From the course: Illustrator 2025 Essential Training

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Opacity masks

Opacity masks

- [Instructor] Unlike clipping masks, where content is masked by being contained within another shape, opacity masks allow us quite a degree of flexibility. In the file that I'm using here, I'm just going to go to my Layers panel and make visible this Masks layer that I have, and I'm going to select the large black shape at the bottom here, and I'm going to cut that to the clipboard. So, Command-X, Control-X to do that. I'm then going to come along and I'm going to click on the dragon here. In fact, let me just turn the visibility off for the other layer just for a second. I'm going to click on the dragon here to select it, and then I'm going to go to the Transparency panel and I'm going to click this button here, Make Mask. So, when I click that, a mask is added. Now, if you are a Photoshop user, you are probably familiar with the concept of black to conceal, white to reveal, and it's very much a similar deal here. At the moment, this mask is completely black, so it's hiding…

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