa285fff53dea4f8617383751001ea8cb3f-6f1ea"><h3 class="topictitle3">Clipping path options</h3>
</a></p></li><li><p><a href="#WSa285fff53dea4f8617383751001ea8cb3f-6f1ca"><h3 class="topictitle3">Convert a clipping path to a graphics frame</h3>
</a></p></li></ul></div></div><br clear="both" /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br clear="both" /><div><ul class="navlinklist"></ul>
</div>
<div id="WSa285fff53dea4f8617383751001ea8cb3f-6f22a" class="nochunk"><a name="WSa285fff53dea4f8617383751001ea8cb3f-6f22a"></a><h2 class="topictitle2">Clipping paths</h2><div><p><dfn class="term">Clipping
paths</dfn> crop part of the artwork so that only a portion of
the artwork appears through the shape or shapes you create. You
can create clipping paths to hide unwanted parts of an image, creating
both a path for the image and a frame for the graphic. By keeping
the clipping path and graphics frame separate, you can freely modify
the clipping path without affecting the graphics frame by using
the Direct Selection tool and other drawing tools in the toolbox. </p>
<p>You
can create clipping paths in the following ways:</p>
<ul><li><p>Place
already-saved graphics with paths or alpha (mask) channels, which InDesign
can use automatically. You can add paths and alpha channels to graphics
using a program such as Adobe Photoshop.</p>
</li>
<li><p>Use the Detect Edges option in the Clipping Path command
to generate a clipping path for a graphic that was saved without
one.</p>
</li>
<li><p>Use the Pen tool to draw a path in the shape you want, and
then use the Paste Into command to paste the graphic into the path.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>When
you use one of InDesign’s automatic methods to generate a clipping
path, the clipping path is attached to the image, resulting in an
image that is clipped by the path and cropped by the frame.</p>
<div class="note"><span class="notetitle">Note:  </span>The graphics frame displays the color of the layer it appears
on, and the clipping path is drawn in the inverse color of the layer.
For example, if the layer color is blue, the graphics frame will
appear as blue, and the clipping path will appear as orange.</div>
</div></div>
<div id="WS2B2F74EF-A944-40c2-AE95-16B147EC9717a" class="nochunk"><a name="WS2B2F74EF-A944-40c2-AE95-16B147EC9717a"></a><h2 class="topictitle2">Crop using a graphic’s path or alpha channel</h2><div><div class="section"><p>InDesign
can crop an imported EPS, TIFF, or Photoshop graphic using the clipping
path or alpha channel saved with the file. When an imported graphic includes
more than one path or alpha channel, you can choose which path or alpha
channel to use for the clipping path. </p>
<p>An <dfn class="term">alpha channel</dfn> is
an invisible channel that defines transparent areas of a graphic.
It’s stored inside a graphic with the RGB or CMYK channels. Alpha channels
are commonly used in video-effects applications. InDesign automatically
recognizes Photoshop’s default transparency (the checkerboard background)
as an alpha channel. If the graphic has an opaque background, you must
use Photoshop to remove the background, or create and save one or
more alpha channels with the graphic. You can create alpha channels
using background‑removal features in Adobe Photoshop, such as layer
masks, the Channels panel, the Background Eraser, or the Magic Eraser. </p>
<div class="fignone"><img alt="" id="gh_08" src="images/gh_08.png" /><div class="figdesc">Results of using alpha channels and embedded paths </div><br /><dl><dt class="dlterm">A.</dt>
<dd>Original graphic</dd><p class="dlseparator"></p><dt class="dlterm">B.</dt>
<dd>Alpha
channel</dd><p class="dlseparator"></p><dt class="dlterm">C.</dt>
<dd>Placed graphic</dd><p class="dlseparator"></p><dt class="dlterm">D.</dt>
<dd>Original
graphic</dd><p class="dlseparator"></p><dt class="dlterm">E.</dt>
<dd>Graphic with embedded
path</dd><p class="dlseparator"></p><dt class="dlterm">F.</dt>
<dd>Placed graphic</dd><p class="dlseparator"></p></dl>
</div><div class="tip"><img src="images/tip_help.png" />When you place a Photoshop file, the Image Import
Options dialog box lets you choose to use the default clipping path
or select an alpha channel for clipping.</div></div>
<ol><li class="stepexpand"><span>Select an imported graphic, and choose Object&#160;&gt;
Clipping Path.</span></li>
<li class="stepexpand"><span>In the Clipping Path dialog box, choose either Photoshop
Path or Alpha Channel from the Type menu.</span></li>
<li class="stepexpand"><span>Choose the desired path or alpha channel from either
the Path or Alpha menu. </span> <div class="para"><div class="note"><span class="notetitle">Note:  </span>If the Alpha Channel menu command is not available,
no alpha channels were saved with the graphic. </div>
</div>
</li>
<li class="stepexpand"><span>To inset the clipping path, specify a value for Inset
Frame. </span></li>
<li class="stepexpand"><span>To switch the visible and hidden areas, select Invert. </span></li>
<li class="stepexpand"><span>If you chose an alpha channel, specify any other desired
clipping path options, and click&#160;OK.</span></li>
</ol>
<div class="section"><div class="para"><div class="tip"><img src="images/tip_help.png" />To turn off the clipping path, select
the imported graphic, and choose Object&#160;&gt; Clipping Path.
