Making a low opacity compound path in a stock vector 100% opacity

Hi,
I recently purchased a stock vector image. One of the compound paths in it has what looks like a lowered opacity on it to create the appearance of a reflection for a skyline. However, even when I release the compound path, the opacity is not lowered on the slider scale and therefore can't be raised. I'd like to be able to make it a true 100% opacity but can't seem to get that control of it. Does anyone have any experience with this sort of thing? Attached is a jpeg of it so you can get a sense. Thanks!

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Making a clipping group with a compound path

So, as of today I'm new to scripting for Illustrator, I'm using the ExtendScript Toolkit. However I'm not new to scripting my own solutions and I do have some experience with JavaScript already.
What I'm trying to do is this: For all selected Items->Duplicate selected item and make a simple clipping group with it
What I end up with visually doesn't change the picture, but gives me a lot of clipped colored areas which I then can edit in the isolated mode, allowing me far faster and better shading. Doing that by hand takes hours on some pictures, it'd take a second with a script.
The script itself already perfectly works for normal PathItems. As obvious in the title, as soon as I have to apply the same to CompundPathItems things stop working. My issue is somewhat similar to this old thread [Problem with compound path clipping], but I couldn't find a solution there because I get different behavior.
When I run the very same script that perfectly works with the normal PathItems with CompoundPathItems I get this: Error 9046: The top item in the group must be a path item to create a mask
Well that's a problem. In the GUI there is absolutely no difference between making a clipping mask with a simple path and a compound path. The reference guide has frankly not helped me with this issue at all, the only thing I learned from that is that the CompoundPathItem object doesn't have a clipping attribute, but those included PathItems do.
Here's what I have so far:
if ( selected[i].typename == "PathItem" ) {
var newGroup = doc.groupItems.add();
copy = selected[i].duplicate(newGroup,ElementPlacement.PLACEATEND);
selected[i].moveToBeginning(newGroup);
newGroup.clipped = true;
As I said, this part perfectly does what it's supposed to do for normal Paths.
For CompoundPaths I use this workaround.
if ( selected[i].typename == "CompoundPathItem" ) {
var newGroup = doc.groupItems.add();
copy = selected[i].duplicate(newGroup,ElementPlacement.PLACEATEND);
selected[i].moveToBeginning(newGroup);
compoundItems = selected[i].pathItems;
compoundIndex = compoundItems.length;
for ( f = 0; f < compoundIndex; f++ ) {compoundItems[f].clipping=true;}
var lineList = new Array(10);
for ( l = 0; l < lineList.length; l++ ) {lineList[l] = new Array( i * 10 + 50, ((i - 5) ^ 2) * 5 +50);}
newPath = app.activeDocument.pathItems.add();
newPath.setEntirePath(lineList);
newPath.moveToBeginning(newGroup);
newGroup.clipped = true;
newPath.remove();
Mind you, this workaround does work in so far that it bypasses that annoying and wrong error, and the Compound Clipping Path also works, with the only problem being that the Compound Clipping Path created like this is still displayed in its original colors in the Layers section, and is still selectable. When I lock the Compound Clipping Path I can work with it but still...
So the question is, what am I missing here? Surely there must be a proper way to do this.

app.executeMenuCommand()? That one eluded me so far, might be just the right thing. I'll definitely take a look, now just to find a ref on that, as unfortunately the official ref documents I have don't mention that command. Any place with a list of possible commands?
Ah, also of course I'm not only doing it for the isolation mode. If you care to hear the background, here is it:
As I said it's for shading the pictures I'm working on. I've iterated and tried through a bunch of techniques. For example gradient meshes on my first few real works. Now those meshes don't do well with complex shapes, which previously I alleviated by using a simple square or rectangle gradient mesh and using the original colored shape as a clipping mask. That did work, but it was a huge lot of work.
After a bunch of attempts at that I went over to using simple gradients as a background for the shape and then I'm doing the shading freehand with the blob brush tool, using a graphic style and filters to make it look right. That's better, but properly making all the clipping masks takes me much longer than anything else.
Now the problem is that the shading is not supposed to go over the lines, which is impossible to do properly without either messing up the order, or using clipping masks, hence the script. Because you know, if you use a blob brush with a strong Gaussian blur close to the lines you'll end up with stuff on both sides. If you don't start close to the line the shading won't look right if the darkest part of the shade needs to be close to the line. And that's where clipping masks do magic.
And finally here's an example how I work with the script and the result:
After I have traced a sketch, adjusted the line widths and everything to look neat I turn the paths to outline strokes and then make them into a live paint group (which would mess up the line widths, unless you turn the paths into outline strokes first).
With that live paint group it takes me just a few minutes to flat color my piece. Then I expand the live paint group, in case of doubt spend some more minutes to make compound paths from all areas I need to shade in one piece, then I select all the areas and use my script to turn them into neat clipping masks. Then I can click any area, enter the isolation mode and go up one level so I'm in the appropriate group, where I can shade freely without the problem of going over the lines.
At the end that allows me to apply a complex and in-depth shading, without wasting any time to get there.
PS: Well, I just found out that Draw Inside is pretty darn close to what I want to do, and oddly enough it produces the same visual discrepancy with compound paths that my script produces. I'll be taking a closer look at that, though my script does a little more than just the clipping mask stuff, so maybe I'll go for a hybrid solution. Whatever makes for a better workflow.

