What is a clipping path and why?

[C9Mouse]

Ok, I think it's time I had someone expain this to me. What is a clipping path? How do I make one? And what is its purpose?

 

[Rantin Al]

C9, You gotta start reading the book. The Photoshop Help menu will give a broad outline with related links.

Read, try then ask about the bits which you get stuck at.


Al.

 

[C9Mouse]

Hmmm. Sorry. I was under the impression you could ask about anything here. My mistake .....

 

[Lompoc42]

You can ask anything you want. I think what was confused here is terminology. You asked about a clipping path and I think people may have thought you meant a clipping group. AND until i just read your post I didn't know what a clipping path was either! Seems to me like it has to do mainly with print. However if you're shearly an "inside" artist and don't need to print with such fancy manuvours it doesn't really apply to you. Here's a link to read more about it.

http://www.sketchpad.net/paths3.htm

Hope this helps
KOP

 

[Erik]

A clipping path is a mathematical curve, aka a vector, that indicates which part of an image will be visible and which part not. It is used by some applications that are typical for offset printing like QuarkXpress to be apble to print images that are not square, but have the shape of the path.
Newer applications, like InDesign, don't need these anymore as they can handle transparancy nearly as good as Photoshop.Clipping paths have often been the cause of much stress, and severe depressions in the DTP world as they are the cause of many a problem. Just like inbedded fonts. (long live PDF!).

Practically speaking: just like you can draw a curve to select pixels that you want to manipulate, you can also draw a curve that tells which part of your image will be visible in print and which not. Whenever, in offset, you want to print for example a round or oval image, you need to hide the rest of the image, as all pixel-based images are, by their own nature, rectangular.

 

[C9Mouse]

Thank you, Erik.

 

[Guest]

Doug, to practice with a Clipping Path;

• Create a new document
• Create a new layer
• Fill that new layer with any colour you prefer
• CTRL+click on the Layer Mask symbol (A)
• Use the pen tool to draw a shape[/list:u]Make sure that the mask is active (B) when you use the pen tool; it will have a 2-lines border. if it's not active, just click on it.

 

[Guest]

Other example;

• Open an image
• Double click on the layer to unlock it
• Select part of the image with the pen tool
• CTRL+left click on the Layer mask symbol[/list:u]

 

[Guest]

Example #3;

• Open an image
• Double click on the layer to unlock it
• Select part of the image with any selection tool (yes, not the pen tool!)
• Go to the Paths palette and convert this selection to a path by clicking on the right symbol (see attachment)
• Return to the Layers Palette
• CTRL+left click on the Layer mask symbol[/list:u]And there are lot more examples that I can come up with.
  Hopefully these examples give you an idea what's possible with a Clipping Path

 

[wbiss]

Great explanation and examples, Erik & Gaussian! :} :}

 

[kiwi]

Excellent explanations



9 times out of 10 selection to Path conversion will need quite a bit of cleanup on the path itself to be worth using.


Also shift click to turn a mask off,and Opt or ALT click to see just your mask in the document window.

 

[wbiss]

kiwi: 9 times out of 10 selection to Path conversion will need quite a bit of cleanup on the path itself to be worth using.

Unfortunte but true... :\

Because PS is a pixel based program and is 'screen resolution dependent', to avoid some really nasty 'clean up work', you have to work in high resolution!

 

[Guest]

9 times out of 10 selection to Path conversion will need quite a bit of cleanup on the path itself to be worth using.

Absolutely true. Only in a few cases, when you trace simple shapes, it's worth using

 

[C9Mouse]

True, it can be a bit messy. If for some reason I want to make a path from a selection I usually right click on the Selection and choose "Make Work Path" - that way I can use the dialogue box to enter in my settings and try to make it less messy.

 

[wbiss]

and I'm "dreaming of a smooth tool" in PS8! :\

 

[C9Mouse]

There's already a smooth tool in PS7. Got to Select>Modify>Smooth.

 

[wbiss]

[confused] on a path?

 

[C9Mouse]

I was answering kiwi's post:

Kiwi wrote:

9 times out of 10 selection to Path conversion will need quite a bit of cleanup on the path itself to be worth using. Also shift click to turn a mask off,and Opt or ALT click to see just your mask in the document window.

 

[wbiss]

I get ya now C9!

Still wishing for a "path smooth" tool.... [innocent]

 

[Erik]

In most cases, smoothing cannot replace cleanup work on the mask. So you'll have to do it manually.