Hi
I'm working on an image, and in one part of it, I have a what I call a base layer (solid fill) of an object, with 2 layers on top of it which create highlights and/or shadows. Some of the highlights I ended up blurring, which creates areas of whiteness outside the border of the object. So I grouped all 3 layers, created another duplicate of the shape, and moved it to the top, to be the clipping path. Then I Set the Clip, and the white smudges disappearred.

The highlights still didn't look right, so I added another duplicate with a gradient, and ended up blurring it a little bit too. Then I decided I should get the new dup grouped with the others. So I unclipped the previously clipped ones, grouped in the new 4th dup, but I can't seem to get them clipped with a 5th dup as the clipping path.

So I'm wondering, the 4th duplicate, which became the original clipping path, what becomes of it? After I unclipped the original clipping, I couldn't find that duplicate which I had used for the clipping path. I assumed it was sort of like "consumed" by the clipping process....in the same way that if you select 2 paths and do Difference, the top path disappears, leaving only the resulting portion of the bottom path.

But I can't seem to get the now 4 duplicates clipped with a 5th on top. It's VERY confusing trying to sort out what's selected, what's described in the status area, when grouping and ungrouping. (For example, the difference between "Group of 2 objects in layer Layer 1" and "2 objects of type Path, Group in layer Layer 1" is very confusing!) So in my confusion, I wonder if that original 4th duplicate, which seemed to have "been consumed", actually reappeared when I unclipped, and maybe that's what's causing me not to be able to clip once again, with the new duplicate added in.

So just to be clear, my questions are -- What becomes of the clipping path after the Clip is Set? And what happens if you unClip...Release the clip? Is the original clipping path gone, or does it reappear?

Thanks for your help

brynn wrote:So just to be clear, my questions are -- What becomes of the clipping path after the Clip is Set? And what happens if you unClip...Release the clip? Is the original clipping path gone, or does it reappear?

It reappears looking exactly as it was before it was used as a clip (i.e. if was red before setting the clip it will be red after releasing the clip).

I can't explain what has happened. My only advise is to follow your own steps to reproduce the problem and see if it reveals anything.

But make sure you are grouping all your object that you want to clip seperately from the object that will be used as a clip, then clip them. You can then "enter" the group to add objects to the clip at any time. You can even copy and paste an object into the clip this way. The only time you should need to release a clip is to change its shape.

The only time you should need to release a clip is to change its shape.

Ooooooohh!! Ok

You mentioned that however the clipping path looked before being used as a clip is how it will look when the clip is released. That makes me think I'm doing something wrong. Because the only way I could get it to work, was for the clipping path to have no fill or stroke. So there may even be something else going on that's causing me trouble.

Well, for now, I think I will review what I've read in various Guide, Manuals and Tutorials, about using a Clip, rather than extend this topic thread. Although, I may have to reply again, anyway, if I can't figure it out

Thanks micro!
It's "back to the drawing board", as they say

Ok, I'm lost

I undid everything back to where I had unclipped the original Clip...well, just before that, so that the unclip never happened. Then I tried to add the new duplicate to the group of clipped duplicates. But it didn't work. So I thought maybe the new duplicate should be below the clilpping path. As it was at that point in the layer above. So I moved it to the clipped layer, and again tried to group the new duplicate with the original group of 3. But that doesn't seem to be working either.

So let me ask -- I have a "Group of 3 objects; clipped in layer 6". And I have another duplicate (highlight) that I want to add to the Group, making it a group of 4...although I suspect the status bar would say 'Group of 2...' But I'm also thinking it should still say 'clipped in layer 6'. So that what I think I should see in the status bar, if I'm successful in adding the new dup to the original group of 3, is "Group of 2 objects, clipped in layer 6". Is that correct? Is that what I should see if I'm successful in adding the new dup to the original group of 3?

Would if be better to ungroup the original group of 3, then group all 4 objects together?

Thanks for your help

I don't group my clipped objects, because sometime when I group objects the blur on the object gets averages over the group some how. Do you have to group them?

Uh, no, they don't have to be grouped. I thought that they had to be, for the clip to work, though. Thanks for your reply, EarlyBlake. Because most of the things that are blurred are like ffffff22 and the like, it would be hard for me to notice that the blurs were being "averaged". (If anyone is interested, I just posted the image in this thread, in the last reply viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1267) I'll check the F/S dialog, though, to see if they are getting tweaked by being grouped. It sounds like I can just as easily select all the duplicates, along with the clipping one, all together, and forget grouping.

I was just about to post that I have practiced many scanarios of clipping, while waiting for replies. And I think I have it down now.

So I'd just like to take this opportunity to thank everyone, as I have on many other occassions, for your help and patience with me as I continue to learn how to use Inkscape. I keep hoping I'll reach a point, where finally everything clicks, and I can easily put out moderately complex images. But at this point, there are still a few of what I would consider basic Inkscape skills I need to learn, before I reach that place. Meanwhile, it's practice, practice, practice

All best

EarlyBlake wrote:sometime when I group objects the blur on the object gets averages over the group some how.

That only happens if you adjust the blur on the group.