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What ways would *you guys/gals* recreate the specular highlight along the chameleon's back and in its eyes?

Relative theory, or specific instructions will do.

Or... how would one put the "ice" on the mountain, in the Inkscape icon?

My relative method for this, is to:

1. Create an object.
2. Duplicate said object. (CTRL+D)
3. Draw the path or outline I need over the duplicate. (Pen, Bezier, or Calligraphy)
4. Select said duplicate and the path.
5. Intersection. (CTRL+*)
6. Do something such as opacity, blur, or lighten to get your "specular highlight."
7. Place your intersected duplicate on your original object, pixel perfectly.

Could I do this easier? Better? With better results? Anything?

Hmmm... you're making it sound complicated. After drawing the lizard, I would just draw another shape for the highlight over the lizard and give it a linear gradient from solid-white to transparent-white.

That may work for something simple, but the entire reason I use an intersected object is because it will have the exact shape I need (the original).

For something complex I couldn't possibly imagine having to draw an intricate shape. Especially if I've already created it once.

My relative method for this, is to:

1. Create an object.
2. Duplicate said object. (CTRL+D)
3. Draw the path or outline I need over the duplicate. (Pen, Bezier, or Calligraphy)
4. Select said duplicate and the path.
5. Intersection. (CTRL+*)
6. Do something such as opacity, blur, or lighten to get your "specular highlight."
7. Place your intersected duplicate on your original object, pixel perfectly.

that's basically how i would go about doing it. except when i duplicate i also do a dynamic offset and bring it in a little before i draw my path and cutaway.

heathenx wrote:that's basically how i would go about doing it. except when i duplicate i also do a dynamic offset and bring it in a little before i draw my path and cutaway.

You know, I hadn't even thought of that. I normally just use SHIFT+Drag, but I definitely see using a Dynamic Offset being the better option.

Thanks for that tip!

sometimes you can do a ctrl+shift+drag on the duplicated copy too...but it is not as accurate as dynamic offset.

Duplicate, offset and then clip would be my suggestion, rather than the intersect, as the shape of your highlight stays easily editable.

Simarilius wrote:Duplicate, offset and then clip would be my suggestion, rather than the intersect, as the shape of your highlight stays easily editable.

I don't see how clipping would be beneficial in this regard. Could you provide some generic steps, please?

Nor do i understand how "the shape of your highlight stays easily editable." Or at least, I don't understand why it is considered easily editable but an intersected object is not. Could you explain, please?

If you draw the line you want the specular to stop at and intersect, once its done that shape is now a dumb path.
If instead you make that line the bottom edge of a shape that overlaps the offset shape with the specular gradient and clip, you can
unclip, edit, and reclip anytime you want. You can move it up, move it down, shrink it, whatever it essentially seperates the highlight profile
from the shape. To do those changes with the intersected shape youd require node tweaking to match the original offset shape.

I'll admit, I still didn't understand that until I was able to play with it.

Now after toying with clipping a bit I see why it is so much better than working with Path Operations.

Thanks for that tip!

Glad you got waht I mean once you played with it. Not the easiest thing to explain in text, but having it remain editable is a big plus.
I'm just realised you can do 1 better tho, rather than duplicate and offset, do linked offset, that way if you edit the parent shape the
highlight outline will update too.

Simarilius wrote:Glad you got waht I mean once you played with it. Not the easiest thing to explain in text, but having it remain editable is a big plus.

Yeah, I know. That's why I read it like ten times before even trying it yesterday.

Simarilius wrote:I'm just realised you can do 1 better tho, rather than duplicate and offset, do linked offset, that way if you edit the parent shape the
highlight outline will update too.

Ooo. You rock. Thanks for tipping me to that one.

Sooner or later I would have got there, but I always appreciate those tips that boost productivity *now*.