Error when trying to do a compound path within an illustration that's been image traced

[Collin22964164ke0i]

Hello all,

I need to bring in scans of hand drawn illustrations, image trace them to vectorize, and then use compound paths to "see through" a few of the white sections. 

See screengrab below.  You can see in red the two paths I've selected---the outermost black path and the innermost white rectangle, plus the error message.  To vectorize the illustration, I'm using the "Black and White Logo" option within Image Trace, then hitting "expand".

When I choose the two paths and try compound path, I'm getting an error "Can't make a compound path of objects that are within different groups".  That doesn't make sense since the whole illustration came out of the image trace and expand process.  Plus I'll grab the whole illustration and group it, or grab the whole illustration and hit ungroup a dozen times, just to make sure there's not any residual grouping.  But I get the same error.

Is CC image trace is introducing something that I'm missing?  Or does this look like a bug?

(Side note, please don't point me to an Image Trace option where you see through/between ALL the black lines.  That won't work for my application.)

Any help is appreciated.  Thanks!

[jdanek]

Maybe it is a Compound Path already.  Try putting a color rectangle behind your trace ( if you have not already ) and see if that area is Open or is White.  Optionally, you could just delete that rectangle ( White ) or use Pathfinder > Divide > delete section.  Whatever you do try, do it on a copy of the artwork just in case you have to resort back to the original at some point.  Also, do a Select > All and see if the Black are actually paths and not a fill ( just out of curiosity ).  "Different Groups" could mean fill vs. stroke, could also mean different colors ( although not likely ).  The error message is almost like a default for when Illustrator will not do what you want in the command.  I know it is tedious, but you could use the scan as a template and redraw using the Pencil tool.  No White unless you want it.  You could also try tracing without White included, so just the Black lines.

[jdanek]

In your Trace options, choose hand drawn ( Black & White ), in settings, choose Edit and select "ignore White".

[Collin22964164ke0i]

Hey jdanek,

Hey, thank you for thinking about this with me.  I'm familiar with putting a color block behind it to check whether it's already a compound.  It's definitely not---see screengrab with brown.

I can't just delete the white.  The outermost black shape fills the entire area---so I need the compound to remove black in that area to see through it.

I have old machines that still run the old Adobe Streamline to do the vectorization that Image Trace does in CC.  Illustrations vectorized through that work just fine---see screengrab with green background.

I can't use the "ignore white" option, as I need all the other white patches to stay.  See my third screengrab with the people running.  I use the compound paths to see between her arm and body, for instance.  Doing the ignore white Image Trace would mean you could see through all of her, which would be a mess.

I'll look at the Pathfinder > Remove Section to see if that's a possibility.  But that seems like a long way to go.  I've been doing this exact step for 22 years with Streamline vectorized illustrations.  This shouldn't be an issue...(!)

Thanks again!

[Monika Gause]

Please upload the AI file for us to take a look. Use Dropbox or Creative Cloud for that and post a link in here.

[Jacob Bugge]

Collin,

Working on a copy, of course, as John said, apart from dragging the relevant paths out of the Groups, you have a few other further options.

You can Direct Select the white rectangle(s) and the black rectangle (click within), and then use Pathfinder>Minus front/Subtract from shape area (depending on version).

Or you can use Make (Opacity) Mask with Invert Mask ticked (Transparency panel).

Or you may be able to use the Shape Builder/Live Paint.

These options will change grouping/stacking order, in different ways.