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Inspiring
October 25, 2018
Answered

How do I crop a shape so it stays within another shape?

  • October 25, 2018
  • 1 reply
  • 1474 views

I'm pretty new to illustrator and I could not find a better way to word this problem. But I'm currently working on a comic strip and I've run into a problem. In the image I have left, this character is meant to be looking down at a device. However, I can't quite figure out a quick and convenient way to crop the iris/pupils so they don't go outside the eye itself. I don't quite understand how clipping masks work so I normally just use the pen or pathfinder tools. Though they work, they seem like too much of a hassle. What method should I use to better crop shapes from extending out of other shapes?

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Correct answer michelew83603738

You can use the draw inside - which creates a clipping group. You can see that the shape gets this dotted line around the corners. Then when you draw anything, they are inside. Make sure to click back to normal mode after. To adjust objects after you have gone back to normal, you can use the direct select arrow or double click to go into isolation mode.

1 reply

michelew83603738
Community Expert
michelew83603738Community ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
October 25, 2018

You can use the draw inside - which creates a clipping group. You can see that the shape gets this dotted line around the corners. Then when you draw anything, they are inside. Make sure to click back to normal mode after. To adjust objects after you have gone back to normal, you can use the direct select arrow or double click to go into isolation mode.

Inspiring
October 25, 2018

ohhhh, I'm dumb