Skip to main content
T
Tranquil_Wonderland6C13
Inspiring
September 13, 2019
Question

Obscuring overlapping objects but retaining overall transparency in Illustrator

  • September 13, 2019
  • 3 replies
  • 5680 views

Hello! Complete idiot here with a question I don't really know how to phrase properly, hence no luck with my frantic Googling.

 

Is it possible to hide one transparent object behind another? I'm trying to draw a hand holding an object, with the thumb in front of the object and fingers behind it, so that the object obscures the fingers where they overlap and the thumb obscures the object. I've put them on three layers with each object having a solid white fill so that it obscures the one behind it where they overlap. The problem is that the finished illustration needs to be a line drawing with a transparent background, so I can't keep the fills but I need to remove or hide the lines that the fills obscured.

 

Is there a way to turn the fills into some kind of mask, so that the lines are hidden but the 'fill' is transparent? Or failing that, a way to somehow 'flatten' the whole thing so that invisible lines disappear and I can delete the fills without the unwanted lines coming back?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

{Renamed by MOD}

This topic has been closed for replies.

3 replies

tromboniator
Community Expert
tromboniatorCommunity Expert
Community Expert
September 14, 2019

I think Monika has you on the right track. I'm hoping this'll make things clearer, or help you to tell us where you still have problems.

 

1. Line drawing (thumb, fingers, and cup parts), grouped over separate rounded rectangles. With group selected, Knockout Group is activated ✓ in the Appearance panel.

 

2. Fill color is applied to the group contents.

 

3. Fill Opacity is set to 0%.

 

[4. Brown rectangle is dragged into the bottom of the line drawing group in the Layers panel. In case that's of any use to you]

I'm guessing from your description that this is the sort of thing you're trying to accomplish by adding fills to mask parts

This may, of course, be accomplished as Monika says by putting the line drawing in a separate layer, and applying Knockout Group to the Layer.

 

Peter

T
Tranquil_Wonderland6C13Author
Inspiring
September 18, 2019

Hi Peter (and Monika)

 

Thank you both for your help. Sorry for the delayed reply, I've been unavailable due to other developments at work.

 

I think I'm sort of with you, but now my problem is that I can't consistently select just the fill in the appearance panel in order to change the opacity. For most of the objects I select, that just isn't an option.

Monika Gause
Community Expert
Monika GauseCommunity Expert
Community Expert
September 18, 2019
Without seeing your actual files it's impossible to help. Just one thing: you can select all the objects filled with white and then change the opacity of the white fill in the appearance panel. No matter what color the stroke is. But I won't try and guess how your files are built. If you want detailed instructions, post an AI file.
meganchi
meganchi
Legend
September 13, 2019

It's hard to say without seeing a pic, but try selecting all objects then under pathfinder operations, choose "divide" or "trim". Then use your direct select tool to select the pieces of art that need deleted or to remove the stroke or fill.

T
Tranquil_Wonderland6C13Author
Inspiring
September 13, 2019

Hi, thank you very much. I thought that too, but it doesn't produce the results I was after. The three objects I've got are fairly complex combinations of lines and fills and the pathfinder tools don't produce the right results. I would post images but the thing I'm working on is confidential. If I get a chance I might try reproducing it with a substitute image. 

 

Also, I had no intention of coming on here as 'Anonymous931' but have no idea how to edit it.

Monika Gause
Community Expert
Monika GauseCommunity Expert
Community Expert
September 13, 2019
As I wrote above: use knockout groups.
Monika Gause
Community Expert
Monika GauseCommunity Expert
Community Expert
September 13, 2019

If you want to flatten it: select all and in the pathfinder panel click on "Merge". Afterwards delete the unnecessary (whte objects). The whole thing will be close to uneditable afterwards (like moving the thumb)

If you want to be still able to adit it: Select just the white fills and apply opacity 0% to them (in the appearance panel). Then put everything in a top layer, target the layer and make it a knockput group. Using the transparency panel.

    Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
    Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices