Hi Friends,
I'm having trouble with clipping again, where as soon as I go Object > Clip > Set, everything that I had selected to be clipped disappears. When this happened before, I was still learning how to use this feature. Eventually I found a way to get clipped what I wanted clipped, but it was never clear the problem had been solved. It was more like I found a work-around.

But now, I'm confident in using it, have used it successfully several times since. Yet this problem has happened again. Does anyone know what might cause this behavior?

I think I'll upload a svg file (at petaIMG) and hope someone can open it. Here's the link:
http://www.petaimg.com/uploads/1223096733.svg

And for clarity, the hot pink circle (below) indicates the area I'm trying to clip. There are something like 8 or 9 layers (at this point), with the clipping path in the top (and without fill or stroke, in preparation for using it as the clipping path). And it's the gray and white blur that extends outside the object that I'm trying to clip away.



Thanks for helping me sort this out, I really appreciate it

I can't access your image, as usual, but ideally you use one clip with per object. If you want to clip multiple objects it's best to group them. That's all I can say without seeing what happens for myself.

The lower shadows clipped OK for me, and look the same as the top shadows. Inkscape did do one weird thing for me. The very first time I was able to clip the left shadow to the petal, when the shadow was above the petal and on a separate layer. That should not happen. Inkscape should take the color and blur form the lower object. I did it a half a dozen more times, and Inkscape took the color form the bottom object each time. When forgot to put the shadow below the petal before clipping it (all but the first time), it looked like the clipped object had disappeared because it was the same color at the object under it. I have better luck clipping object when they are not in groups, especially if the objects in the group have different fills and strokes.

What version of Inkscape are you using now? If you did not already know, be careful if you use anything out of the effects menu on a file you have clipped objects in. If you undo an effect it erases all the clipped objects from the file. At least for the early versions of .46.

I can't see where the high lights are going out of bounds.

Early, I think I know what's happening when you say after clipping, it's taking the color of the "petal". The base object, that I'm adding shading and highlights to, the green one, is grouped with the green base of the other 3 to which I have so far added shading and highlights. So when you rubberband select the stack for that "petal", the base object is not selected, and should not be clipped. That shouldn't be a problem, as far as this issue. (I mean that shouldn't be causing the problem.) But it sounds like you're having the same result as me -- after clipping, all the selected objects (except the base which isn't selected or intended to be clipped) disappear.

I'm not sure I understand your comments, though, so maybe that's not what's happening for you. But after reading my description there, is that what you experience?

The very first time I was able to clip the left shadow to the petal, when the shadow was above the petal and on a separate layer. That should not happen.

I don't get what you mean. The shadow IS on a separate layer above the "petal" base object. But it wouldn't make sense to put it below, because it wouldn't be seen, since the base is opaque. It IS however, below the clipping path. Isn't that how it's supposed to be, the clipping path on top of everything that's being clipped?

Geez, maybe I don't understand clipping after all?

PS -- I haven't used any Effects.
PPS -- The highlight blurs do extend beyond the border of the base, but you'd have to put it on a dark background to see it. I use the eyedropper tool to check for this, because eventually, I'm thinking of having a very dark background. So I'm sure they need to be clipped.
PPPS -- I'm using 0.46, the last stable version.

Sorry for all the editing here, and thanks for your comments

I guess I should not have include the bug part. Ignore the bug part. Except the first time it work the way it should. And things did not disappear. When it looked like something disappeared, it was only camouflaged by it's color. I'm not sure what problem you are having. I'll do the basics, if this isn't what you are looking for you are going to have to be more specific on what you are asking.

For the rest of this post I'll use the word path to mean either a path or a union of paths.

Clipping is pretty much the boolean intersection operation with some bells and whistles. Like intersection when you do a clip, which path is on top matters. When you go object>set>clip shape of the top path is retained. While the colors of the path on the bottom is limited to inside upper path's shape. In that sense, you started with two paths and end with one object, so you lose something each time you go set>clip. Say you want to to clip a blur path as shadow to you teal petal. And you're petal and shadow are on the same layer. Clone the petal select the clone petal and the shadow and clip... presto you are done. Say you want to clip your shadow and shadow to two layers up from the petal. You go clone petal clip shadow and stuff seems to disappear, because you forgot to promote the cloned petal up to the shadows layer. So now you have a teal clipped object sitting on top of a teal object. So as I tried to explain about nothing really disappear it just looked like it disappeared.

