: AI CC: gradient opacity mask from one object, assigned to another First question here. Decent knowledge of Photoshop, perhaps even better of After Effects (quite competent software actually even
First question here.
Decent knowledge of Photoshop, perhaps even better of After Effects (quite competent software actually even for graphic design, at least web-targeted).
At the moment, however, I'm working in Illustrator, since I figure it's best suited for my project, which is print-targeted, and Illustrator is definitely not my strongest point.
I've got a few text elements upon top of a hexagon patterned background, and I'm wondering if there is any way to create a gradient opacity mask (or any other kind of mask, if need be) based on the characters I have typed, and have the background pattern fade away just a few millimeters from the characters.
Hope this description is clear enough.
Any sort of help would be greatly appreciated.
Update
I'm still experimenting on this.
Now I have my text elements in a separate layer, which is currently hidden.
I have made copies of these texts and I found out that if I add stroke to them, let's say 2.5cm, I get all sorts of funny spikes around my glyphs. This may normally be a problem, but for me it works just fine, if I can just get this spikey text elements to serve as an inverted mask for my underlying background - that is I want my background to be visible everywhere else and not within the area of the mask.
Can I?
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You might have a more complex need for this mask, but its quite the same idea on AE or PS, so this link would probably suite your need.
www.dummies.com/software/adobe/illustrator/how-to-create-a-clipping-mask-in-adobe-illustrator-cs6/
PS: Just add effects if you still don't have the output you wish.
If I understand you correctly, you can use something called a knockout group.
Group your text and the anything you want to mask (or you can simply apply this to the whole layer, as long as you have everything you want to mask in the same group or layer).
From the transparency panel check "Knockout Group" for that group (or layer).
From the appearance panel, set a stroke (I added an outer glow to soften it too) and set the opacity of that stroke to 0%. That transparency will now "knockout" all the way through the group you set to be a "Knockout Group":
I used a stroke, but you can use anything (an offset path effect on another fill for example), the important thing is getting an appearance that you can set the opacity of.
A more subtle example with only an outer glow effect set on a fill:
You can read more about knockout groups (and other masking techniques) here:
How to edit artwork using transparency and blending modes in Illustrator
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