Illustrator pulls clippings masks to the top of their clip groups when a document is reopened
- Make a simple clipping group
- Select clipping path only
- Fill it
- Send it to back
- Save and close the file
- Open the file back Illustrator will move the clipping mask back to the top of the group.
Why this is important?
1. Because if we release a clipping group that has the filled clipping path below clipped object, it stays below.
2. Because when we use isolation mode, Illustrator will allow to select children only when the filled clipping mask is below the clipped objects.
Take a look at the GIF attached, that shows three methods possible with colored clippings masks.
Magenta one. This is what Draw Inside makes. As mentioned in the video, we can’t click the filled background to select the clipping group. We can isolate it by clicking the black circle and select the child, but not the clipping path.
Cyan one. This is a magic trick I use to force Ai to do what it should. If you use compound path as a clipping path, we CAN click and move the group. However, when we isolate, the compound clipping path prevents us from selecting children.
Green one. If me put the compound clipping path below children, we can select both the background and children as expected. This is how is should work, no matter if the clipping path is compound or if it’s below or not. This is the only one of three that keeps the background below children when clipping groups are released.
Alas, there are several problems with the variant 3.
It requires manually creating a compound path.
It requires manually putting it below.
It won’t be treated properly with Crop command in Pathfinder (you’d have to Flatten Transparency first).
This exact report — Illustrator will put it back on top when we close and reopen the file.
This problem is one of many that prevents us to embracing colored clipping masks and use workaround like separate backgrounds.
This is why videos like this have to be made:
Draw Inside Mode in Illustrator? Noooo! Make a Clipping Mask! — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNIwmhB-DP8
Draw Inside vs. Make Clipping Mask – Which Is Better? — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiDWljk6S-4
AdminEgor Chistyakov
(Admin, Adobe Illustrator)
shared this idea
-
Here’s a script made by me and Sergey Osokin.
Rename it from .txt. to .jsx after downloading.The script would process the whole document and do these things with clip groups found:
1. Convert all filled clipping masks into filled compound clipping masks — it would make them clickable and draggable
2. Move all filled compound clipping masks to the bottom of their groups — this would fix the problem with them being moved to the tops of their clip groups and prevent selecting other children
Compound clipping masks without fills are ignored, as well as unfilled clipping paths.Upvote this related problem to have it fixed someday:
http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/31558588