I can't picture doing a rubber banned to select for a clip. You should only be selecting two paths at a time for the clip. How every if you use rubber banned to select and you grab more that two paths stuff will disappear, because clip will take the intersect of the first two paths it seeing then delete anything else you may have selected.

In the file you provided the items that are clipped are not bleeding over the edge of the the teal petals. On the top center petal the shadows are clipped and in place. On the bottom center petal the shadows are not clipped so they do extend out. But I had no problem clipping them.

I did not say the highlights were not bleeding out. That is why I said I can't see where they are bleeding out, if they are. And yes I know enough to look on a black back ground FFS. I did not make the image so don't know exactly where you don't want stuff. And I was not about to randomly click around with an eye dropping looking for variations in the color.

The best illustration of clipping I've seen is one on the inkscape sight: http://www.inkscape.org/screenshots/gal ... D-rope.png.

Oh gee, Early, I did not mean to insult you. In no way did I intend to criticize. I'm not sure what I might have said, but you sound a bit defensive, and I'm very sorry if I said something inappropriate.

If you would have any patience left, I would like to confirm that I understand your comments. Are you saying that only one object or path can be clipped? I thought one could clip as many objects as they want, as long as the clipping path is on top?

And you said

You go clone petal clip shadow and stuff seems to disappear, because you forgot to promote the cloned petal up to the shadows layer.

But that's not true. My clipping path is way up in Layer 1.9. The 2 shadings and 2 highlights that I think need to be clipped are in Layers 1.1 to 1.5. (For those who can't open the svg file, the layers are in order numerically.)

Also, when I try to clip and everything that I'm trying to clip disappears, all that's left is the base green "petal", in Layer 1. There is not a new green petal on top of it, which is what I understand you are saying....is that what you're saying, the bug thing? But ok, forget the bug thing, sorry.

I really do appreciate your help Early, and I apologize again if I was offensive.

Are you able to upload the SVG somewhere else?

Not at this time

Ok, so I can see the file now. For clarity, the shape you are using as a clip doesn't exist in the file you've uploaded? I can just draw an oval on layer 1.9? Also, you are clipping every object in every visible layer? That's 33 objects across 10 layers?

For clarity, the shape you are using as a clip doesn't exist in the file you've uploaded?

No, that's not correct. It's in Layer 1.9, but it has no fill and no stroke. It's a duplicate of the green base shape, with fill and stroke removed.

Also, you are clipping every object in every visible layer? That's 33 objects across 10 layers?

No, I'm only working with that portion of the image in the hot pink circle, in the png image I inserted above. It's 8 objects in 6 layers.

Thank you for your patience and for continuing to try and open the svg file. I appreciate your help.

Everything disappears because the clipping path moves to a location that doesn't overlap the other objects. I don't know why. I'm sure it's not by design so feel free to post it as a bug. Remember to upload the offending SVG--but you might like to do the developers a favour and strip away ALL layers and objects that have no bearing on the behaviour. Ideally you should be able to provide them with a file that contain 2 layers and no more than 3 objects that replicates the problem.

Wow, thanks micro

That sounds weird....where does it move to? Well, never mind, now that I know what to look for, I should be able to find it.

Ok, I will work on making a suitable file for the developers that illustrates the problem.
Thanks agian for you patience and help. I really appreciate it

[Edit] typo

Sorry to drag this back up from the previous page.

I'm just getting around to preparing a report for Launchpad, and either I've misunderstood microUgly, or his "diagnosis" is "a swing and a miss" as they say. Most likely I've misunderstood!

In order to show that

Everything disappears because the clipping path moves to a location that doesn't overlap the other objects.

I decided to use a semi-transparent fill for the clipping path. That way I thought it could be clearly seen exactly where it moves to.

But my result shows the clipping path is exactly where it should be....yet everything I was trying to clip has disappeared. Rats, ImageShack won't give me the url at the moment. But I'll edit in a png as soon as I get it. The svg, however, should still be at the same petaIMG url I posted above (although note that petaIMG sometimes can't find images it hosts -- it's a known problem they're working on).