Making a compound path permanent

I am trying to cut holes permanently out of an solid oblong and although I have made a compound path I need to make this permanent please can you help?

yikes,
What Doug said.
As long as you keep it as a Compound Path in Illy, it will be editable (the same applies to a Compound Shape). I can think of a few silly and destructive ways of making it permanent.

Calling all compound path and clipping mask experts...

I am attempting to get all the white areas in the attached "globe" artwork to knockout to the background color. I have tried making the entire thing a compound path, tried clipping mask and different combinations in pathfinder with no success. The image on the right is what happens when I make it a compound path. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

The simplest way, I think, would be to set the white line work as an opacity mask on top of the tan circle. That is not a clipping mask, but does the same thing and it's much easier.
Otherwise, outline white strokes and "Unite" using pathfinder tool, then delete outside path (the circle), from the compound shape. That will leave the appropriate compound object to make the clipping mask:

Compound paths & graphic style problem (map related)

Hi all,
Been banging my head against a wal with this all morning. I'm hoping one of you can help.
I need to replace portions of a map - it' slots and lots of shapes representing buildings.The original file has shapes made of compound paths (see illustration below). That's great, because the center needs to be knocked out (there are some items underneath that occasionally show through). I thought I'd try to create a graphic style to replicate the look as closelty as possible, but I cannot get a fill to act as a knockout - so I have the basic shape and effect that I want, but with a colored center instead of a knocked-out one. This is a problem becuase I'll be changing dozens of shapes and I don't want to have to recreate the look on each shape manually.
Here's a pic to help clarify. The original is on the left, my attempted recreation is on the right. Help!

First, thansk so much for the help! I'm soooo close, but I keep doing something wrong. Let me run through my steps to see if you can spot where I'm falling down:
Draw my rotated box (I Object> Compound Path > Make converted it to a compound path becuase I assuemd I'd need that when applying a knockout. I may be wrong there).:
Fill with white, copy the fill and fill with brown:
Apply a Transform effect to the 2nd fill (I need the numbers to be absolute, not scale, becuase I need to apply thsi to a variety of shapes but achieve a uniform look):
I then go to the Opacity on that second layer and check Knockout:
But when I drop the Opacity down to 0% (with knockout checked) that entire fill layer just goes transparent:
And if I apply the Knowckout - Opacity settings to the main opacity at teh bottom, the whole thing goes blank:
Incidentally, here's the shape I'm trying to replicate (I know my attempt doesn't reproduce the connected lower left and upper right rounded corners):
And here's a small chunk of the map. I'll be changing dozens of these shapes and want to apply that consistent look to them without doing each one manually.
G'ah! It's driving me nuts! What am I doing wrong?

When painting a light over a dark, at low opacity, i am getting an even darker color. How to fix?

I'm using version 1.4, running on a Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1. Both when I set the pen pressure to opacity control, and when setting the brush to an overall lower opacity, my light color turns a reddish dark where it overlaps my dark color, almost as though i'm using the burn tool. i havent noticed this problem before, and i've been constistenly using pstouch to paint, since i bought this tablet nearly 3 weeks ago. I'm painting a dark muted orange over a slightly darker, slightly more intense (but still mainly muted) red. It looks almost like a watermark effect. each transparent brushstroke has sort of a fringe around it where it looks as though simulated pigments collect in a concentrated way, creating a dark ring around my slightly less dark brush mark.
This might be related to a color picker problem i have consistently noticed. it seems that the color picker tends to pick darker versions of the colors i sample. this might have something to do with the fact that my brush is usually set up with less than 100% opacity, and maybe, for some reason, the color picker is programmed to compensate for that. In any case, the color sampler doesnt work fully as it should, and this obviously affects my ability to use lowered opacity to blend colors together.
That said, even when i sample a color, then manually lighten it to match the lightness of the sampled color, i still get a burn tool effect when making transitions between my slightly darker and slightly lighter warm mute dark colors, using a color with lowered opacity. the only way to make the lighter color lighter than the darker color, is to simply bring it to full opacity, but then i get no transition between the the colors.
I assume this is a bug that needs to be fixed, but if anyone knows of anything i might be able to do in order to solve this problem, I'd really appreciate it.

