[texhax] Help with cropping an image

[Philip G. Ratcliffe]

> I use pdfLatex in MikTex 2.6. I have noticed that when I use 
> the options 'viewport' and 'clip' in \includegraphics, I end 
> up with very large pdf files since I often include only a 
> small part of the picture. I then usually reduce the file by 
> exporting from GSView at 300dpi. This usually works fine but 
> is rotating a page in my current document so I want to 
> eliminate the need.
> 
> I have noticed that if I look at the original pdf file and 
> select an image which has been inserted in this way, it is 
> cropped on screen but not cropped in the file. The whole 
> picture is there and I can copy it into another application, 
> and hence the large file size as the whole of all of my 
> images has been included.
> 
> I have spent hours looking for a way of eliminating this 
> problem but find only the standard info. Is there a way of 
> doing a genuine, permenant crop to an image? Is there a 
> default which can be set in the pdf compiler for example? 

One possible solution that comes to mind is to use the capabilty in many pdf
readers of taking a snapshot of a rectangular area of a pdf page (rather
like cropping), which can then be saved separately as pdf, jpg or whatever.

For example, I use PDF-XChange (the snapshot tool is on the tool bar), open
XnView and Import Clipboard (in the Fle menu).  The image so created can
then be saved as you prefer.

Cheers,  Phil