Shapes, and SVG Shadow in H&M 9

[Mark Wilsdorf]

On Windows 11, running the current version of SnipSVG...

(1) Create a capture with Snip on Win 11, apply a Shape, and a Shadow. Save as SVG and also as PNG (see Test1.PNG).

(2) Insert the SVG in H&M 9 (running on Win 7), and it loses the Shadow in H&M (see SnipH&M attachment). (I mention running H&M on Win 7 just in case that matters...still working with H&M 9 on a Win 7 a couple more weeks...) However, the PNG file keeps its shadow in H&M.

Is this expected behavior for an SVG in H&M?

Unrelated...

Is there a way to add Shapes to SnipSVG--i.e., to define shape masks? I want a jagged right-and-bottom edge of images, to imply that the image is part of a larger image, and the closest available Shape in SnipSVG (the one applied to the image described above) is extreme--it eats away a large chunk of a square or rectangular image.

[Tim Green]

Hi Mark,

SVGs directly inserted in Help+Manual won't display the shadows, but they will be there in HTML output, where SVGs are used natively. We generally recommend using the SnipX format for inserting in Help+Manual. That will render the shadows also in the editor, and you will also get better results in PDF, because then you will get a PNG with rendered shadows that cannot otherwise be rendered in PDF. The price is a little additional processing time for the conversion of the SnipX files when you publish from Help+Manual.

Note that some SVGs can be inserted natively in PDFs, but as soon as they become more complex or include things like gradients and shadows it becomes necessary to convert them to PNG.

You can't add custom shapes to SnipSVG.

[Mark Wilsdorf]

Great explanation Tim...thanks.

[Mark Wilsdorf]

One more thing...

As for the custom shapes, I often find that the standard masks included in graphic editors are mostly useless except for achieving a few glitzy effects--like maybe converting a rectangular graphic into a thick curved arrow shape.

For me, it would be nice if shapes were automatically loaded from some kind of editable resource, if provided by the end user...or if the default set of shape masks were embedded as in the EXE as they currently are but supplemental shapes could be loaded manually, etc. (I assume the shapes are vector objects of some kind.)

That's the one thing which would make SnipSVG perfect for what I do. As things are, I'm not actively using SnipSVG now because of my image editing needs which it almost but not quite meets. (But I know that no software can be all things to all people!)

[Alexander Halser]

How do you imagine the shapes?

In HelpXplain you can create shapes from text and from SVG paths by manually entering the path data. We use this function regularly, because those manually created shapes are fully compatible with SnipSVG and one can transfer them with copy and paste. But I wonder if anybody else uses this feature in HelpXplain.

https://www.helpandmanual.com/hx/help/g ... hapes.html

[Mark Wilsdorf]

...it's news to me!

Thanks Alexander.