With both the object selected (image and the shape) go to Object > Clipping Mask > Makeīelow figure shows the cropped image generated using mask drawn using Pen Tool.Set fill color to none so that the actual image is visible while drawing the shape. Using the Pen tool (P) draw out a shape in which you want to crop the image, over the image.You can also later edit vector mask by targeting the automatically created associated with the image in the found in the Layers Panel. In the below image, handles are modified after selecting the anchor points using Direction selection. Drag any of the mid-edge or corner handles that are placed around the image to change the size of the vector mask.
With the image selected, click on the Mask button in the Control or Properties panel. To specify the resolution for the cropped image change PPI in Control bar, maximum resolution cannot be greater the original image resolution. Active corners on the image will appear after clicking, drag around to define how the image will be cropped. To crop image using Crop Image tool as shown in above figure, select the image and then click on the tool button. Both of these panels are context sensitive, so select the image with Selection Tool for these option to visible.
This technique was developed by my friend Igor Tchernitsyn. This technique allows us to crop raster images directly in Adobe Illustrator without using Photoshop or any other raster editor. These can be found in Properties Panel (Window > Properties) as shown in below figure. We often use raster images in Adobe Illustrator, for example, for the Live Trace, Mosaic Effect, Halftone Effect, or simply as a reference image. A blue border will form around the image. A image can be cropped using vector mask, or crop image tool. Next, switch to the Selection tool by clicking the arrow at the top of the toolbar or using the command V.