Actually, here's a clearer image. The middle stroke is with 20% drawing smoothness, and 100% pressure strength.
The top stroke is 100% both, and the bottom is 100% drawing smoothness with 20% pressure strength.
In all three instances, the dark watercolorish ring persists.

Help needed to make a compound path of text in rectangle

Hello, I hope some one will really solve my problem.
Im trying to make a compound path (text inside a rectangle). I had done this previously with success but now the whole shape and text is showing same color. Although text should be transparent! And now due to the similarity in colors i cannot see any font.
I don't know why this is happening?
I made outlines of text, ungrouped it, released their compound paths, placed all fonts and rectangle in seperated layer and then made it a compound path.
Please let me know if im following all the steps.
Also, please forgive my bad English as im not native.

adobied,
As you know now, Larry answered the Compound question while you were still typing.
We do have quite a few cross postings in this busy forum, especially at this time of day with natives present both over there and over here.
You can use Opacity Masks for a whole range of purposes, and they can act as (inverted) Clipping Masks, and also for partial/varying transparency.
In this case, the suggested use corresponds to an inverted Clipping Mask.
I quite understand your wish to have the Compound under control, and I believe that is sorted with the advice from Larry.

Help with linked files/ compound paths please

Hi - I am working with an illustrator file from another designer which has a compound path with linked files - when you link a new file the image is automatically resized and clipped to the path. I am able to edit it but i want to make my own from scratch and can't figure it out. I'm working with Illustrator CS6. Any help greatly appreciated. Thanks

Hi Steve - thanks for the reply - my question was a bit vague as I wasn't entirely sure what I was working with but I think your point about the new linked image scaling to the same size as the existing file has helped me understand it a bit more. What I want to know how to do is to make an entirely new file with a clipping mask that I then link an image to. I made a file with a clipping mask on the page and then chose file>place but the image I import is not being clipped (I ticked the link option when importing it) I see it working with the existing file I'm working with but I need to know how to make a new one myself.
If this makes it clearer here's what I want to do ...
I am making a banner, I have 3 flat jpegs of t-shirts that I want to place on the banner without their white background. I made a clipping mask the same shape as the outline of the t-shirt and now I want to import the jpeg so it is a linked file and is clipped by the clipping mask and so I can use it in future to import different t-shirt image in without scaling and clipping them each time.
REally appreciate your help, thanks.

Use a compound path as clipping mask?

Hello,
I’m trying to use a complex compound path as a clipping mask, but it won’t work. I have narrowed down the problem a little in two smaller scripts described below.
Using a single path as clipping mask works very well:
var doc = app.documents.add();
var clipGroup = doc.groupItems.add();
var bgItem = clipGroup.pathItems.rectangle(200, 200, 200, 200);
bgItem.position = Array(200, 500);
bgItem.fillColor = doc.swatches[8].color;
var fgItem = clipGroup.pathItems.polygon(144, 288, 72.0, 7);
fgItem.position = Array(220, 480);
fgItem.fillColor = doc.swatches[7].color;
fgItem.zOrder(ZOrderMethod.BRINGTOFRONT);
clipGroup.clipped = true;
alert(clipGroup.clipped); // will alert true
But when trying the simplest form of a compound path, it’s not working:
var doc = app.documents.add();
var clipGroup = doc.groupItems.add();
var bgItem = clipGroup.pathItems.rectangle(200, 200, 200, 200);
bgItem.position = Array(200, 500);
bgItem.fillColor = doc.swatches[8].color;
var compoundItem = clipGroup.compoundPathItems.add();
var fgItem = compoundItem.pathItems.polygon(144, 288, 72.0, 7);
fgItem.position = Array(220, 480);
fgItem.fillColor = doc.swatches[7].color;
compoundItem.zOrder(ZOrderMethod.BRINGTOFRONT);
clipGroup.clipped = true;
alert(clipGroup.clipped); // will alert false
Using compound paths as clipping masks is really simple in the Illustrator GUI. So what am I missing here?
Help would be greatly appreciated.

The simplest way, I think, would be to set the white line work as an opacity mask on top of the tan circle. That is not a clipping mask, but does the same thing and it's much easier.
Otherwise, outline white strokes and "Unite" using pathfinder tool, then delete outside path (the circle), from the compound shape. That will leave the appropriate compound object to make the clipping mask:

Compound Path Trouble - Type to Outlines

I've had these issues for years, wherein I'll convert some type to outlines, and the counters of letterforms that have them are filled in!
The paths are still there, but no amount of futzing or making compound, or releasing and trying again, will make them come back.*
Has anyone developed a fix to this problem?
If so, thank you for sharing it with me!
katt
*Sometimes it turns out that a duplicate path is directly on top of another, but most of the time, the "compoundness" seems broken, for lack of better phrasing..

