Question about the clip option

DribP · Postby **DribP** » Wed Feb 28, 2018 6:30 am

How does the clip option behave for more than 2 selected objects? For 2 I understood it, it's a lot like Intersection, but for more than 2, I can't explain what really happens...

tylerdurden · Postby **tylerdurden** » Wed Feb 28, 2018 11:58 am

Maybe you have seen this?

Any path, regular shape, or regular text object can be used as a clipping path.

To clip an object (or Group), select both the object and the clipping path. The clipping path must be above the object to be clipped in z-order. Then use the Object → Clip → Set command. To unclip a clipped object, select the object and use the Object → Clip → Release command. The clipping path is then restored as a regular object, placed just above the formerly clipped object in z-order.

More than one object (or Group) can be clipped at the same time. Just follow the above instructions but include all the objects to be clipped in the selection (with the clipping path on top). Inkscape will store one copy of the clipping path in the <defs> section of the SVG file for each clipped object; thus, the clipped objects can be edited separately.

http://tavmjong.free.fr/INKSCAPE/MANUAL ... pping.html

DribP · Postby **DribP** » Fri Mar 02, 2018 12:17 am

Ok, thank you!

I checked it, it's a bit complicated to understand different terms in this manual though but I am going to do it.

Postby **brynn** » Fri Mar 02, 2018 5:31 am

I would suggest not thinking about clipping in terms of path operations. They are not related.

Simply, everything inside the clipping path will show up, and everything outside of it doesn't show up. Adding a 2nd object under a clipping path doesn't change anything. Whatever is inside will show, whatever is outside will not show.

Note that clipping is not the same a cropping. The area which is hidden by clipping is just hidden. The whole object or image is still in the file, you just can't see it.

If you have a clipping path made of 2 or more sub-paths, it gets more complicated. But that might be too much for a beginner. I would stick with a single clipping path for now.

If you have a particular situation on your canvas, or something you're trying to achieve, or don't understand, please feel free to share the details (and SVG file) and we can help to explain. We do need the SVG file. (Despite some pretty fantastic displays of mind-reading which we see here from time to time, it's best not to leave us to mind-reading or guessing.)

tylerdurden · Postby **tylerdurden** » Fri Mar 02, 2018 10:34 am

brynn wrote:Simply, everything inside the clipping path will show up, and everything outside of it doesn't show up. Adding a 2nd object under a clipping path doesn't change anything.

Not quite...

When multiple objects are clipped, multiple clip paths are also created. Thereafter, each object and its respective clip object can be edited.

Postby **brynn** » Fri Mar 02, 2018 12:07 pm

I didn't realize the question was involving separating the objects, moving them around, and editing their clip paths individually. Of course that's going to change things! It's something I would not advise doing, unless you really know what you're doing.

For clipping several objects and not manipulating them separately, what I said is true.

To be honest, it's always annoyed me since we got this feature where clipping multiple objects with the same clipping path, ends up creating multiple clipping paths. I can't figure out what it's purpose really is, and for me, it just causes trouble. I wish we could opt out of it.

tylerdurden · Postby **tylerdurden** » Fri Mar 02, 2018 12:42 pm

brynn wrote:...it's always annoyed me since we got this feature where clipping multiple objects with the same clipping path, ends up creating multiple clipping paths. I can't figure out what it's purpose really is, and for me, it just causes trouble. I wish we could opt out of it.

: Preferences_(Shift+Ctrl+P)_2018-03-01_21-36-54.png (26.66 KiB) Viewed 1471 times

Postby **brynn** » Fri Mar 02, 2018 5:35 pm

Do you mean that avoids making all the individual clip paths?. As far as I recall, when that option first became available, we did not have a single clip path becoming multiple clip paths when used on multiple objects.

I just never wanted all the objects grouped.

If that is considered to be an opt out for the multiple clip paths, it should say say so. I think it's an opt out by default, because putting in a group makes it one object instead of more than one.

But again, I don't really want the objects grouped. It makes selecting the individual objects harder. And as soon as you ungroup, bam, multiple clip paths are created. Of course I know you can enter the group. But I've always found that to be confusing. Would be better if we just didn't get multiple clip paths, when only one was used in the first place. My opinion.

Moini · Postby **Moini** » Sat Mar 03, 2018 2:35 am

You can only either clip a group, or a single object, not have one clip for multiple objects (at least by setting that in Inkscape - the specs support using the same one for multiple objects - but that would be confusing in the UI. Displaying those works fine, but they all have their own coordinate systems, so even if it's the same clip path, the area is different for each object - it moves with the object.)

Postby **brynn** » Sun Mar 04, 2018 6:56 am

Yes, I understand that's how it works now. But it didn't used to.

I don't think I've ever taken several objects which were clipped together, and moved them around individually. I can't think of any reason to do it, although for someone with really advanced skills, there probably is a use for it. As I said, for me, it just causes extra work, especially if I need to edit the clipping path. It's super difficult to edit multiple clipping paths in the same way. The selection is the difficult part for me.

For me, I'm usually clipping several objects all at once in a realism or photorealism situation, and don't plan on ever moving the individual objects. In fact, I want them never to move away from each other. But I don't want them grouped until I'm finished working on them -- mostly because ungrouping them releases and deletes the clip path.

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