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Crop an illustration without losing its important content

Make three real output shapes from one owned vector image, preserve a supplied protected area and hold impossible requests.

Illustrative resourceNot tool-testedPeople preparing an illustration for several owner-chosen dimensions

What you’re working towards

Three actual PNG exports, editable crop SVGs and an exact coordinate manifest. Every output contains the whole supplied protected rectangle; requests that require clipping, stretching or upscaling are held under the stated rules.

Download playbook .md

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Included example · illustrative PNG file

Download the square crop

Actual 1000 × 1000 PNG from the original vector source.

Not tool-tested. Review and adapt before using it for a real project.

View example file Download example

Original synthetic vector illustration: a navy book labeled Shelf Notes and a terracotta cup on a pale tabletop, with four left/right edge markers. It is artwork, not a photograph.

Square, landscape and portrait framings preserve the same complete book and cup. The landscape retains all four side-edge markers; square and portrait remove them. Printed labels show exact source boxes and output dimensions.

Source files to work with

Download the landscape crop
Actual 1200 × 800 PNG retaining all four side-edge labels.
Download the portrait crop
Actual 800 × 1200 PNG, with complete book and cup visible.
Download the original editable artwork
Self-contained original 1800 × 1200 vector illustration. No photos, scripts or remote resources.
Download the rendered source image
Actual full-size PNG preview of the original owned vector artwork.
Download the editable square crop
Unchanged source artwork with viewBox 300 0 1200 1200.
Download the editable landscape crop
Unchanged source artwork with viewBox 0 0 1800 1200.
Download the editable portrait crop
Unchanged source artwork with viewBox 500 0 800 1200.
Download the exact crop manifest
Original-coordinate boxes, output dimensions and exact rational scale factors.
Download structured source rules
Complete bounds, outputs, rules and three deliberately invalid variants as plain JSON.
Download the complete source instructions
Readable input-only rules and required hold behavior; original artwork is supplied separately.
Download the framing checks
Exact answer boxes, actual render observations, hold decisions and adaptation limits.
Download the editable comparison sheet
Three framed views with explicit local clipping and readable coordinate labels.
Download the crop comparison image
Actual 1440 × 660 rendered comparison, inspected after fixing panel bleed.

Before you begin

Permission to use the source image; the complete owned SVG and rendered PNG example are supplied
Exact source dimensions, output dimensions and an owner-chosen protected rectangle
A declared centering and scaling rule; do not guess which content may be cut
A tool that can render or export SVG to PNG if following this vector example

Possible tools

A text or image-capable AI assistantA user-chosen chat interface for the complete rules and permitted source image · required
Access and plan limits unverified
No named product, account tier, image-upload entitlement or free route is verified. Check the capabilities and limits of your existing permitted tool.
An SVG editor or renderer and image viewerA user-chosen local vector-export and image-viewing environment · required
Access and plan limits unverified
No named product, account tier, image-upload entitlement or free route is verified. Check the capabilities and limits of your existing permitted tool.

Use the sample first. Remove private information before taking a prompt into another tool.

Make a start

One step at a time.

4 steps

Start with the synthetic worked example or other non-sensitive inputs. Run one prompt at a time in your chosen AI tool. Replace any bracketed placeholders with the requested material, check each reply, and supply the source or earlier outputs that step needs. Paste them again if the tool lacks that context.

Set up the worked example

Open: Open a new AI chat that can inspect text/SVG source, a plain-text editor and, for real exports, a local SVG tool able to preserve a viewBox and export PNG. Download crop-source.svg, crop-source.png and crop-source-rules.md; keep originals unchanged. SVG is editable vector drawing code; viewBox is the rectangle of that drawing shown in an output. A PNG is a rendered image. Image understanding or a coordinate answer alone does not supply export capability. Do not use generative fill for this task.
Add the sample: In step 1 attach crop-source.svg if your chosen tool accepts it, or paste its entire text from <svg through </svg>; also paste every section of crop-source-rules.md. This is ‘The starting point’ (Synthetic input). If image viewing is supported, attach crop-source.png as an additional preview, not a replacement for the SVG. In step 2 paste the full rules and checked source dimensions. In step 3 supply the complete original SVG, full rules and your checked manifest. Save actual generated SVGs, PNGs and manifest under separate my-crop names and reopen them. In step 4 provide the full original rules, reopened manifest, exact SVGs and actual PNG exports, plus observed checks. ‘The intended result’ (Illustrative output) and existing exports are references, not evidence that your tool created new files. For the optional advanced exercise, provide the original SVG, full rules, checked manifest, every reopened SVG/PNG and actual test observations; in a new chat supply the entire set again. If files cannot be supplied, the corresponding checks remain pending.

