To elaborate on the Image Trace suggestion, see the link below, for each image you can:   1) Trace in "Black And White" which "Simplifies the image to black-and-white artwork" and is the default, and use "FILLS"; 2) Expand the Image Trace; if for some strabge reason you have artwork with one or more holes in it, then Object>Compound Path>Release; 3) With the resulting Group selected apply Pathfinder>Unite, then change the colour to black unless already.   This ought to give you a black path working as the silhouette.   https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/image-trace.html   ... View more

Eva,   As a further preliminary suggestion, in addition to working in Photoshop, you may try to use Image Trace to establish a vector path following the outer boundary of each artwork part and use that as part of the compound clipping path, or fill it and use it as part of the Opacity Mask Group.   ... View more

Eva,   As soon as possible I will elaborate.   You may (also) ask in the Photoshop forum, https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem/ct-p/ct-photoshop?page=1&sort=latest_replies&filter=all&lang=all&tabid=discussions   ... View more

defaultw,   Always keep a backup of (versions of) your artwork, especially up to irreversible changes.   Depending on the exact nature of the artwork, you may be able to obtain the desired appearance with the help of a set of two background ractangles, a black one on top of a white one.   If the outer bounds of your artwork parts consist or can be changed to consist of filled paths, you can turn those filled paths into a Compound Path and apply that to the black rectangle, thereby making those parts (of the black rectangle) appear as silhouettes on top of the white rectangle.   In many cases, whether vector artwork and/or raster images/effect, you may have one or more (quite different) options to turn them black or white (in appearance), and use them as a Group for a(n Opacity) Mask along with the black rectangle with Clip ticked and Invert Mask ticked or unticked.   With either approach, those parts (of the black rectangle) will appear as silhouettes on top of the white rectangle.     You can get a first impression of the former here, https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/clipping-masks.html   You can get a first impression of the latter here, https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/transparency-blending-modes.html     ... View more

James, I often correct forum posts, down to single letter errors; regularly here, sometimes even going back and forth between different appearances based on different choices of qualities and feel.   I believe it is stronger than we (and many others here) in every case, regardless of its being (un)noticeable to others.   ... View more

  The handsomest third Of all Citroën Type Js That were ever built, All coloured as the lemon Which is called citroen in Dutch     Click to get closer, Click again to get closer still Background with images and Google (mis)translation (refresh the second one), https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citro%C3%ABn_Type_J# https://fr-m-wikipedia-org.translate.goog/wiki/Citro%C3%ABn_Type_J?_x_tr_sl=fr&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc   and further background of engine and name, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citro%C3%ABn_Traction_Avant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9_Citro%C3%ABn ... View more

Angelina,   "I am a photographer i am trying to print a brochure with examples of my work"   In addition to what mpchow said about the difference between RGB and CMYK (gamuts), you may consider (a printer offering) extended/expanded cmyk; you can look into it through a search like this:   https://duckduckgo.com/?q=extended+cmyk&t=ftsa&atb=v320-1&ia=web   ... View more

Hendy,   In addition to what has already been said, it is generally better to see the whole appearance while you create it.   For a simple one to two mirroring with a vertical axis as the one in question (before rotating it, and before expanding it), you may see the reflexion live after each Anchor Point if you start out as follows for each stroked path (presuming your creating the left side), Smart Guides being your friends:   1) Create a vertical path of sufficient length to serve as the axis; you can just Click twice with the Pen Tool, letting Smart Guides guide you; 2) With the Pen Tool ShiftClickDrag to the left from somewhere on the line from 1) to create the first (centre) Anchor Point of your path and going left, thereby making sure you get a smooth point; 3) ClickDrag (or just Click) a (rough) sketch of you second Anchor Point from the assumed position; 4) Apply Effect>Distort&Transform>Transform>ReflectX with 1 copy and the middle right side Reference Point chosen; 5) ClickDrag (or Click) anew from the second Anchor Point for real and go on, ending by ShiftClickDragging on the vertical line from 1), thereby making sure you get a smooth point here too; 6) Object>Expand Appearance and Ctrl/Cmd+J to join the two halves into a closed symmetrical path.   Ctrl/Cmd+Z Undo is your friend: you can just go back and redo while drawing the basic path.     But you can have a look at the MadPattern templates, http://madpattern.com/ Or you can have a look at the MirrorMe plugin from Astute Graphics, http://www.astutegraphics.com/software/mirrorme/   ... View more

Surely it must be a Citroën, Kevin.   ... View more

BecMac,   It could help helpers if you select everything and then make a screenshot of the artwork and also the expanded (relevant part of the) Layer (Layers palette) and also the Document Info, also to show how many paths and points there are.   There may be different ways forward to the easiest solution, one being a Blend to give the middle line to use for the Clipping Mask if you can (get to) have just one Compound path forming the border.   ... View more

Bec Mac,   You can try to find a vector representation of the border, or try to draw it with the Pen Tool, or try different settings for the Image Tracing, especially choosing Stroke instead of Fill.   ... View more

