Expand clipped object and its contents

[sPretzel]

Hi,

This is for CS4. I thought this was a slam dunk but it doesn't work as I expected.

I want to expand a clipped object and its contents. I would like the result to look exactly as the non-expanded clipped object, except that now the clipping path and the contents that were clipped have been expanded and are selectable. How can I do that?

Here is a picture of what I'd like to do. The rectangle is the clipping path and the line is what is being clipped. I would like the expanded object (expanded rectangle and clipped line) to look exactly like the clipped object.

Thanks.

[federico platon]

Draw both items in the order shown, the blue line and the square above.

Select the red stroked square, in Stroke panel>Align Stroke to Outside.

Copy it.

Select both items and create a (Object>) Clipping Mask (Ctrl/Cmd+7)

Select Object>Paste in Back (Ctrl/Cmd+B)

Voilá!

[sPretzel]

Hi Federico.

Thanks for your input. But in CS4, I don't see Object>Paste in Back. Presumably, that's Edit>Paste in Back. By doing what you describe, the stroke in the final result is not in the same position as the original rectangle. Also, where in your method do you expand the object (clipping path and contents)?

[federico platon]

Excuse, that menu, Paste in Back is in Edit, sorry.

Note: Path operations, clipping masks, strokes, etc, are the same for CS4, CS6, CC2019,.... it has not changed since at least Illustrator 12.

The stroke is where it was. It does not move

I thought part of it were hidden under the white filled rectangle

No I am not expanding anything. I just take a look of your first figure, and the second one, and explained you the steps to visually arrive at. (Guessing that if a segment is inside the rctangle is because it was the hidden part of a blue line extending under the rectangle. Nothing has been moved from its original position.

Thus, you have a white square and a blue line. What's is then the clipped object? There is nothing under that square? Expanding the line and rectangle? what's the need for? 

[sPretzel]

By aligning the stroke to outside, the stroke itself (not its path) is not where the original image had its stroke (which was centred). Note that I had manually positioned the elements in the picture so they don't line up. Perhaps that led you to think the stroke was aligned to outside.

I need the final result to be expanded for further processing.

As described earlier, the clipping object (mask) is the rectangle and the clipped object is the line.

My initial thought was that by simply expanding the clipped object as a whole, both container (rectangle) and the content (clipped line) would expand, but it does not work that way in Illustrator.

[Jacob Bugge · Accepted solution]

s,

You may simpy do the dirty destructive deed, with the Clipping Mask selected (exact way depending on version):

1) In the Transparency palette/panel dropdown list select anything but Normal (Multiply is fine; this step may be unneeded in your version, you may try without it); I am unsure about CS4;
2) Object/Edit>Flatten Transparency, just keep the defaults including 100% Vector;
3) Shudder (optional, unless unavoidable).

This will crop everything to give you a Group with the outlined Stroke at the top, the outlined cut line in the middle, and the rectangle at the bottom, all as separate fill/nostroke paths.

[sPretzel]

Hi Jacob,

Thanks. I did mostly 3), and not just now but for the last several days!

Your method seems to do the job though I will have to explore it more. It's wicked to use transparency only to get rid of it in the next step. I wonder why expand cannot do the same thing, since it also outlines strokes. Would you know what underlying mechanism flattening is using here that expand isn't?

[Monika Gause]

Flatten transparncy should work without transparency being applied.

[federico platon]

Had no time before, what I initially understood and explained:

And how I think you want to arrive at, plain objects no masks needed:

[sPretzel]

Hi Federico. I appreciate your suggestions and the work you did to show them. In my case though, they don't apply because this would just be too much work when you have several instances, and also, when a design is done (like the stroke being centred), it is no longer possible to go back and redraw everything with the stroke aligned to outside.

[Jacob Bugge]

For my part you are welcome, s.

In addition to what Monika said, depending on the actual artwork and the chosen settings, Flatten Transparency will/may simplify the artwork in a number of ways including what you need namely the cropping of the artwork (ridding you of the outer part of the blue line) and breaking it down into simple(r) objects; as you can see (especially if you have View>Show Grid or Transparency Grid on) if you create a rectangle with a black fill and make it (partially) transparent by giving it an Opacity of 50% in the Transparency palette (so you can see the (Transparency) Grid through the fill), then Flatten Transparency, you will se that you get a fill with 50% black and 100% Opacity (so you no longer see the (Transparency) Grid through the fill), which is flattening the transparency.