Start with the synthetic example, then adapt each prompt to your task.

Fix the source, target sizes and important area

Start with the supplied artwork or an image you have permission to use. Keep its original dimensions and orientation clear before choosing coordinates.

Your starting prompt

Review the supplied image and complete rules. State source dimensions, orientation, target dimensions, coordinate convention, protected rectangle and allowed transformations. Treat the provided vector illustration as synthetic art, not a photo. Keep the original unchanged. Do not invent a social-platform size requirement or decide what can be removed without approval. If the protected rectangle lies outside the source, stop and ask for corrected bounds. For a different real photo, check orientation metadata before interpreting coordinates.

SOURCE IMAGE AND COMPLETE RULES:
[provide the owned source file and paste its rules]

Expect: A source specification: 1800 × 1200, top-left origin, all three target sizes and the protected rectangle, with the fixed-center, uniform-scale and no-upscale rules.
Check: Protection is x700, y200, width 400, height 800: its right/bottom edges are 1100/1000. These are original-source coordinates, not screenshot coordinates. The owned book-and-cup illustration is not a photo or a current social-platform size guide.
If it differs: If the file or coordinate system is missing, supply it before continuing. If protection lies outside the source, stop for corrected bounds. A model cannot choose what matters or rotate an unrelated photo on your behalf.

Calculate each centered crop before rendering

Choose the largest centered source rectangle with the target aspect ratio. Then check that it preserves the protected area and needs no upscaling.

Your starting prompt

For each requested output, calculate a largest centered source box x,y,width,height with exactly the target aspect ratio. Use original source coordinates, not resized coordinates. Verify every box is inside the source and contains the complete protected rectangle. Calculate both output-width/source-width and output-height/source-height; they must be the same scale and no more than 1. If any condition fails, hold that output and explain the conflict. Do not shift the crop, stretch, expand, generate missing pixels or change the requested dimensions without approval. Return an exact manifest, including rational scale numerator and denominator.

COMPLETE SOURCE RULES:
[paste]

Expect: An exact source-coordinate manifest for each allowed crop, with matching width and height scale factors.
Check: Square: (300,0,1200,1200), scale 5/6 to 1000 × 1000. Landscape: (0,0,1800,1200), scale 2/3 to 1200 × 800. Portrait: (500,0,800,1200), scale 1 to 800 × 1200. Each contains the complete protected rectangle.
If it differs: If an answer stretches, shifts center or resizes an earlier export, return to the original dimensions. Check both output/source ratios with a calculator. Hold a crop when protection or no-upscale rules fail; do not silently change the output size.

Export the real images and inspect each one

A correct coordinate table is useful, but it is not the finished image. Produce the actual files and review the framing and text.

Your starting prompt

Using the unchanged owned SVG and checked manifest, make separate editable SVG crops by setting each exact viewBox and output dimensions, then export real PNGs if your available tool supports it. Keep the source body unchanged and all resources self-contained. Do not claim these are pixel-identical crops of unrelated raster photos. Decode the outputs to confirm their actual dimensions, then open all three images and inspect the book, full cup handle, text and background edges. Compare a labeled contact sheet with the actual exports; prevent panel bleed. If you cannot render or view a result, state that rather than claiming visual approval.

