Tip: reducing the opacity of your mask can help you visualize where it lines up with your subject. You can change the positions of the stops in the gradient, the type of gradient, or any other aspect you’d like changed.įor this demonstration, I will change the gradient to a radial gradient: Opacity masks will work with any type of gradient, whether it be linear, radial, or mesh.Īnd here’s how it looks once applied to the subject as an opacity mask: With the radial mask applied, the inside of the subject remains visible, whereas the outer edges transition into transparency. Once the mask is released you can then adjust it. This will release the mask and bring you back to where you started:

To remove the mask, select your subject and navigate to Object > Mask > Release.

Or, in other words, it can easily be undone. One of the benefits of masking is that it’s non-destructive. If at any point you’d like to adjust the transparency levels of your opacity mask, you first have to release it from the subject. This will apply the rectangle as an opacity mask with Inkscape: How the subject looks with the mask applied. It is positioned op top of the subject.Īll you have to do now is select both the mask and the subject at the same time, then navigate Object > Mask > Set. Position your mask over the subject and make sure that it covers it completely: The mask is a rectangle with a linear gradient applied. For this demonstration, I will be creating a rectangle with a linear gradient going from black to white. Now we need to create the object that will be used as a mask.

It’s important to ensure that your objects are grouped together, otherwise the opacity mask will not work as intended. For this demonstration I will be applying it to a series of objects that have been grouped together: The opacity mask will be applied to this vector avatar. To create an opacity mask with Inkscape we first need an object to apply it to.

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