Adobe Illustrator Adobe Illustrator Masks and Clipping Paths Questions and Answers 2

Question 1

What is the difference between a clipping mask and an opacity mask in Illustrator?

Accepted Answer

A clipping mask uses a path outline; an opacity mask uses grayscale values to control transparency

Answer

Clipping masks show/hide based on a path boundary, while opacity masks use luminance to vary transparency across the masked artwork.

Question 2

Where do you create and apply an opacity mask in Illustrator?

Accepted Answer

Transparency panel > Make Mask

Answer

Select the artwork and a masking object, then click Make Mask in the Transparency panel to create an opacity mask.

Question 3

In an opacity mask, what does a black area in the mask object produce on the masked artwork?

Accepted Answer

Full transparency (hidden)

Answer

Black areas in an opacity mask make the corresponding parts of the artwork fully transparent, while white makes them fully opaque.

Question 4

Which keyboard shortcut applies or removes a clipping mask?

Accepted Answer

Ctrl+7 / Cmd+7 to make; Alt+Ctrl+7 / Option+Cmd+7 to release

Answer

Ctrl+7 (Cmd+7 on Mac) makes a clipping mask, and Alt+Ctrl+7 (Option+Cmd+7) releases it.

Question 5

Can a compound path be used as a clipping mask in Illustrator?

Accepted Answer

Yes, a compound path can clip artwork through all of its sub-paths

Answer

Compound paths are valid clipping mask shapes; the combined shape of all sub-paths defines the visible area.

Adobe Illustrator Practice Test