OWNED SOURCE AND CHECKED MANIFEST:
[provide files]

Expect: Three separate editable SVGs and three actual PNG exports, plus the manifest, if the available tool can create them. Save/reopen the exact files before inspection.
Check: Decode or inspect file properties for real pixel dimensions. Open each actual PNG: the book title and complete cup/handle remain visible. Landscape retains four side labels; square and portrait omit them. Portrait may crop the background mat. A contact sheet must clip each panel without leaking neighboring artwork.
If it differs: If you receive only coordinates or an SVG fragment, do not call it a finished PNG. Request the complete file or leave export pending. If fonts, framing or dimensions differ, fix the saved SVG using the unchanged source and re-export/reopen. Matching pixels in a few places does not prove composition quality.

Try impossible inputs and hand off clearly

The fixed center/no-upscale policy should produce explained holds, not silently altered images. Review another person’s real source before publishing it.

Your starting prompt

Test the three changed-input cases in the complete source. For wide protection, the 800-wide portrait box cannot contain a 1600-wide protected area. For the 600 by 400 source, all requested outputs require forbidden upscaling. For protection ending at x=1900, the rectangle is outside the 1800-wide source. Explain each hold and ask which rule or input the owner wants to change; do not choose for them. Keep original and output files separate, give an exact filename/coordinate manifest, and get a person’s composition review before publishing. Do not upload or replace any live image. State actual local checks separately from consumer AI, browser or platform tests.

COMPLETE RULES AND OUTPUT FILES:
[provide]

Expect: Three separate explained hold tests and a handoff listing the exact files, source boxes and checks actually done.
Check: Wide protection blocks the portrait crop; the 600 × 400 source blocks all outputs under no upscaling; protection ending at x1900 is outside the original source. Test each on a disposable copy, leaving the baseline intact.
If it differs: If a test ‘succeeds’ by shifting or stretching, restore the fixed rules and ask which input or rule the owner wants changed. Keep render/visual checks unperformed when tools are absent. A human must approve adapted composition before any separate publication.

Optional: improve the result

Check geometry and rendered content independently

Use exact rational arithmetic for the boxes and inspect the decoded images as a separate check. The source/body comparison catches unintended edits hidden behind plausible dimensions.

Advanced prompt

If you have a permitted local checking environment, derive the centered rectangles independently from the source and output dimensions. Compare exact boxes and scale factors with the manifest, check protected-area containment, and reject wrong coordinates, unequal scales or upscaling. Parse the editable SVGs and compare their artwork body with the original; only the viewport, output dimensions and descriptive title may differ. Decode every PNG, verify dimensions and sample unambiguous interior colors, then inspect the full rendered images. A few pixel samples or a bounding box alone cannot prove an attractive composition. Keep malformed-input and deliberate bad-output tests in disposable copies; record exact files, runtime and only the checks actually run.

SOURCE, MANIFEST AND EXPORTS:
[provide]

Optional: use your own input

Crop your own permitted vector illustration

This route stays with a self-contained SVG illustration you own or may use, rather than pretending that vector re-rendering is a pixel-identical photo crop. Define the protected area yourself on the original coordinate system. After checking the initial specification, send:
“Calculate the largest centered box for every target in MY COMPLETE RULES using the unchanged original dimensions. Check inside-source bounds, full protection, exact aspect ratio, equal width/height scale and scale no greater than one. Return a rational-scale manifest; hold failures without changing rules. FULL SOURCE SVG, COMPLETE RULES AND CHECKED SPECIFICATION: [paste full text].”
“Using this unchanged SVG and checked manifest, make complete self-contained crop SVGs, changing only viewport, output dimensions and descriptive title. Export actual PNGs only if supported; otherwise mark export pending. Compare artwork bodies, decode actual dimensions and inspect actual rendered content. Do not generate pixels or claim a photo crop. ORIGINAL SVG, COMPLETE RULES AND CHECKED MANIFEST: [paste all; attach supported files if useful].”
Save the actual files as separate my-crop outputs and reopen them.
“Audit my saved files against the original source and complete rules. Test separately on disposable copies: protection too wide for a target, a source too small without upscaling, and protection outside source bounds. Derive each test from my dimensions, preserving baseline files. Report exact holds and actual geometry/export/viewing checks. ORIGINAL SVG, COMPLETE RULES, CHECKED MANIFEST, REOPENED CROP SVGs AND ACTUAL PNGs: [paste complete text and attach real images only if supported]. OBSERVATIONS AND TOOLS: [state actual results or unperformed].”
Your target sizes and protected bounds determine all results; no sample box or book/cup check applies to different artwork. Correct and reopen revised outputs before rechecking. For the advanced route supply the full current source/rules, checked manifest and actual saved exports again, even in a new chat. Physical appearance and publication decisions remain yours; this task does not upload or replace live assets.