Choose None in the Type menu, and click&#160;OK.</div></div>
</div>
</div></div>
<div id="WSa285fff53dea4f8617383751001ea8cb3f-6f1fa" class="nochunk"><a name="WSa285fff53dea4f8617383751001ea8cb3f-6f1fa"></a><h2 class="topictitle2">Create a clipping path automatically</h2><div><div class="section"><p>If
you want to remove the background from a graphic that wasn’t saved
with a clipping path, you can do it automatically using the Detect
Edges option in the Clipping Path dialog box. The Detect Edges option
hides the lightest or darkest areas of a graphic, so it works best
when the subject is set against a solid white or black background.</p>
<div class="fignone"><img alt="" id="gh_09" src="images/gh_09.png" /><div class="figdesc">Good (left) and bad (right) candidates for automatic clipping
path</div><br /></div></div>
<ol><li><span>Select an imported graphic, and choose Object&#160;&gt;
Clipping Path.</span></li>
<li><span>In the Clipping Path dialog box, choose Detect Edges
in the Type menu. By default, the lightest tones are excluded; to
exclude the darkest tones, also select the Invert option. </span></li>
<li><span>Specify the clipping path options, and click&#160;OK.</span></li>
</ol>
</div></div>
<div id="WSa285fff53dea4f8617383751001ea8cb3f-6f1ea" class="nochunk"><a name="WSa285fff53dea4f8617383751001ea8cb3f-6f1ea"></a><h2 class="topictitle2">Clipping path options</h2><div><div class="section"><dl><dt class="dlterm">Threshold</dt>
<dd>Specifies the darkest pixel value that will define the resulting clipping
path. Increasing this value makes more pixels transparent by extending the
range of lightness values added to the hidden area, starting from
0 (white). For example, if you want to remove a very light drop
shadow when using Detect Edges, try increasing the Threshold until
the shadow disappears. If light pixels that should be visible are
invisible, the Threshold is too high.<div class="fignone"><img alt="" id="gh_threshold" src="images/gh_threshold.png" /><div class="figdesc">Threshold levels at 25 (left) and 55 (right)</div><br /></div></dd><p class="dlseparator"></p><dt class="dlterm">Tolerance</dt>
<dd>Specifies how similar a pixel’s lightness value can be to
the Threshold value before the pixel is hidden by the clipping path.
Increasing the Tolerance value is useful for removing unwanted bumps
caused by stray pixels that are darker than, but close to the lightness
value of, the Threshold value. Higher Tolerance values usually create
a smoother, looser clipping path, by increasing the range of values
near the Tolerance value within which stray darker pixels are included.
Decreasing the Tolerance value is like tightening the clipping path around
smaller variations in value. Lower Tolerance values create a rougher clipping
path by adding anchor points, which may make it harder to print
the image.<div class="fignone"><img alt="" id="gh_11" src="images/gh_11.png" /><div class="figdesc">Tolerance levels at 0 (left) and 5 (right)</div><br /></div></dd><p class="dlseparator"></p><dt class="dlterm">Inset Frame</dt>
<dd>Shrinks the resulting clipping path relative to the clipping
path defined by the Threshold and Tolerance values. Unlike Threshold
and Tolerance, the Inset Frame value does not take lightness values
into account; instead, it uniformly shrinks the shape of the clipping
path. Adjusting the Inset Frame value slightly may help hide stray
pixels that could not be eliminated by using the Threshold and Tolerance
values. Enter a negative value to make the resulting clipping path
larger than the clipping path defined by the Threshold and Tolerance
values.<div class="fignone"><img alt="" id="gh_12" src="images/gh_12.png" /><div class="figdesc">Inset frame at ‑0p1 (left) and 0p3 (right)</div><br /></div></dd><p class="dlseparator"></p><dt class="dlterm">Invert</dt>
<dd>Switches the visible and hidden areas, by starting the clipping
path with the darkest tones.</dd><p class="dlseparator"></p><dt class="dlterm">Include Inside Edges </dt>
<dd>Makes areas transparent if they exist inside the original clipping
path, and if their lightness values are within the Threshold and
Tolerance ranges. By default, the Clipping Path command makes only
the outer areas transparent, so use Include Inside Edges to correctly
represent “holes” in a graphic. This option works best when the
brightness levels of areas you want to make transparent don’t match
any areas that must be visible. For example, if you choose Include
Inside Edges for a graphic of silver eyeglasses, and the lenses become
transparent, very light areas of the eyeglass frame may also become transparent.
If areas become transparent when that wasn’t your intent, try adjusting
the Threshold, Tolerance, and Inset Frame values.</dd><p class="dlseparator"></p><dt class="dlterm">Restrict to Frame</dt>
<dd>Creates a clipping path that stops at the visible edge of
the graphic. This can result in a simpler path when you use the
graphic’s frame to crop the graphic.</dd><p class="dlseparator"></p><dt class="dlterm">Use High Resolution Image </dt>
<dd>Calculates transparent areas using the actual file, for maximum
precision. Deselect this option to calculate transparency based
on the screen display resolution, which is faster but less precise.
This option isn’t available if you chose Alpha Channel, because
InDesign always uses an alpha channel at its actual resolution.
(See <a href="WSa285fff53dea4f8617383751001ea8cb3f-6eb7a.html">About transparency</a>.)</dd><p class="dlseparator"></p></dl>
</div>
</div></div>
<div id="WSa285fff53dea4f8617383751001ea8cb3f-6f1ca" class="nochunk"><a name="WSa285fff53dea4f8617383751001ea8cb3f-6f1ca"></a><h2 class="topictitle2">Convert a clipping path to a graphics frame</h2><div><div class="p"><span><img src="images/dingbat.png" />&#160;Choose Object&#160;&gt; Clipping Path&#160;&gt;
Convert Clipping Path To Frame.</span></div>
</div></div>

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