Cropping in Xara

[AndyD]

HI All,
This is areally simple one... how can I crop an imported image/jpeg in Xara Xtreme? Do I need to use the photo viewer to do this?

Cheers
Andy

[AndFarr]

Andy,
This question is covered in the Xara Help.
Always best to check there first before posting a question.
- Andrew

[gwpriester]

For those who do not read the Help files:

You can crop an image in the Xara Picture Editor using the Crop Tool.

You can create a shape and use the Imported bitmap image as a fill which you can then resize, rotate, etc.

You can place a shape over the image, select both the shape and the image and Arrange > Combine Shapes > Intersect Shapes. You can select the intersected shape then switch to the Shape Editor Tool and alter or move the shapes outline about. The bitmap remains.

You can place a container shape behind the bitmap and Arrange > Apply Clip View.

Gary

[Charles Moir]

The way I crop a photo is to us the 'intersect shape' feature. If you know the key short-cut it's just a single click and one key press:

• Draw rectangle over photo
• Shift Click on Photo under rectangle (so both are selected)
• Ctrl+3

In fact this crops to any shape - not just rectangles.

[handrawn]

Like Charles

Place a rectangle or other shape with transparent fill over the photo - select both, then ctrl+3.
If you press ctrl-2 then the area inside the shape is removed and only the outside remains.

Bear in mind what you end up with is a shape with a bitmap fill not an actual bitmap as such.

[AndyD]

Many thanks for the replies guys.

AndFarr, I knew how to do it in the Photo Editor but guess I'll hav eto read through the Xtreme help files in the future.

Cheers
Andy

[DimitriAus]

Many thanks for the replies guys.

AndFarr, I knew how to do it in the Photo Editor but guess I'll hav eto read through the Xtreme help files in the future.

Cheers
Andy

Looks like Xara team ignoring all customer feedback. Xara Help is just as much useless as 5 years ago.

The struggle finding help how to crop a picture in Xara Designer:
You can see they mentioning some easy "drag" but no actual shortcut to Crop is given. Clicking Movies from Designer Help lunch IE with Flash. I do not use IE! Clicking survey from Designer brings bunch links for all programs, like they enjoy sabotage customers' efforts to help. I end up Googling. Crop in Xara is an advance feature ?!

[steve.ledger]

Looks like Xara team ignoring all customer feedback. Xara Help is just as much useless as 5 years ago.

I find I cannot agree with your appraisel.
Remember that Xara is a vector app and not a dedicated raster app so naturally thing will differ.

Furthermore, in Xara cropping is non destructive it is in fact a clipping tool.

To easily crop a photo, just double click with the selector tool and drag a cropping (clipping) rectangle.
You even will see the Rule of Thirds overlay.

[andy roberts]

Hi

I'm struggling with the various cropping / clipping options in Xara Designer Pro X, even after using the 'help' files and reading posts here.

What I have is a montage of several images. Looking at the 'page & layer' gallery, they are all on one layer (as stated in the help), but when I use any of the cropping tools to select them all and crop the whole montage, the tool always just selects one of the individual images.

I've tried grouping them & selecting all; I've also looked for some kind of merge / flatten option, all to no avail. I'm sure there must be a simple solution but it's only simple once you know how. Does anyone know how?

Many thanks

[Egg Bramhill]

Here's a quick video Andy on clipping/cropping using Xara