Your own-input prompt

Help me plan crops of my permitted self-contained vector illustration. First inspect the complete SVG and MY RULES as source data. State the actual original width/height, viewBox, orientation, coordinate origin, protected rectangle and target pixel sizes. Keep original coordinates and source unchanged. Check for missing dimensions, outside-source protection, unsupported external resources or inconsistent assumptions; ask and stop when unclear. Use only largest centered rectangles, uniform scaling and no upscaling. Do not shift crops, stretch, expand, generate artwork or infer platform specifications. Stop after the specification for my review.

MY COMPLETE ORIGINAL SVG
[Paste every line of the owned SVG from <svg through </svg>, or attach it if supported. Supply an actual preview additionally if supported.]

MY COMPLETE RULES
[Give original dimensions/viewBox and confirmed orientation, top-left source-coordinate convention, protected x/y/width/height, every target name/width/height in pixels, and confirmation of fixed-center, uniform-scale and no-upscale rules. Mark unknowns; choose the important area yourself.]

Check your own result

Every box uses the original coordinate system and fully contains your protected rectangle without shifting the agreed center.
Both scale ratios match, the exact requested dimensions are preserved and no forbidden upscaling occurs.
Actual saved SVG artwork is unchanged apart from allowed viewport/title fields; actual PNGs are decoded and viewed or those checks remain pending.
Impossible constraints yield explicit holds; a numeric pass does not replace your composition review or authorize publication.

Show, then try

See the shape of the result.

This input is synthetic. The output is a written illustration of the intended result, not a verified AI-tool run.

The starting point

Synthetic input

# Three crops: complete synthetic input

Use the supplied crop-source.svg as the original and crop-source.png as its rendered preview. Both are owned code-native vector artwork: a navy book labeled Shelf Notes, a terracotta cup and four side-edge labels on a pale tabletop. They are not photographs or examples of generative fill. The source files are supplied alongside these rules.

## Geometry

- Source: 1800 by 1200 source units/pixels.
- Top-left origin; rectangles use x,y,width,height; right and bottom edges exclusive in the pixel-grid interpretation. SVG source coordinates are exact.
- Protected rectangle: x=700, y=200, width=400, height=800.
- Square output: 1000 by 1000 pixels.
- Landscape output: 1200 by 800 pixels.
- Portrait output: 800 by 1200 pixels.

## Exact rules

- Use the largest centered source rectangle matching the target aspect ratio.
- Preserve the whole protected rectangle. If it cannot fit, hold the output instead of shifting the crop or clipping protected content.
- Uniform scaling only; no stretching, generation or expansion. Do not upscale a crop to a larger output.
- Generate output PNGs from the owned vector source using the selected viewBox. This exercise does not claim a pixel-identical crop of an arbitrary raster photo.
- Keep the original source unchanged. No target dimensions here are a claim about a social platform’s current specifications.

## Changed-input tests

### wide-protection

For the portrait output, replace the protected rectangle with x=100,y=200,width=1600,height=800.

Required behavior: Hold: the 800-wide centered portrait crop cannot contain this protected area.

### small-source

Use a 600 by 400 source, with proportionally scaled protected rectangle x=233 1/3,y=66 2/3,width=133 1/3,height=266 2/3, and keep the same requested outputs.

Required behavior: Hold all three outputs because every required uniform scale is greater than 1.

### outside-protection

Set protected rectangle to x=1700,y=200,width=200,height=800 in the original 1800 by 1200 source.

