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2. Basics of Image Processing

## 2.7 Clipping Layers

Clipping layers are clipping - as their name already mentions - other layers. Those layers are clipped that are in the same group and are drawn before the clipping layer. The clipped layers are not modified, they are only drawn differently.

A simple example illustrates this behaviour:

If the text layer is made a clipping layer, the result will look like this:

So the flower is only visible, where text is displayed. But no part of the flower is deleted, it is still complete.

Every layer type - this means groups, too - can be made a clipping layer (see chapter 4.7 and chapter 7.5.19), but best suited are vector layers, text layer and gray images without transparency. Color images or gray images with transparency should only be used if really necessary, because they are displayed noticeably slower.

The following example shows a flower clipped by a gray image containing a gradient from black to white:

The edge of clipping layers can be softened (see chapter 7.5.20). This way an image masked by a vector layer can be inserted more smoothly in a given background.

If you are creating a clipping layer, you have to pay attention that it may be necessary to hide the clipping layer (see chapter 4.7), because it may cover the expected result. In our examples the clipping layers are hidden, too, because otherwise there would have been nothing visible except them.