Bec Mac,   Just use a closed path, then the actual path (regardless of stroke or no stroke, just the spine is the works) will form the boundary of the visible part of the underlying artwork selected with it; if you outline, the clipping path will become the resulting Compound, and only the parts inside it will be visible.   And remember to also select the artwork to be clipped.   If the path is too complex, redraw it or simplify it, you can use Object>Path>Simplify (choose Path then Simplify in the Object dropdown).   ... View more

私としては、どういたしまして、YURI。   ... View more

    Click to get closer ... View more

Now that was an exquisitely entirely new angle, Bob. ... View more

Roger,   Starting with what you have in C, you can obtain the desired appearance with the one and only:     1 STEP BLEND FAKE:   Once you have obtained the desired blend/blend spacing/appearance and you have the desired spine path (the path to be used as the spine), you can proceed with the following additional steps (always keep a backup of the artwork before you start destroying it:   +1) Expand the Blend if not already (Object>Blend>Expand); skip to +2) if done already, or if the desired appearance is obtained in other way; +2) Set the Blend options (Object>Blend>Blend Options) with Spacing set to Specified Steps = 1 and Orientation set to Align to Page, +3) Select all the objects and make the 1 step Blend (Object>Blend>Make), then ShiftClick the desired spine path, then replace the spine (Object>Blend>Replace Spine), this will give you unwanted intermediate objects between the others, but only until step +5; +4) Expand the Blend (Object>Blend>Expand); +5) Deselect everything (click an empty spot on the Artboard/work area), then with the Direct Selection Tool ShiftClick each of the unwanted intermediate objects and Delete; the unwanted objects are every other object starting with the second one, you can see the pattern with the first and last object unselected.   This ought to give you the desired appearance with the Objects as a Group.   You can repeat for each circle/ellipse with a desired varying spacing.     In connexion with C, you will need to use two Blends meeting at the middle with the largest spacing in order to obtain a spacing that increases and then decreases.   To do that, you can split the circle/ellipse and reverse one half circle to literally get ends meet in the right way.     There are different was to obtain such appearances, including some that can make the increasing/descreasing spacing to begin with, so you only need one circle/elleipse.   ... View more

becci,   In order to ease your work with the Pen Tool, unless you wish to have deliberate asymmetry, you can draw one side, reflect and move copy, and join the two.   You can also draw the cap and the shell as separate paths, and then turn them into one path with Pathfinder>Unite (or other way). ... View more

You can get round the issue with a single path in the following adaptation of an ancient way, also starting with what you have, and also with the help of Smart Guides:   1) Click one of the Anchor Points you wish to connect with the Scissors Tool to open the path, then Click (the topmost one) with the Pen Tool to continue the path; 2) Still with the Pen Tool Click an empty spot near the other Anchor Point you wish to connect, then Click the (bottommost) first Anchor Point to close the path;   Now the line between the two Anchor Points is off at one end, so:   3) Switch to the Direct Selection Tool and Click an empty spot, then ClicDrag the off end of the line to snap it to the first Anchor Point. ... View more

Sulinn,   In order to also avoid the ugly spike in any case, you can switch to Round Join in any case.   Starting with what you have, one simple possibility is to create a straight path with the Line Segment Tool between the Anchor Points you wish to connect, then Group.   Smart Guides are your friends, telling you when you are within snapping distance.       ... View more

Golding, everyone,   I have tried to alert our Adobe friends. It is indeed a recurring issue.   Or maybe we shall all just have to pull our socks up and start posting.   ... View more

YURI、 あなたの質問には日本のフォーラムが適していると思います。 https://community.adobe.com/t5/illustrator%E3%83%95%E3%82%A9%E3%83%BC%E3%83%A9%E3%83%A0/bd-p/illustrator-jp?page=1&sort=latest_replies&filter=all 日本人の友人にメッセージを送りました。   ... View more

Indeed, Carlos.   ... View more

Thank you for sharing, Jan; weird indeed, and hardly worth an effort to improve the blend.   ... View more

Carlos, "trying to find a solution that seems impossible", and no less a solution that someone declares impossible, is also hard to resist for me, albeit in the area of customized specific artwork made by drawing rather than scripting.   ... View more

May I ask whether it worked, Jan?   ... View more

You are welcome, Tony.   ... View more

For my part you are welcome, Ankith. ... View more

Indeed, Monika. I never use Average, so obviously too hard to remember.   ... View more

Ayden,   In addition to what Ton said, I imagine the end Anchor Points of adjacent open paths are not coinciding.   This means that you can get a lot of small straight segments between the parts you have now, and they may be visible when zooming in, or even when looking at the final size, unless you make them coincide and become a single Anchor Point.   For each pair you can select (by ClickDragging across at a slanting angle and make sure only two are selected), then Object>Path>Average (Both), then join.   There is a cunning way to draw (a draft version of) the whole hand in one go/path with curves and (especially inner) corners right from the beginning. Presumably, you have already worked with the Direct Seletion Tool (and maybe other tools) to adjust the shapes.   ... View more