Frustration with editing expanded compound paths after image trace + clipping masks

Forum|Forum|6 years ago
September 23, 2019
4 replies
2346 views

Hi all,

I'm having trouble with a specific piece of artwork for which the standard recommendation of :

Expanded image trace

Delete white elements (or not trace them in the first place by checking the option "Ignore white")

Then Object > Compound path > Release

to get the effect I want, isn't working for me.

I've image traced a piece of hand drawn line art:

As you can see, it's image traced as a compound path. This should be fine, except I've wanted to go in and edit certain paths, cut and re-join in some areas. To do this, I need to release the compound path, otherwise some line can't be joined as they are not in the same 'group'. I get a warning message when i TRY.

When I release the compound path however, I end up with this:

I've tried selecting the inside areas and shapes (that were white before) and deleting them, but that's just deleting the shapes entirely. Maybe I should have image traced differently? I selected not to trace white areas, as suggested elsewhere online. Can anyone explain what's happening here?

As part of the project I am also creating a banner. I've got the outline image traced, and will be looking to use gradients to fill the image. This is what it looks like as outlines, and what happens when I 'fill' the image.

I'm assuming it's because some areas aren't closed paths etc, I wondered if there was a way round this. Or rather, what the pros would do to create fills for each section? If I'm using subtle gradients, is it best I duplicate the shape of each stretch of banner and use clipping masks filled with gradients to place behind?

Thank you for your time!

This topic has been closed for replies.

D

david misconish

Known Participant

I always have similar issues with Illustrator, and I understand how frustrating it can be. Although I've wrestled through it many times, I still have not figured it out. Usually, I manage to 'get it done' but certainly not with any consistency nor ease– as I suspect *should* be the case.

Were you ever able to get this resolved?

Doug A Roberts

Community Expert

Can you go into detail about your particular case, preferably in a new topic?

C

Collin22964164ke0i

Participant

Hi hollyn,

This is an old post, but I *think* I know what's going on with your first question---where your pizza shape is coming out all black. I'm hoping if I answer this that you might have a solution to my present issue...(!)

When you first vectorize/image-trace your illustration, all the black and white vector shapes that make up the whole drawing are "stacked" in a particular order---with the outermost black shape in the very bottom.

I'm assuming you wanted to "see through" the little spot between your hand and the pizza crust. As soon as you do a compound path with that little shape and the outermost black shape, it changes the stacking order. When you release the compound path, the outermost black shape can sometimes end up at the top of the stack, making the entire illustration look black. Use the white arrow to select the black, and "send to back".

Again, this *might* be the issue you're running into, but it might not.

Question for you... I brought in an illustration like you did, did the image trace, and did the expand shape. Works great to that point. But when I try to do what you did---to see through one particular spot using compound path---I get an error "Can't make a compound path of objects that are within different groups". I only have two vectors selected--the outermost black vector and the vector I want to be able to "see through"---and they both came about from the image trace. I've tried a few things to change how Illustrator views the illustration---ungrouped, regrouped, dragged to another layer---but keep getting the error.

Am I missing something...? Or does this sound like a bug...?