Pathfinder divide with clipping groups

[dietera91640641]

Hi,

I'm having an ongoing issue with files I recieve from people. Often logo's are made of black planes with clipping masks to define their shape. I've added a link to an  ai file as an example. When I use the divide function in stead of dividing it in a black and yellow part, all I get is shapes cut out in yellow. I would like to be able to divide this in a black and yellow part so I can select only the black part. Often these files have multiple logo's stacked on top of each other where the logo below is masked of with a colored rectangle and I only need the visible black parts. When the files are made with black shapes it's no problem but when it's made with these clipping groups this approach doesn't work. Does anybody know a way to work around this issue, being in illustrator or a plug-in?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/3v4w9oml9eimhsg/q1809.ai?dl=0

[Monika Gause]

Interesting problem. I suppose this has been created in some other vector app.

What I could do with this file:

Select > RGB images (this comes from a plugin by Astute Graphics, you could try the free "Select menu" instead Select Menu for CC — rj-graffix - it can also select raster art, but not sure what it does with the clipping masks)

Delete the selected images

Select the logo group and fill with black

Object > Clipping mask > Release (this releases just the top clipping masks, which is important)

Make sure all parts of the logo are still selected

Object > Shape > Convert to shape

Deselect all

Select > Object > Clipping mask (this selects only the inside clipping masks)

Delete.

Leave the layers panel open through the process so you see what's happening and what's selected)

[Myra Ferguson · Accepted solution]

I removed the blocks without a plug-in. First open your Layers panel. Turn off the visibility of the yellow layer. Select the Group and go to Object > Clipping Mask > Release (or Alt + Ctrl + 7). In the Layers panel, expand the Group so that you can see the layers, and select the top Group. Expand the clip group sublayers, shift+select all the clip groups inside the clip groups, and delete them. Select the Group, and change the fill.