Clipping mask with Illustrator group?

[tallscot]

I have artwork I created in Illustrator that is made out of 3 objects.

I have a photo.

I want to use the artwork I created in Illustrator as a clipping mask in InDesign for the photo and I want the photo to span the three objects in the group. I can't get this to work.

Try 1:

1. Import Illustrator art

2. Import photo

3. Cut photo

4. Select Illustrator art

5. Select Paste Into

Result: InDesign pastes the photo into the rectangle boundary that the Illustrator is inside, so I end up with a rectangle mask instead of the Illustrator shape.

Try 2:

1. Copy and paste the shape from Illustrator into InDesign

2. Import the photo

3. Cut the photo

4. Select the pasted Illustrator shape

5. Select Paste Into

Result: It only made 1 of the 3 shapes that make up the artwork a clipping mask, not all three. It needs to span all three shapes.

This can't be hard. I've seen people do this kind of thing in brochures a million times. What am I missing here?

Thank you so much!

[Mike Witherell · Accepted solution]

In InDesign, select the 3 shape objects and make them Object > Paths > Make Compound Path.

Now that the 3 are a compound path, you can Paste Into.

[tallscot]

Ahhhh!! Thank you!

This didn't work at first. I had to paste from Illustrator and then select Object>Paths>Open Path and THEN I could select Make Compound Path.

Thank you so much, Michael. Have a great day.

[francisv12957225]

Why can't we do that in Illustrator?

[jose_davida98368333]

You can (I'm using Adobe Illustrator 2020 on Windows)

Select the objects > Right click > Make compound path
Or
Select the objects > Object > Compound path > Make (Ctrl + 8 by default)