Like peering through a hole in a piece of paper to the objects underneath it, a clipping mask allows a topmost object to define the selected shapes underneath it with a clipping mask. In plain English this means you can’t art a bunch of stuff on top of your shape, switch to Draw Inside, and expect to paste it in exactly the same place without first direct-selecting something inside the shape. Answer (1 of 3): Creating a clipping mask in Adobe Illustrator CS6 may sound complex, but it’s straightforward. If there is nothing selected, it will cause you to exit the mode. Click the Make/Release Clipping Masks button at the bottom of the Layers panel or select Make Clipping Mask from the Layers panel menu. Pasting: You cannot Paste in Front (Ctrl+F or ⌘+F) or Paste in Back (Ctrl+B or ⌘+B) while in Draw Inside mode unless you have directly selected an element inside your shape in which to paste in front or behind. In the Layers panel, make sure that the masking object is at the top of the group or layer, and then click the name of the layer or group. Multiple fills & strokes on an object will also have unexpected behaviors usually dropping all but the topmost stroke. If you find yourself unable to click an element within the group because something else keeps stealing your click, try changing the stacking order of shapes within the Clip Group (Ctrl+[ or ⌘+[).įills & strokes: The Draw Inside object can have a clear fill and stroke, but it becomes touchy to work with because the only way to interact with the shape is via its edge. Layers: Layer ordering within a Clip Group will always obey the Clip Group container. You’ll be getting really friendly with the Direct Select (A) tool to move and adjust your work, as well as outline view to find hidden elements. The psychology behind the masking effect has been extended to rendering antagonists in a realistic manner in order to show their otherness from the reader.Selecting objects: The Selection Tool (V) will always grab the entire Clip Group whether Draw Inside is active or not. It is common in Western graphic novels and Japanese comics and animation. Masking is used in animation, comics, illustration, video games (especially visual novels) and other media. Īustralian comic artist Sam Wallman regards the simple, minimal features of characters in children's books as making them "vessels" that the reader can more easily project themselves onto. In Japanese manga, an antagonist may be depicted in a detailed, realistic style to convey the character's "otherness" from a simply-drawn protagonist. The simple drawing style may be juxtaposed against complex backgrounds, as can be seen in The Adventures of Tintin comics. Creating a clipping mask in Adobe Illustrator CS6 may sound complex, but it’s really easy. You’ll be able to see what’s inside the mask’s boundary, while everything outside its edges is hidden. Applying a mask is like placing a frame with a matte over your artwork.
It is a useful way of creating the look of 'cropping' an image without having to move into Photoshop to create a true crop.
I sized the letters to fit in the oval but. Im a regular photoshop user, Illustrator is a program I dont use often but I need to create a logo and Im running into a snag. The use of a simply drawn character may function, McCloud infers, as a mask, a form of projective identification, and he writes that the use of minimally detailed character allows for a stronger emotional connection and for viewers to identify more easily, compared to a more photorealistic style. Masks are an essential tool in Illustrator because they enable you to conceal parts of your artwork, which opens up all kinds of creative possibilities. A clipping mask is an object whose shape masks other artwork so that only areas that lie within the shape are visiblein effect, clipping the artwork to the shape of the mask. EDIT POST First Post Mark as Spam lefty Posts: 4 - Registered.
The technique is described by cartoonist Scott McCloud in his book Understanding Comics in the chapter on realism. In illustration, masking (or the masking effect) is a style of visual storytelling where a protagonist or narrator character is drawn in a simplistic manner. A simply-drawn comic character can be easier for a reader to relate to than a more realistic-looking one