To display or hide an image's embedded path:
- Select the picture box into which it was imported and click Item > Clipping (or Item > Modify, then click the 'Clipping' tab).The clipping path displays as a green outline around the image.
- Click the Type drop-down menu. Embedded Path will not be grayed out if one exists in the image. The name of the clipping path is accessed by the Path drop-down menu. There can be more than one path in an image and each has its own name. To clear the clipping path, change the Type from Embedded Path to Item.
- For images with white backgrounds. Click Item > Clipping. Then choose Non-White Areas in the Type drop-down menu.
QuarkXPress can also correctly display alpha channels in an imported image and draw a clipping path around it (although you would normally not want a hard edge to an image that has a blending function applied, as is often the case with alpha channel masks). To apply an alpha mask to the selected picture, choose an alpha channel from the Measurements palettes Mask drop-down menu.
Background:
Clipping paths and alpha channels are used in photo-editing software for setting up transparent regions within images. A clipping path is a vector path that allows a specific part of an image to display and the rest of the image region to be transparent. Alpha channels are used to combine an image with its background to give the impression of partial transparency and blending or feathering of the image into the background. QuarkXPress allows you to read and display clipping paths and alpha channels so that you can use them to add visual depth and interest to your page design.