Which statement describes clipping masks in Illustrator?

Which statement describes clipping masks in Illustrator?

• A. The clipping mask affects only the stroke attributes of masked objects
• B. The top object clips only the fill, not the strokes
• C. A clipping mask rasterizes all clipped objects
• D. Only the areas inside the top shape are visible; the top shape acts as a mask

Answer: (D)

Clipping masks control visibility by using a shape to define the visible area. In Illustrator, the top object acts as a mask: only the parts of the artwork that lie inside its outline are shown, and everything outside is hidden. The mask itself isn’t usually visible in the final result; it serves purely as the boundary that reveals the underlying artwork. This applies to all attributes of the clipped objects, so both fills and strokes inside the mask are shown, while anything outside the mask boundary is hidden. Clipping masks stay vector unless you apply other raster effects, so they don’t rasterize the clipped artwork automatically. That’s why this description—only areas inside the top shape are visible and the top shape acts as a mask—best captures how clipping masks work.

Clipping masks control visibility by using a shape to define the visible area. In Illustrator, the top object acts as a mask: only the parts of the artwork that lie inside its outline are shown, and everything outside is hidden. The mask itself isn’t usually visible in the final result; it serves purely as the boundary that reveals the underlying artwork. This applies to all attributes of the clipped objects, so both fills and strokes inside the mask are shown, while anything outside the mask boundary is hidden. Clipping masks stay vector unless you apply other raster effects, so they don’t rasterize the clipped artwork automatically. That’s why this description—only areas inside the top shape are visible and the top shape acts as a mask—best captures how clipping masks work.