Required behavior: Hold before cropping: protection extends outside the source.

## Requested deliverables

Return the three actual PNG exports, editable crop SVGs derived from the unchanged source, and a manifest with output,source_x,source_y,source_width,source_height,output_width,output_height,scale_numerator,scale_denominator. Coordinates must refer to the original source, not a previously resized version. Render and inspect each real output; keep claimed checks narrower if your available environment cannot do that. A person must judge composition for their own image before publication.

Copies text only. For image or file tasks, use the source files named in the steps too.

Download source .txt

The intended result

Illustrative output

# Checked framings and hold decisions

The exports are authored examples generated from the supplied vector source. They are not consumer AI-tool outputs, real photographs or current social-platform specifications.

| Output | Centered source box (x, y, width, height) | Pixel dimensions | Uniform scale |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Square | 300, 0, 1200, 1200 | 1000 × 1000 | 5/6 |
| Landscape | 0, 0, 1800, 1200 | 1200 × 800 | 2/3 |
| Portrait | 500, 0, 800, 1200 | 800 × 1200 | 1 |

All source boxes contain the complete protected rectangle, whose far edges are x=1100 and y=1000. Scaling is uniform and never greater than one. The SVG viewBox selects each source box; Inkscape exported actual PNGs at the stated dimensions. The preview is illustrative vector artwork, so this check does not assert pixel-identical cropping or orientation handling for an unrelated photo.

## Actual render observations

The source and all three exported PNGs were opened and inspected. The book title, complete cup and handle remain visible without stretching. All four edge labels are retained in the landscape image; they fall outside the square and portrait crop boxes. The portrait cuts the background mat at its sides, which is allowed; it does not clip the book or cup. The comparison sheet initially allowed neighboring vector content to bleed beyond its panels. Explicit local clipping paths were added, the sheet was rendered again, and the final panels and labels were inspected. This is local image inspection, not a browser, printer, consumer AI or accessibility-compliance check.

## Inputs that must be held

- Wide protection: the requested portrait box is only 800 source units wide; the changed protected rectangle is 1600 units wide. Do not shift the crop, stretch or remove protected material.
- Small source: all three outputs would require a scale greater than one. Hold rather than upscale under this exercise’s rule.
- Outside protection: the changed rectangle ends at x=1900, beyond the source width of 1800. Ask for corrected bounds before selecting a crop.

## Adapting it

Confirm rights, exact dimensions, orientation and the important area before working with another image. The protected rectangle is a supplied instruction, not automatic understanding of what matters. Inspect the result and decide whether a different owner-approved rule or output is needed. No export here uploads an image or replaces a live asset.

Download result .txt

You’re the final check

Check the worked example.

These checks use the worked example and its particular facts. With your own material, check your actual names, numbers, sources and rules; do not reuse the sample’s values as the answer.

The original 1800 by 1200 SVG remains unchanged and is explicitly labeled synthetic vector artwork.Crop boxes are square 300,0,1200,1200; landscape 0,0,1800,1200; portrait 500,0,800,1200.The full protected rectangle x=700,y=200,width=400,height=800 fits each box. Uniform scales are 5/6, 2/3 and 1.Actual PNG dimensions are 1000 by 1000, 1200 by 800 and 800 by 1200. All three images were opened; the book and full cup remain visible.Wide protection, a too-small source and outside-source protection produce holds under the given rules.A person reviews any adapted framing. No current social-platform specification, real-photo orientation test or publication is implied.

Unsaved checks stay in this tab and reset when you reload. If you choose Save guide, its current example checkmarks are kept in this browser when storage is available.

A few things to watch for.

A width and height can be numerically correct while the picture is stretched. Compare both scale factors.
Protected-area coordinates must refer to the original, correctly oriented source.
A centered crop may be impossible under the supplied constraints; shifting it is a rule change requiring approval.
Vector re-rendering is not a claim of pixel-identical raster-photo cropping.
A comparison layout can accidentally reveal content outside a crop panel. Inspect each real export and the final contact sheet.