Clipping and masking are methods for restricting what part of an object (or Group of objects) is visible. For clipping, a clipping path defines the visible part of the object while for masking, the transparency or lightness of one object determines the opacity of a second object. In both cases, the target object is not changed and can be unclipped or unmasked if needed.

Simple examples of clipping (top) and masking (bottom). The left column shows the text that serves as the clipping path and the text for masking, both overlaying blue rectangles that are the targets of the clipping and masking. In the right column are the results of the clipping and masking.

	Tip
	A clipped or masked object can be edited (transformed, style changed, nodes edited, etc.) while clipped or masked. Objects within a clipped or masked Group can also be moved relative to the clipping path or masking object if the Group is entered.