Draw Inside Mode in Illustrator? Noooo! Make a Clipping Mask!

[@pavithranataraj2354]

Thank you so much! even after watching tons of video and tutorials nothing helped, I paused every video and tried to follow it, yours worked like a charm. Love you. Wating to see more content.

[@LauraCoyle]

Glad it helped! More coming!

[@annacaroline5178]

so helpful! I was trying to use the draw inside after i made a shape with pathfinder, and it didn't allow me to use it, with the clipping mask worked just fine!

[@LauraCoyle]

Glad it helped!

[@clearviewdachsies]

We have not gotten to draw inside mode yet in class! I will have to ask my professor what he likes. :) Thank you!

[@LauraCoyle]

Please do! And let us know, thanks :-)

[@mamanomepegues87]

I'm still amazed how wonky selections are in illustrator sometimes. For expample they released the "enclosed mode" in the latest update and i find that it really helps with my workflow (they should make it so it stays toggled all the time imo ). But for example, when i'm working with a png with no background and i draw something behind that png , next time i want to select the background shape i have to carefully click on the the edge of it , otherwise it will select the png . On the other had that isn't a problem in photoshop with "autoselect layer" option.

[@LauraCoyle]

Love enclosed mode!! Try this, and let me know if it helps with selecting behind your PNG: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJrEeHyXbaeea7s

[@mamanomepegues87]

@@LauraCoyle yes! Thank you ! I love your content.

[@andyarkley]

This is helpful - thnak you. Ugg - that selection issue with draw inside actually seems like a bug. Maybe Adobe will fix it.

[@LauraCoyle]

I hope they do!

[@Vektorgarten]

You only have that selection advantage when you make an extra shape for the fill (which you could also do in Draw inside mode). When creating a clipping mask the old fashioned way, you can also apply the fill directly to the mask, which is what a lot of people will do (me included), because I do not like duplicate paths (at all). So it's not the method what is causing this, but they way in which you are using the method. Both methods are completely interchangeable as regards the result. They create the exact same thing. It's just that one of them feels more like the FreeHand way of doing things and is slightly more intuitive and the other one is more associated with shortcuts. I use both methods and choose which one fits better into my workflow at a given time. When I want to crop an image with a freeform path, then directly placing the image into it is a really fast way.

[@LauraCoyle]

Hi Monika! Thank you for commenting. I get that you can add a fill to the clipping path at any time, and the result is the same as if it were created from draw inside from the start. I agree, filling the clipping path has the advantage of using only one path, which seems easier to control, more efficient, more elegant. I might have to give it a try for certain types of art that won't need selecting and moving around a lot, like motifs. In general this issue of having it occur in different ways, without much documentation from Adobe, makes it confusing for users. They need to simplify this for us!

[@Vektorgarten]

Hi Laura! And the opposite is true as well: if you put a colored shape into Draw inside mode, then the result is exactly the same as the object created via the menu.

[@centrumshuttletravel]

How can i use draw inside iPad Pro Thank you so much:)

[@LauraCoyle]

There is no Draw Inside mode on the iPad version, but you can create a clipping mask like you would on the desktop. You can edit the clipping mask by double-tapping on it-like Isolation mode on the desktop-or select the parts in the layers panel. Cheers!

[@CarlosGarro]

Clipping Mask fan here! 😎

[@LauraCoyle]

TEAM CLIPPING MASK!!😄

[@chrisbrannan3784]

Now I'm extra frustrated with the project I'm working on. I have multiple shapes where I did clipping masks. However, I am having trouble selecting them, which seemed odd as I don't remember this being an issue in the past. I know I didn't use draw inside because I never have used that mode (always forget it's a thing). Is there something else that could be causing the selection issue? I have double checked to make sure the clioping path shape has a fill color, but still can only select the edges, so annoying!

[@LauraCoyle]

You said the clipping path has a fill color, so that's why you can only select it on the edge. If you keep your clipping paths invisible and put that fill on a separate path, you will be able to select the fill. I agree, it's annoying.

[@chrisbrannan3784]

@@LauraCoyle thanks! I mostly work in indesign so my ai knowledge is limited, and work is slow when I get in there. Trying to learn and get more efficient/use it for more tasks. Thank you for your videos, they are helpful.

[@SmilleDesign]

I figured out that if I use drawing inside I can't select so I go from the menu Object > Flatten Transparency

[@LauraCoyle]

That's a clever workaround! The one thing I would worry about there is that it cuts all the shapes as it flattens - so they are like puzzle pieces. Kind of like using Pathfinder > Divide. But I like flatten transparency, it can come in handy for sure.