I'd like to be able to make Clipping Paths out of (unexpanded) Compound Shapes. We can't do that already.I'd also like the Expand button to work like it did in CS4 again.
View 9 RepliesThis is what happens when I resize from large to small (in this case 600px to 60px).
View 2 Replies View RelatedI'm trying to create a clipping mask of a photograph using several separate shapes and then separate the final masked image/shapes.
I've made the shapes a compound path, and then applied a clipping mask (so far so good).
Now that I have my masked photo/shapes I want to separate the shapes so I can edit them individually and independent of one another.
(using Illustrator CS4)
The best way I can describe what I want to do is, how do I use shapes like cookie cutters? I already know how to use clipping masks in order to achieve the visual equivalent of this, but I want to take the resulting viewable area and turn it into its own object/path. The problem is, when I, let's say, create a circle clipping mask over an image, the visual effect is a circular cutout of the image, but in Illustrator terms, what I'm actually left with is a group made up of the clipping mask and the image behind the mask. All I want is the cutout, and I want to me able to turn that into a (compound) path.
I've read a hundred different blogs/posts/tutorials, but they only teach you how to create a clipping mask, which is only half of what I want to do.
I have applied simple gradients to shapes. When I try to select the object with the direct selection tool, it selects paths made from the gradient, not the object itself.
View 3 Replies View RelatedI'm a novice here so here's my script. It works really well like it sits. It basically takes two objects in a large group and aligns them. I want to make each two objects combined into a single compound path. I have tried multiple things and they all just kick out errors and what not. I can't seem to get my head around the vocabulary for the scripting but the darkness is starting to fade the more I do.
#target Illustrator
var idoc = app.activeDocument;
var pi =idoc.compoundPathItems;
var numn = prompt ("How Many Names?", "Enter Number of Names");
var dd = prompt ("How far below name is the number?", "Enter Drop Distance");
var nH = prompt ("How tall are the names?", "Enter Name Height in Inches");
dd = parseFloat (dd);
numn = parseInt (numn);
nH = parseFloat (nH);
[code]...
Would Like to combine the aligned items into a single compound item.
Platform: PC/Windows XP SP2Adobe: Illustrator CS3 (13.0.2)
Is it possible to release all compound paths in an illustration at the same time (and if so - how)?
I receive drawings from engineering in either PDF or CGM format, which I edit in Illustrator and save as AI. I have to release compound paths in order to delete specific parts of the drawing.
This isn't difficult, but it is very time-consuming because the CGM(or PDF)-to-Illustrator conversion results in quite a few compound paths.
A strange thing happened just now that I don’t recall having seen before.
I have a number of simple objects, all the same fill colour, no stroke and none of them overlapping.
When I make them into a compound path they sometimes lose all their colour.
I have checked winding order, even/odd fill and that sort of thing but since none of the objects overlap, that shouldn’t make any difference anyway.
This doesn’t happen every time, so what could be causing it?
How do I use compound paths after image trace? Vector seems locked up after I create it. I have tried unlocking, ungrouping, etc. I want to knockout portions of the art. I only created part of the vector in image trace, and the knockouts are self-created.
View 4 Replies View RelatedI need to convert an autotrace shape into a pattern i can use in cad. The problem is part of it is a compound path which will not work.
In cs3 i would have just used pathfinder used minus front expanded and had a final path, but now i just get another compound path. Saw the tip on pressing the alt key but still get a compound path.
Does the scissor tool NOT work on compound paths? I am guessing it does not being it does not work when I use it on them, but the Adobe help section didn't specify.
Also, sometimes when I am using the pen tool, I will place an anchor point but it shifts away from where I want to place it. For example, I will put it at x = 72 & y = 1000 and it will place it at x = 95 & y = 1050.
I thought maybe it was from something I accidentally selected like snap to grid or point, but changing the settings does not correct the issue. I have to close out of the program and restart to fix it.
I am relatively new to Illustrator. I am using CS6.
I am trying to punch holes in a circle using compound paths, as you can see here :
The tadpole shape and the human shape are the holes I need created in the large circle behind them. Both the tadpole and the human are at the front and all objects are on the same layer. When I select everything and choose CRTL+8, only the tadpole gets cut into the circle. the other shape just stays white.