Sorry to have to resurrect this thread. What am I missing here? When micro said that it moved, I expected to see the semitransparently filled path elsewhere on the image. But it shows up right where it should be.

Thanks for your patience with me and this blankitty-blank-blank problem

[Edit] Ok, here's my result, using a partially transparent yellow fill for the clipping path. See how it ends up right where you'd expect (er, right where I expect, in any case)? This is after I've set the clip (Clip > Set).

What you've described in your example doesn't makes sense because a clipping-object (the object being used as a clip, not the clipped-object) has no visual properties. If the clipping-object moves (and not the clipped-object) you won't see it. And you won't see the clipped-object either because they don't overlap.

I was only able to find it the moved clipping-path using 0.47dev which lets you edit it's shape.

Also, the fact that you got the clip to work by clipping something different isn't surprising. 99% of the time clips do work as expected. It's something about the objects your are clipping that is causing the problem. So clipping something different and seeing it work reinforces that.

It might be easier if I report the bug. I've already stripped your image of unrelated objects and can provide the exact steps to replicate the issue.

Bug reported - 284709

Thanks for reporting it micro, because I still don't understand everything that's happening.

I understand that you've been able to find the errant clipping path, by using something in the 0,47 dev version that 0.46 doesn't have. So I understand that I never would have been able to create a sample file showing where the clipping path went to.

I will say that every time I've had this problem, where everything I'm trying to clip disappears, it's when I'm trying to clip several objects across several layers. When I clip just a few things, I'd say 3 or less, it's never happened. And the 1st time I reported it, where I finally found a way around it, the way around it was to group all the objects (which puts them all in the same layer). I didn't really want them grouped, but it was the only way to get the clip to work

But when I took my clipping path that was formerly without fill or stroke, and gave it a partially transparent fill, and then performed the clip, why is the result showinging only the clipping path, with its partially transparent fill? That's the part I still don't understand.

And I don't understand this comment either

What you've described in your example doesn't makes sense because a clipping-object (the object being used as a clip, not the clipped-object) has no visual properties.

Because it may not make sense, but that's what happens. I don't know if you still have an intact file left, but I suppose it's still there at the original link (petaIMG).

Could it be that this weird thing is happening as some kind of unexplainable result of the now known bug?

Thanks for hanging with me on this, I really appreciate it

brynn wrote:And I don't understand this comment either

What you've described in your example doesn't makes sense because a clipping-object (the object being used as a clip, not the clipped-object) has no visual properties.

You've said:

I decided to use a semi-transparent fill for the clipping path. That way I thought it could be clearly seen exactly where it moves to.

Having said that, refer to the below image,

In the first row, the red square is the "clipping-object" and the green circle is the "clipped-object". If the red square moved when you used it as a clip, how would you see it? It's just a windows that has no colour of its own. It colour won't help you find it if it moves 1000px to the right.

Oh yes, I recognize your examples from your Guide, I've read the clipping section many times. The Tavmjong Bah Guide as well.

Are you saying that the clipping path does not have to be transparent (or have no fll/stroke)? I know that nowhere in either guide is it said that the clipping path must be fully transparent. But in all the trouble I've had with learning clipping, there was a time when I could make the clip work ONLY when the clipping path lacked fill/stroke (or was transparent).

I guess it's all part of my learning process and I certainly don't remember all the steps I took, but I was trying everything I could think of to get it to work. And this was mostly trying to clip multiple objects across multiple layers, so no doubt this bug was the reason why it wouldn't work.

Well that makes clipping a whole lot less complicated -- not having to manipulate a fully transparent object and such! I guess I'll just group multiple objects before clipping, until this bug gets fixed.

I might mention that I tried moving the clipping path to a lower layer, and everything is clipped as expected But at least we've got the bug figured out now.

I can't thank you enough, microUgly, for all your help with this, and Early Blake too! This has been a very frustrating lesson for me, so I really appreciate your time and attention in helping me to understand it.

No problem. And yes, you do not need to make the clipping object transparent--it should not make any difference.