Clipping

[Larry Bowers]

Hello, First time poster and really new to Inkscape.

I need assistance with clipping a picture.  I'm trying to create a web page banner for an Etsy shop I want to open for my scrollwork that I'd like to try to sell.  I want the banner is to be a combination of two images, a clock and a wine rack with picture.  The clock image will overlay the wine rack/picture with the wine rack/picture showing through the clock fretwork.  I've uploaded the file I'm working with.

My goal is to remove the background from the clock (basically the white areas on the right side of the clock image), but there are other white areas embedded into clock image that need to show the background image coming through.

In the file I have copied the clock and outlines below the two images I'm working with then broke them apart to verify all the outlines are there.

I have reviewed various tutorials on YouTube and FAQ's around the 'net,  but just can't seem to get it right.  I'm hoping someone here can tell me what I'm doing wrong.  My attempts have resulted in two outcomes... I have traced an outline of the clock and embedded white areas.    The first result is all the white area on the right side of the clock gets clipped.  Great!  But the embedded white areas are still there and any further clipping result is the entire clock disappearing and only the white background remaining.

Can someone tell me what I'm doing wrong? 

Greatly appreciated

Larry B

[brynn]

Welcome to the forum!

I'm having a hard time understanding what you want to do.  Could you find some way to make it more clear?  Like maybe you could make copies of the photos, and draw some rough circles and lines and arrows, indicating what the end result will look like?

Edit
You realize that the photo of the clock is at such an angle, that your tracing does not capture the design of the scrollwork on the clock.  Maybe that doesn't matter.....I just can't picture in my mind, what you want to do.

[Larry Bowers]

Brynn, thank you for the quict reply.

OK, I've uploaded several screen captures.  I hope this helps explain what I'm trying to accomplish

In Capture-0 I traced around the outside of the clock picture (denoted by the thin red bezie-curved lines as well as all the interior areas that need to be clipped out (red arrows are pointing to some of those thin red curves).

In Capture-1 I have selected all items in the clock image (that is I traced the outside of the clock and all interior openings the background image needs to be seen through) on the left and did an Object | Clip | Set.  Notice the whitish background on the right side of the clock image is now gone (around the red 'x').  BUT there is some original whitish background still showing (dashed boxes inside red circle).

If I move the clock image so it overlays the wine rack/picture (Capture-2) I do get what I want on the right side of the clock image, but the areas that are 'interior openings' to the clock picture still show the original whitish background.

Now if I zoom into one of those whitish areas (Capture-3) I can still see the bezier-curves that defined what I wanted to clip out (I have red arrows pointing to the trace lines I put in back when I was tracing all the edges), but the Object | Clip | Set command did not seem to work on.

So my question is how do I get the leftover whitish areas to 'dissapear' so I can see the wine rack in the background?

Your comment about the angle of the clock I understand, but this is the effect I was going for rather that a 'headon' view of the clock.

Than you again for your help.

Larry

[brynn]

Ok, I think I understand what you're asking now.  The answer is to use Path menu > Difference.  Let me make you some screenshots.

Actually, I'll make a quick video.  I'll be right back.

[brynn]

Try this:



In the place after I Combined all the little paths, and you see the larger bounding box show up (around 26 to 27 seconds), I was holding the Shift key, to allow to add the larger path to the selection.

Edit
Make the video full screen to see it best.

[brynn]

Is that what  you mean?

[brynn]

Oh, I just realized.  You want to cut those tiny pieces out of the photo itself, right?

No, you still need to use clipping for that.  I'm not sure if it will work.  Let me experiment.  I'll be right back.

[brynn]

It should be working.  But for some reason, not all of the little holes are getting clipped away.  I'm not sure why.  Here's how to do it. 

1 -- select all the paths, the large one and all the little ones
2 -- Path menu > Combine
3 -- move them over top of the photo
4 -- select both the photo and the path
5 -- Object menu > Clip > Set

Someone else will have to chime in, as to why it doesn't work.  I don't understand.  As far as I know, it should be working.

Edit
Well, in some places, it's because the paths weren't drawn exactly in the right place.  But there are 2 "holes" where they should be clipped out, but aren't.

I suppose, you could use the same process of combining the large outer path with the small path, and after grouping the photo, apply another clip.  But that would be less than ideal....unless there is no other solution.

[Moini]

Tbh. I think this is a perfect use case for a raster graphics editor.

I'd never do this in Inkscape!

But would use Gimp for it. It has a magic wand, and a foreground selection tool, that use some intelligent algorithms that help with cutting out objects out of raster images.

[Larry Bowers]

Almost got it!!  There are two pieces I cannot seem to clip yet, or if I do the clipped area remains and the clock disappears.

I've uploaded the SVG file and two screen capture files.

When you open the SVG file you will see four objects now (I simplified the file by eliminating all the other objects not necessary to the results - I think - the clock image, the wine rack image and the two remaining objects to be clipped).

Capture-4 shows the clock and the two areas (circled in red) that still need to be clipped.

If I do Clip | Set I get the results of Capture-5.  Just the 'opposite' of what I need.

Any suggestions?

I do really appreciate you help on this.

Larry



EDIT --  I went back and sort of started over and I got it.  I think it had a lot to do with the order inwhich the individual clips were being added to the drawing.  I paid attention to how the objects got added and it worked.

Your ideas got me to thinking so I tried this different approach.

Larry

[brynn]

Yes, those are the same 2 pieces which would not clip away for me either.  I'm not clear though, if you still need help.  Your last edit sounds like you were successful.

Aaaahh - I just figured it out!  By manipulating the clipping path (the one that can be adjusted after the clip is in place, the green one) I realize that that sub-path just needs to be reversed.  Personally, I would just edit the green clipping path with the Node tool.  But it might be more proper to release the clip, reverse those 2 subpaths, and then perform the clip again.

Anyway, I'm glad you got it working!  I hope the banner works out like you want