I'd like to start utilizing Illustrator more frequently for web and user interface design projects, but I still like taking everything into Photoshop for final rendering and compositing (and the simple fact that most developers want psds, not ai files). However, I find that the only way to successfully transfer all of the vector artwork from Illustrator and preserve it as vector objects in Photoshop (when exporting) is to manually convert every individual vector object in Illustrator to a Compound Shape (by selecting the shape and clicking Make Compound Shape from the Pathfinder palette menu). This can be very tedious if it has to be done after the design is complete, and very inefficient if you convert every object as you draw it.
Is there a way to set Illustrator to automatically create every vector object drawn as a Compound Shape without having to manually convert it?
Adobe Illustrator allows you to export your Illustrator document as a Photoshop document. However, Compound Paths (not Compound Shapes - see this article for not-so-great explanations comparing the two) – which is the default attribute applied to all of Illustrator's basic vector objects – do not convert into vector objects when the exported document is opened in Photoshop. Rather, the vector objects drawn in Illustrator get flattened into raster layers in Photoshop, making them poor candidates for refining the design in Photoshop.
When I open up previous versions of Illustrator files (i.e. CS5), why are all of my paths messed up. Every object is embedded in a Clipping Mask, paths are compounded and in most cases type on a path is expanded into multiple non-editable objects. This causes complete redesign.
View 1 Replies View RelatedI use my script to embeding a placed graphic (MyImage.embed();). Then I always get a group with the correct paths and two clipping paths in a grouped grouped groupItem.
My question is: I want to delete the two clipping paths to get only the correct paths of the graphic.
This is, what I always have:
and this is, what i want:
I have some type converted to outlines, and it is in front/on top of a places raster pattern. when I select the type shapes and pattern and make a clipping mask, the pattern disappears and the letter shapes are filled with nothing!
Matters not whether the letter shapes are grouped or not...is there a way to have all of the letter shapes act as clipping mask together?
I am new to Illustrator and am currently attempting to learn it. I am creating a logo that has text and has a shape that goes through the text to make the text appear as if it has claw marks in it.
I have two layers. The layer with the shape "claw" marks, and a layer with the text. The shape layer is currently above and the text layer is currently below. If I select both layers and click on Make Clipping Mask it has the text displayed within the little claw marks, how do I reverse that? Because when I try to change the order of the layers it doesn't clip anything?
I have some negative space I created(black area, see first image) that I want to fill with type, not just a simple fill.
Basically I want to create the negative space from a bunch of small minus signs(-) that need to line up as they go across. If I type on each path one at a time as the text doesn't line up that way. This needs to be one continuous path. (see second image)
Unfortunately if I add them together, it creates a compound path, which you cannot type on, unless I am mistaken? So I need them to be a path, not a compound object.
I want to create an illustration with black outlines. Within these outlines I want to have some spots without outlines that stay clean within the lines. I have tried 3 options so far and have found a solution but it's far from ideal.
1. Create clipping masks for each element that has a spot on it and assign a stroke to the clipping path again after. However by creating the clipping path, the path styles dissapear. In this case I want to keep the pointed ends to the open path outlines (see top image).
2. Draw in the lines where the spots are and create a live paint object of the entire illustration. Then paint in the spots and other areas. However when I create this live paint object the lines again lose their applied styles and even 'end' at each intersection, creating nasty edges where the lines should go 'underneath' smoothly (see bottom image).
3. The option Im using now. Duplicate the path outlines and create clipping masks for the spots without strokes. Then put the stroked outline with the desired styles on top. The problem with this is that I have almost twice as much elements in my illustration now than I actually 'need'. And the styled outlines are not connected with the color underneath, so its very easy to accidentally move something around...
Any easier way to create this effect without all the hassle?
I'm redrawing the Realtor Logo which is a simple square, and inside that are a rectangle, triangle and a semi-circle with a flat edge on the left. When combined, look like the letter R reversed out of a black box. When I select the all the elements and tell it to make a compound path, only the rectangle knocks out the background square and the semi circle and triangle just appear to be grouped with the square instead of knocked out!!! I've tried everything including moving the square to the front and the back, etc. How do you find out if the semi circle I drew is a closed path? I made the semi circle by drawing a circle and a square and then using pathfinder to edit them into a the left flat edged circle. The triangle I simply drew with the pen tool.
View 6 Replies View RelatedI have two shapes overlapped (a circle and a star be to be exact). A triangular are of the star is overlapping the circle.
How can I merge the two shapes in order to delete specific paths? Thus creating a pie-like shape (circle, with the triangular section cut out of it).
I'm using the Pencil Tool to draw shapes (not good enough for the Pen Tool yet) and some of my paths are not as smooth as I'd like, so I go over them with the Smooth Tool, though it seems like it either smooths the path a little bit or completely changes its shape.
