Illustrator :: Using Rectangles To Mask Another Shape?
Oct 1, 2012
How can I take a shape with a gradient like in the attached image, and make it so other shapes like the series of rectangles mask the gradient so the gradient only shows through the rectangles?
is there a way to mask text with a shape (ie text inside a square that gets clipped off if it goes off the square's boundry) without rasterization? All illustrator seems to want to do is to make a clipping mask the opposite way with the square being put inside the text. When I try to do it the other way it claims that is too complicated and will mess things up.
I created this logo in Illustrator. I made my basic shapes with a pen tool, put a vector grunge texture over the top of the shapes and then used "make opacity mask" to get my grunge effect. As you can see in the screenshot of my illy it is all very clean and looking like it should. When you open my other picture you can see that once I transferred (cmd+copy cmd+paste) the logo into PS you can now see faint lines of where the shapes used to be *highlighted in red*. I also tried placeing the .ai file in ps but got the same effect. I am using all pantone colors on the logo, both documents are set to 300 dpi....err I cant think of anything else. PS is in RGB, Illustrator is in CMYK (but using Pantone)
How do I get my logo to look as good in PS as it does in Ilustrator?
I have a pretty simple design. Some text and shapes all expanded and turned into outlines. I have one shape that was created by using a clipping mask. I am putting a vector distress pattern over the whole design (like I usually do and it works fine) well I merge them together and everything is completely fine except the shape created with the clipping mask it disappears..
more info: i actually released the clipping mask and I am still having the same problem with this object, it disappears when merged with the vector distress pattern.
I have created a compound path in illustrator and when I try to make a clipping mask, rather than revealing the image behind the path, the shape is filled with solid white. I am able to successfully make the mask using one shape or the other, but once I create the compound path, I just get this white fill.
I am in CS5 on Mac OS X (Snow Leopard). See screenshots below.
When I need to move a project from Photoshop to Illustrator, I need an automated way to prep shape and vector mask items for export--preferably preserving the structure and layout that already exists as layer names and order, character and paragraph settings, and of course global registration. My scripting is limited to recording actions, so I need to find an existing script or get coached on this. Any recommendations?
I have googled and waded through numerous forum posts trying to research this on my own, so I know about the ability to export my path collection, but that's usually inapplicable in reality. It only deals with vectors from the Paths palette. In Photoshop, I use the Paths pallet to store master and WIP paths, but all the working paths are either shapes or vector masks--or active type layers. Often enough that it's become an issue, I'll need to move the whole project to Illustrator. Obviously, the process has issues; I'm not expecting the rastor layers or Photoshop styles to carry over, but I see no reason why I can't capture text, shape and vector mask elements.
They all have a vector component, but simply opening a PSD in Illustrator flattens (badly) the layers. I select the "Convert Layers as Objects" but have yet to see it extract editable text. I'm not sure if it even attempts to do anything with vector shapes or masks. I've got a process for moving a project one element at a time, using registration marks--but this requires turning text into shapes most of the time, especially if I am trying to preserve kerning and leading crucial to the layout. Maybe I just have not found the right info, and there is a way to transfer editable text without losing character and paragraph settings.
For now, I'd be happy to stop wasting time doing a ton of conversions and renaming by hand, just so I can preserve the work I've already invested.
One suggestion, posted under a multiple path export question, was to use scripting... but no one explored or explained how to go about it. I'm not asking for the impossible, however. I simply working out my own solution: if there is no application method for transferring the elements, try to script a method to prep those elements for export. Before I even attempt to reinvent someone's wheel, I am putting the question out there:
I kept at it and managed to open my current project PSD in AI with text and shape/mask vectors successfully--not as cleanly as I'd hoped but the relative positioning of things was acceptable. I am still interested in hearing people's suggestions on better ways to transfer work from one tool to the other, though. I know this is going to come up for me again and again.
In Photoshop CS6, when you have a shape layer with a layer mask, and the two are not linked together, and the layer mask is selected, you should be able to scale the layer mask independently of the shape. What actually happens is the shape gets scaled and the layer mask stays untouched. In fact, even if you option-click on the layer mask to show the mask by itself, and then try to scale it, you still end up scaling the shape instead of the mask. Even if you go as far as to make a pixel selection of the layer mask and attempt to scale the pixels, the shape still gets scaled and the layer mask still stays put! Unbelievable!
This works correctly in CS4, but not in CS6 (don't know about CS5).
Using the Roland GX-24 plotter to cut vinyl and the Illustrator print to plotter plug-in, the program refused to cut rectangles. (with the exception of lower case i's) This includes Capital I's, lower case l's, hyphens and rectangles using the rectangle tool.
All other letters have no issue cutting. So long as they're not a single rectangle. This anomaly was experienced using several files, tested on old and new. So its not an issue with the file.
When drawing rectangles a symbol ( verticle line with arrow pointing to left ) is below and to the right of the cursor, The rectangles are drawn at an angle. How do I draw them horizintally?
While creating various circular masks with a radial gradient from white to black, whenever I change the blending mode of the mask path Ai will throw me out of mask mode into layer editing mode. Since this is on a large document of ~2Gb file with multiple artbords for large poster & UI refresh speed is slow, this has become quite frustrating. Is this normal Ai behaviour?
Once I use a Clipping Mask on a layer is the entire document covered in a mask?
And/or is all the artwork from then on inside the mask?
I've read about how to add and how to remove art from a mask. I've read about how to make and release and lots of other things.
