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Design Adobe Illustrator for Web Design Webpage Mockup Placing Raster Images and Masking

Aaron Selonke
Aaron Selonke
10,323 Points
Posted by Aaron Selonke
Aaron Selonke
10,323 Points

What is the point of the clipping mask?

What function does the clipping mask have that I normal image object doesn't?

1 Answer

Gianmarco Mazzoran
Gianmarco Mazzoran
22,076 Points
Gianmarco Mazzoran
Gianmarco Mazzoran
22,076 Points

Hi Aron,

personally I find the clipping mask function very useful! Let's assume that we are prototyping a web app in AI and at a certain point we need to create a profile image that is rounded (like the Threehouse Blog author's image). How do you achieve this result with Illustrator? You have two possibilities:

  1. Work with png's with transparent background
  2. Work with normal image and modify their aspect with clipping mask

For example to do our profile image rounded with insert/copy the image inside our Illustrator document, above we draw a circle, or whatever your shape you want, ("L" shortcut key), select the new path and the image and then press the right-click with the mouse and select make clipping mask and voilà! We have our super nice rounded image!

Hope it helps this example the power of the clipping mask function!