is it better to extract by mask or clip raster data?

[Randy Swaty]

Hello everyone,

When working with LANDFIRE data I often want to reduce the amount of LANDFIRE data to my area of interest.  I was wondering, when working with the LANDFIRE rasters is it better to clip or extract by mask in ArcGIS?

Randy

[Megan Sebasky]

Interesting question, Randy! I think the 'Clip' tool in ArcGIS did not work with raster data in the past, but it does now. There were also times when one or both of these tools clipped the data to the full extent of the mask or clip feature, rather than its exact boundaries. However I believe both tools work the same now, but Clip may run faster (See https://gis.stackexchange.com/questions/94469/is-clip-data-management-or-extract-by-mask-spatial-analyst-more-efficient).

When working with raster data, always remember to visit the environment settings, and set the snap raster to your input raster to make sure the raster cells do not shift. Also, make sure your mask or clip feature is in the same projection as the raster.

[Randy Swaty]

Outstanding-thanks Megan.  I should print that out and paste to my wall!

Randy

[Sarah hagen]

The only trick with clip is to remember to check the box asking you something about clipping to the extent or something like that if you want the exact polygon, otherwise it will clip to the full rectangular extent. Beyond that, I agree with what Megan has posted.