Knockout oddity

[3rdrockgraphics]

Has anyone ever seen this? I can't for the life of me figure out how to fix this. I have a line of text. I convert it to outlines and I have a box that I want to make a compound path with the text knocked out. I do this and the top of the L fills in. I tried EVERYTHING I can think of. Any suggestions?

[tromboniator · Accepted solution]

What version of what OS? What version of Illustrator? What exactly did you do to create the knockout?

What happens if you go to the View menu and select View using CPU?

Can you provide a screenshot with everything selected, and including the Layers panel with everything revealed?

In other words, anything you can tell us or show us might be useful for us to try to help you!

Thanks,

Peter

[3rdrockgraphics]

No layers are being used. It’s flat.

[Monika Gause]

Can you try View > Preview on CPU?

[Bill Silbert]

Aside from checking what it looks like without GPU Performance as has already been suggested, I would suggest checking that the "L" is a completely closed path. Try pulling on each of its points with the direct selection tool to make sure it doesn't have any "loose ends".

[3rdrockgraphics]

Sorry all... I work 2 jobs so haven’t had time! Yes, I checked to be sure the path wasn’t broken. Thats the first thing I thought of. This will be an imprint so it’s important that I’m sure it’s just a digital anomaly and not something that’s going to print that way. I’m on a Mac, using illustrator CC, High Sierra. I’ve been in the graphics field for over 35 yrs and have seen similar things but was always able to remedy. This time NOTHING I try is working. I converted font to paths, made a white box and tried compound path. That usually works just fine. I’ll check the GPU when I get back to my computer...

[Jacob Bugge]

3rdrockgraphics,

Presuming the troublesome/wrong appearance is the upper part of the image, where it looks as if an overly eager and helpful dentist is contributing a filling (sorry, it was stronger than I).

If everything else fails, you may keep the black live Type, or outline it and keep it as a Group, then select that and the box and in the Transparency palette (flyout) click (Make) Opacity Mask with both Clip and Invert Mask unticked. That would be the most forgiving way solely based upon the appearance and regardless of structures, open/closed path, and whatnot.

In addition, the image seems to indicate that the text in the lower part of the image, whether live Type or outlined, is (based on) letters with both fill and stroke and therefore bolder than the overall appearance of the upper part. If that is the desired boldness, it will be like that straight away with the Opacity Mask suggestion, whereas the Compound Path way will only knock/cut out the filled part and be thinner unless more is done.

[3rdrockgraphics]

Ok I just viewed in CPU and it's fine! What the heck is that all about? I'll have to look at that up... should I always view in CPU?

[Monika Gause]

Illustrator does not like your graphic card or its driver.

You can turn off GPU compatiblity altogether, but then t might get slower altogether.

You might also try and look if there's an update to your graphic card driver available.

This kind of issue will never get solved. With every update to either Illustrator, the system or the graphic card driver it might reappear. The more variables there are in a system the less stable it is. That's just it. Stable in this case does not mean crashes, but just what you see there.

[Jacob Bugge]

3rdrockgraphics,

This is what GPU is about:

https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/kb/gpu-performance-preview-improvements.html

Graphics cards have been included in the system requirements:

https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/system-requirements.html

Apart from an inadequate card, the issue can be caused by lack of driver updating, lack of proper recognition of the card by the computer, and whatnot (including rifts in the space time, moon, weather, and the fact that Illy sometimes moves in mysterious ways).

Here are a few more pages about GPU troubleshooting:

https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/kb/gpu-performance-errors-troubleshooting-workarounds.html

https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/kb/illustrator-gpu-performance-driver-update.html