So, then I went and found a lesson that contained the use of a Clipping Mask.
I am suppose to Select the main shape and "just" copy it and move it down (doesn't say rather to Paste in front or back but I assumed in back ~ not that it has mattered thus far)
However, while making the main shape I used Gradient Mesh and used an Offset to create a "replica" and so when I go to Select the main shape the mesh is selected and so when I Paste (in back ~ seems most logical) and then move it down the details such as the colors of the Gradient and other such things are visible in front ~ ??
So, I have been trying to abate my problem in lots of different ways.
I have tried using the Pen tool to draw behind the main shape, I've tried making a New Layer and placing it above and below and inbetween the main shape layer, I've tried adding the artwork to the Mask ... I've tried everything I can think of and I've been through many an article in the manual and FAQ's to no avail.
I suppose, what I think I need to know ... is, how ... how on earth do I draw behind this main shape? Am I not able to do it because I am not getting behind the Mask?
Why is my rectangle tool leaving a trail of rectangles and not creating just one? Did I bump a setting by accident. How do I get the rectangle tool back to normal?
I have an excel file with thousands of rows, each with a column for the x-coordinate, the y-coordiante, the height, and width of a rectangle. I need a script that will ask me to select the excel file, read the excel file, and create rectangles from each of the thousands of rows. I'm working in a windows environment and have Illustrator CS4. Any scripts out there that might give me a start?
In vectorworks, you can mask or fill a shape so that whatever behind the shape will be mask. I find it extremely useful compare to Autocad where I have to keep trim and extend for every change.
see picture
As for the text, the dimension text can do color fill where you can fill with background. is it possible to do the same for a multiline text ? I'm not familiar with any coding or add-in so if I have to use them for mask .
I've unlinked the layer mask from the shape layer, and made sure the layer mask thumbnail is selected in the layers palette.
If I do a cmd-t on OSX to transform, Photoshop (CS6) selects the shape layer path to transform instead of the mask layer, even though the mask thumbnail is still selected and even if I have a marque selection.Is this a bug?
I need to make an object or group transparent towards its borders.
In particular, I drew a red heart and gave it a yellow contour with 20 steps, imitating a gradient. So the heart looks like it has a gradient (from red to yellow) towards its border.
Now I need this heart to also be transparent towards the border. The transparency should begin somewhere in the red part and slowly mask everything and it should end just before the outer border, which should be completely transparent.
The radial transparency tool does not produce good results, because the heart borders are not uniformly transparent. I need a mask exactly of the heart shape.
is there any way in photoshop cs to create a gradient mask inside of a certain shape, so that the gradient is black on the edges and turns white when it reaches inner parts of the shape?
I have a shape that was made in Illustrator. See right. It's the thought-ballon-y-looking thing.
The everything outside of the black part is transparent. I want to use this shape as a mask so that another comp will appear inside the balloon shape, but not outside the shape.
I outlined my text and subtracted it (and the tree image) from the black background. When I did this both appear thinner - particularly the tree.
If I then take the original version and the new subtracted version, and view them both overlayed one on top of the other in wire frame (outline) mode, there is no difference in the actual lines.
It seems to be a problem with the way illustrator previews the images. This wouldn't concern me, but when I export the file as a jpeg, the lines also appear thinner in the export.
I can create a manual solution by offsetting the path before subtracting, but this isn't ideal.
What does it mean when Illustrator v.15.1.0 ceases to contract a shape using offset paths and will only expand a shape? Seems like only yesterday I could render both ways. Wait a minute, it was only yesterday! Why would it suddenly stop funtioning?
I'm trying to repurpose some artwork and am running into an issue. In the image below, I simply want to delete the bottom right corner of the blue box so that the orange background is visible along the right edge of the curved shape and the blue box is visible along the left edge of the curved shape. But I cannot figure out how to do this. I've tried all the Pathfinder choices and none work. How can I do this? CS6, Windows 7.
I'm trying to cover a section of letters that have been outlines with a red box over a serif for a homework project. HOWEVER. Everytime I do this, it looks like I have it all lined up and when I make another point, the points move on its own to be off and not cover the object Say I complete the box and try to cover the object by just dragging and dropping, it will avoid that area and move it off to one side or the other but never align with the actual object I'm trying to cover for a smooth and even coverage. Trying to get the red box to cover the black serif and it won't do it.
I used some white rectangles to change the shape of black letters on a white background. Now I want this combination of letters & rectangles to be just letters when I select them etc. (make the white rectangles blend with the background and still have the shape they left on the letters) How can I do that?
In PS i can Magic wand selection shape from one layer, drop to sub layer and copy that selected shape from that sub layer. How do I do this in illistrator, and moreover, from multiple layer at the same time.
For instance, in PS = Import an image of gold - select a text phrse with wand - drop to gold - copy paste = gold text.
I'm new to Adobe Illustrator (CS5) and, as the topic says, have an very basic question: how to hide a shape behind another shape? (say a star shape behind a rectangle)
I've looked up on tutorials and such and from what I've seen, the layers order containing each of the objects decides how the occlusion should occur, however I've tried doing that but with no luck, am I missing something here?
I can't figure out how I can use a text or shape layer as a mask for the layer below. See the example attached and you will know what I mean. (I created the example with simply cutting out the text outline from the white box).
I need the text to be a mask and I need it to be editable as text. Don't know if this is possible, experimented with clipping masks but I cant make it work.