If you
Create outliens form type
Release compound path
then try to make this a compound path again
your result wil be broken compoiunf paths
If you
Create outliens form type
Release compound path
Ungroup
then try to make this a compound path again
your result will be good

Compound Path and peeking white lines

I'd appreciate a fast response to this if its possible as I've got to send it to print very soon!
I'm trying to create a compound path in order to mask off some bits and create letters, but there seems to be some kind of overlap and its leaving a white line where there shouldn't be one. Its all set up to snap-to and both shapes are perfectly in line, but its still leaving this white border.
The top of each letter is basically just 2 semi circles, the diameter being where the white line is. Hopefully the lines are still visible on low-res monitors...
Does anyone know how to get rid of this line or if it will even print?
Cheers
Adam

Cheers for that, I blew the shapes up as big as the entire workspace so that I could overlap them a little bit, and it turns out they weren't even aligned properly... however aligning them completely doesn't work either, I still get a white line.
The problem with deliberately overlapping them is that you end up with a new white shape underneath, basically a bigger version of the line. Unless I'm doing it wrong.
Edit: Just read that, I'll try simplifying the shapes. Its basically made from circles and rectangles, I just hadn't joined them together.

Compound path inside/outside test

Is there an API for testing if a point is inside or outside of a specific compound path? I've found stuff for the length/area, but not inside outside. I supposed I could implement it myself but that kind of code tends to have a lot of fiddly <= vs < sensitivity when implementing the winding rule, and I'd rather not re-invent the wheel when illustrator is obviously already able to do this test. (Plus I could take advantage of whatever acceleration code illustrator already has for this test.)
If there's a individual path inside outside test, I don't mind tallying things up for the components of the compound path, but I didn't even find that. I'm probably just missing something obvious.
Thanks,
PS (I'm still back using CS2 since that's the suite I have and I'm unable to shell out the big bucks to upgrade.)

Well, I think the problem with that is that the hit test will also report a "hit" when you're on things like control points outside of the fill region. Now you could say "well then check the hit type and don't report a hit if it's over a control point" but then you're just in trouble because you might be over an internal control point.
So I don't think it can reliably be used for that.
I guess you might be able to make it work by manually making sure no control points are visible, and that fill is on, and then use the hit test lib. I'll look into it, but my gut feeling is that this is going to have issues. Interesting though. Thanks for the suggestion!
-Kurt

Compound Path without border on inner path

Hi Guys,
I'm trying to create a shape with text that has to be transparent.
I fixed this by creating a compound path but it inherits all the elements of the shape (which is logical) but since the shape has a border it now get an innner border as well.
Is there a way to discard the inner border and just have the outside one?

Or you may:
1) With the type on top of the shape, select the type.
2) In the Transparency panel set the opacity to 0.
3) Select type and shape; group.
4) With the group selected, in Transparency Panel click Knockout Group once or twice, as needed, until the check (tick) mark appears.
The transparency (or opacity) of the type is then infinitely variable by again selecting the type in the Layers Panel and adjusting the opacity setting in the Transparency Panel. I think (though I may be mistaken) that in CS5 it's adjustable in the Appearance Panel.
Peter
Hello, Jacob.

Compound path text & shape mode problem

Hi there,
I'm working with some text that I've outlined and converted to a compound path. Then I'm applying a subtractive shape mode onto, but I'm noticing that it's actually changing the weight of the type. Can someone tell me why this is happening & perhaps suggest how I can retain the weight after applying the subtraction please? Thanks!

I could possibly use a opacity mask, you're right, but I'd still like to know what the reasoning is behind the change in weight is when I outline text -> convert to a compound path -> subtraction shape mode. Strange thing is, is that it's happened to one set of letters & not another set of the same font done in I think the same way
Thanks rcraiqhead however for the suggestion.

COMPOUND PATH TO A SINGLE PATH

HI,
I have created a compound path, which is a circle, with a smaller circle cut out within it, creating a ring.
Is there away of making that shape into a single path, so that it can not be relased?
Or is it beacuse it has two paths that it always has to stay as a compound path?
Thanks
Carl

(Takes you back to Illie88, don't it Jacob?)
Or even further, Steve (you may remember my being dutifully unmasked by Peter the other day).
Yep :-) but what was before Illie 88? (was there anything?)
Anyway I started off on Illie 88 as soon as we got computerized and was a long time trying to find out how to make holes in things. The cut doughnut method was the only way, and all by hand with Scissors and Join.
Then along came Illie3 which I seem to remember had compounds but still no Pathfinder.
And it wasn't until Illie5 that you could actually draw with the preview turned on. People here rushed out to buy it, it was a sort of WOW moment.
As for new versions (or not so new) I am very conservative in these matters. Better to use something that works than something that was busted by being mended.

Making a low opacity compound path in a stock vector 100% opacity

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