Problem with clipping mask (Illustrator)

[Anteeks]

I want to remove the background from an object in a picture. I use the pen tool to draw lines around the object but I don't get the results that I want --> when I use the clipping mask only a part of the object is left and everything else is removed.

I try to group my paths but only get the message "can't make a clipping mask. The top selected object must be a path, a compound shape, a text object, or a group of those".

Please see my attachments to see what I mean.

 

[eess]

clipping mask

Hello Anteeks,

if the path of your clipping mask isn´t closed, Illustrator ›connects‹ the start and the end point of that ›open‹ path with a virtual line. If you take a closer look at the front wheel, i guess there is an open path, sometimes hard to see if two anchor points lay on top of each other. Use the ›white‹ selection tool, click somewhere on the path of that wheel. If with that one click all the other points of the whole path are also selected, that path should be one and it should be closed. You can of course make your life even harder by grouping more than one open path. If thats the case, select your paths with the black arrow selection tool and choose ungroup, a couple of times, till the ungroup command is shown as grey. Then manually find the open paths with the white arrow selection tool and join them together. Depending of your Illustrator version this can be done for each single matching open end point pair of a path segment or with one use of the join command from the Object... Path... Join... Menu. But don´t use group, use Join. And if you want to include the portion of the windows to your clipping mask use the pathfinder commands. And by the way, try to use as few anchor points as possible. Makes it easier to change the path. Good luck.

es

 

[Anteeks]

Wow, great. Thanks eess! Thats all I need to know - didn't expect to get such an extensive answer.