Problem with clipping mask and cut paste

[evans.prater]

Let me reface this with everything I know about any Adobe program is from YouTube.

So, I want to clip the mountain image to take the shape of the "LOVE Your City/Store/Town" design. I can do it in Photoshop with a paste special, but I'd like to learn how to do it Illustrator as well.

LOVE Your City is grouped:

When I ctrl+a > crop in the pathfinder tool, this happens:

When I select the LOVE design and make it a compound path, this happens:

When I put the LOVE design behind the mountain design like so:

When I press crop in pathfinder this way, this happens:

When do the same as above, but ctrl+a first, this happens:

So that is the extent of my knowledge of ways to attempt to do this in illustrator. Ultimately I'd want it to look like this (past special method from Ps):

Please help!

[Monika Gause]

Instrad of grouping it, you need to make a compound path out of the shapes.

Select them and Object > Compound path > Make

[evans.prater]

Right, but when I make it a compound path the whole LOVE design disappears.

On Thu, Dec 13, 2018 at 2:36 PM Monika Gause <forums_noreply@adobe.com>

[Monika Gause]

evans.prater  schrieb

Right, but when I make it a compound path the whole LOVE design disappears.

On Thu, Dec 13, 2018 at 2:36 PM Monika Gause <forums_noreply@adobe.com>

You sure that it's a compound path?

Really sure?

Check the layers panel.

[evans.prater]

Yes:

[Monika Gause · Accepted solution]

evans.prater  schrieb

Yes:

The compound path needs to be in front.

And then you can make a clipping mask.

Might be a good idea to not rely solely on youtube when doing things, but also take a look in the manual:

How to use and edit clipping masks in Illustrator

[evans.prater]

Awesome, got it. Now how do I preserve the "holes" in the R's and O's? Looks like they disappear when I turn it in to a compound path.

[Monika Gause]

You can either play with the path drection, but easiest would be to set the compound path to the Even/odd rule in the attributes panel.

[macpawel]

first goup ypur Love letter. Then convert to Compound Path and finally use this object as a mask for your image below

Mask should be one object (compound path) overlaying bitmap image

[evans.prater]

Right but when I select the design, then make it a compound path, it becomes transparent like so:

I tried using this transparent version with the pathfinder crop tool and it did this:

Why does it become transparent when I make it compound path?

[Jacob Bugge]

Evans,

Regardless of the structure, you can use the black LOVE Group as it is: select that and the image and Transparency (flyout)>(Make) (Opacity) Mask with both Clip and Invert Mask ticked.

That will give you the desired appearance.

An Opacity Mask can do as a Clipping Mask, and the opposite, and anything in between, and then some. And unlike a Clipping Mask it is all about appearance, and less demanding with regard to structure/composition, hence often easier to work with when both kinds might be used.

You can use a Group for an Opacity Mask. Fundamentally, you use the grayscale value of the masking object(s), white/black being fully transparent/opaque or opposite. You use ticking/unticking Invert Mask to control the colour behaviour and ticking/unticking Clip to control the clipping/non clipping behaviour.

A Clipping Mask needs a single path as the Clipping Path; it can be a Compound Path.

[evans.prater]

@Jacob, when I try your method, it is not allowing me to check Clip and Invert Mask... Why?

[Jacob Bugge]

Evans,

Have you tried to click Make Mask, then tick the others?