View 1 Replies View RelatedI'm clipping out a bike wheel in photoshop with path. So after 1 hour of painstaking clipping, I have a nice compound path, a large circle path with about 20 smaller closed paths to take out each spoke. Alll paths are on one path layer. In previous Photoshop versions, I can control click(PC) this path to load a compound selection which will let me to mask out the background. But in CS, after I control click(PC), it only loads the outer circular path but not the entire compound paths.
View 4 Replies View RelatedLike in a Circle I need to make the compound path the inner area or negative space of my objects. I have expanded letters and joined their paths so that there are negative space, I was wondering if it were possible to fill in the negative space with a clipping mask? (like one would with an object like a circle or rectangle) The letter that I am using is an A and I have connected two A's together like a diamond reflecting each other... Is it possible to create a clipping mask to cover the negative space of the inside of the letters...?
View 6 Replies View RelatedImported some type from Illustrator as a path and trying to use Repousse to make a 3D layer from it. However, the letters that are usuallu "punched out" (a,o,r,p,etc) are solid. How do you convert so that they look correct?
View 2 Replies View RelatedI want to take two 3D views from (autodesk) Revit Architecture 2012 to Illustrator CS5 and then make use of the live paint bucket tool*. I've printed the two 3D views into pdf files and imported them in Illustrator**. When I select the whole image in Illustrator and then click with the Live Paint Bucket tool on the drawing to modify the drawing so I can color the surfaces, Illustrator gives me the following error:
"The selection contains objects that cannot be converted. Live Paint groups can only contain paths and compound paths. Clipping paths are not allowed."
Exporting images (jpg, png and tiff) from Revit results in the same error. Is there a way to easily convert my vector drawing into a non-clipping paths drawing? Also I'm not sure if the problem should be found in either Revit or Illustrator. What's also strange is that I'm using a tutorial provided by my university, in which there are no issues with clipping paths or anything.
* This in order to make an conceptual image of my building, which I've modeled in Revit. I want to add basic colors to surfaces in Illustrator and then take the image to Photoshop to add shadow, materials, sky etc.
** They only consist of lines, using the 'hidden line' visual style in my views in Revit, in case you know a bit of Revit.
URL....Everything works fine until I get to the part where it says to: 'Copy the crimson circle and Paste it In Front'..first of all I think the copy should cover everything else, right? At least it looks that way in the tutorials' picture. Well, it doesn't cover and it seems to stay in place.
I look in the Layers palette and it shows that a Copy has been made and I look under Edit and it says under Undo: Undo Paste In Front.Next I am suppose to Select the Crimson Circle Copy and The Blend and then go to Object > Clipping Mask > Make
Rather than it working I get an Error Message that says: 'Can't Make Clipping Mask, The Top Selected Object Must Be A Path, A Compound Shape, A text Object Or A Group Of Those'
No matter what I do I cannot make a Clipping Mask in this manner.I have read a lot about Clipping Mask today and have looked in the FAQ's to no avail.
I have the illustration wich is basically just some dots, i grouped all the dots. Put my text in front of it select both, make clipping mask. The text becomes white and it says the top object is very complex and may cause the document to fail to print or preview if used as a mask.
View 10 Replies View Relatedhow to make a clipping mask, URL....In the link to above tutorial on how to make a medieval scroll I'm stuck.
As said in step 25 that expand the appearance of the scroll and select the two then clip the mask. In th above picture I have just selected the scroll to show how it looks.
I have expanded the appearance of the paper scroll. Then I selected the paper scrol and the yellowish green grunge background placed below it. And the moment I hit Ctrl+7 (in windows) or Command+7 (in Mac) to make a clipping mask the error that showed up has been highlighted.
Im making a logo for a client and am having a nightmare of a time trying to properly use the clipping masks in illustrator CS5. I copied and pasted the logo I made behind itself with a different color just for a drop shadow-like effect. And now I'm trying to apply this diagonal line pattern I created over top the "shadow" I made to give it some texture.
Here's an example of what I'm going for, only imagine the line pattern on the text instead of banner.
I am trying to create a logo that incorporates a circle and a picture of a dog.
Now I want to acheive a look where the dogs legs are hanging over one part of the circle but the circle is covering the rest of his body as though he had put his head througha hole in the wall.
I have been trying to acheive this with clipping paths but I can't see how to recreate the smooth lines of the original circle.