How to use a SVG as a mask...successfully :)

[Mistica]

Hi all, I have been trying on and off to do this right.
I have affinity photo so do know how to use a png blog etc. as a mask. I am not a power user of AF but do that well enough.

Years ago I did an export of a heart and chose the file format to be SVG.
I uploaded it to Zazzle my images.
I could not really see the image (first tries).
Somehow I do have an old attempt with a SVG heart.
I had my layers all set up and made sure I moved the heart physically on top of the cabin image.
I then click on the cabin image layer while holding shift and this hightlighted the heart layer.
I clicked mask and something did happen...BUT...there is nothing to be seen. My layers did indicated that it worked as it was now labeled "mask". I do have very little knowledge about svg's but I did all the steps and I have zero.
I have two test svgs. One I did years ago and the image looks like a png after exporting as a SVG.
Today's efforts I took a black blog, saved as SVG and it look like nothing.
I uploaded the nothing and treated it as it I was a something...but masking did not work again. Youtube was not able to help either. I know it is always "the little things". But can't figure that out. Help anyone?

[PenguinPower]

It sounds like you did everything properly.. Can you either post some screen shots or post the item for sale (editable, so that the design tool can be accessed) as "direct" and put the link in here so that it can be viewed. I'm not sure your problem is diagnosable from description alone. 

here's a product I made with an SVG shape. It's viewable in the design tool, so you can get in and check out how I've done it, if you want.
https://www.zazzle.com/z/79p3fsfv

[Mistica]

Thank you. Looking to see if I can attach a file to this.

[Windy]

Can you publish what you did get, and then link it here so we can take a look? 

[Mistica]

[Mistica]

I just noticed. I created it again using Affinity Photo. Saved it as a SVG (exported).
I then grabbed a random image and open up my new SVG file. When stored it takes on the icon of the browser (fox)  so I never get to see the blob. I upload it by recognition of the file name.  So...here it is in Affinity Photo and voila....it works fine! But..if I upload it to my images on Z.... I see nothing and I get what you all got...nothing.
Here it is on my laptop Affinity Photo...after applying.

[Mistica]

Here is the test product.
The heart I made a while back ...it at least can be seen as a heart.
The black blob today cannot be seen at all.
Both case produce what looks should have a result..but don't.
I wonder if I can attach both files for you.?
https://www.zazzle.com/ap49_svg_test_business_card-256758347275331520

[PenguinPower]

Weird... indeed it just disappears. It must be something about your SVG file... I tried just drawing a circle in the design tool and it worked as expected. I'm not sure what would make it do that though. 

[Sara_H]

@Mistica which photo editing software are you creating svg's in? I've just made one in Affinity photo (exported as svg) uploaded it and masked it successfully.

Could your export settings be borked somehow?

These are mine in Affinity Photo

I don't use 'save as svg' - go straight to export svg

[Mistica]

Wow...thank you. I am going to check out those setting right now.

[Mistica]

I am still working on it.
If I am seeing this correctly there are only 2 settings.
1. choose the drop down menu ...  SVG for Export
2l and in more...advanced... Use the same resolution 
I had a 3rd setting that I left by mistake on so no go...yet.

[Mistica]

Darn...I keep missing something.
I do the dropdown and chose SVG for export.
then I hit more...and advanced...and uncheck everything except to use the resolution.
I noticed during the 2nd action the first action gets undone (drop down).
I will keep at it. 

[Windy]

I've been trying a number of things to see if I can find a clue. One thing I tried is to delete all the extra files in the product---I wanted to see what would happen if the only layers present are the ones you want to mask together. But when I click on one of the layers which seems extra, my screen locks up. That's happened a few times.....I do not know what is causing that. 

[Mistica]

 I notice that the blog just flashes for a nano second but while in My Images...it is just blank.

[Sara_H]

@Mistica is it affinity photo or affinity photo 2? And what is the resolution of your starting image that you are trying to save as a svg?

[Mistica]

so far step one.

[Mistica]

I must be missing something. There are only 2 settings.
When uploading to Z I see a flash of the blob..and it quickly disappears ..so that is why I get nothings. I do have Affinity Photo. 

[Sara_H]

@Mistica your image may be too complicated (I've only ever made simple shapes into svgs)

[Mistica]

I will soon find out. I just spent $2 plus tax to buy some SVG's so lets see if they work. They are line drawings...wild flowers.

[Mistica]

While on my PC, the file looks like it should. It seems that the uploading is when the image gets stripped away. It literally flashes while loading.

Here is one of a ton on my PC.

[Sara_H]

@Mistica was your image created with vector shapes or is it just a rasterized png? It looks like there's some transparency there (which doesn't translate well to svg - image has to be solid)

experiment exporting as a pdf and see if that works (I have no clue if it will)

[Mistica]

I just bought some wildflowers...very complex pngs AND svgs. They worked like a charm

(the svg's) . I wonder if the size matters as far as Zazzle uploading?  My file was about 1400 x 900 with dpi 72.  My flowers are about 116K which is tiny compared to my shower curtains etc.

[Cat]

Hmmm... well I know virtually nothing about SVGs, so this falls into the category of the blind leading the blind, but I played around with it a little bit. I couldn't make any of your svgs work, but I tried with all of these - all fairly complicated svgs, at least one of these has multiple colors and gradients, and they all worked fine. I don't really know what that means, but I think you can rule out the complexity of the shape and/or how many colors it has as the problem. Clearly there's something wrong with your svg files, but I haven't a clue what it might be.

[Mistica]

Thanks for trying Cat.
Sara gave me the actual settings and I can't seem to duplicate them. Maybe my version of the software is different...but doubt it.
From what i can tell the there are only 3 settings to deal with...but nope. It keeps want to go back into default settings I guess. I really don't know much about my software. I basically use it for just bull work.  The wild flowers I just bought worked just fine...so it is clearly the HOW part that I am messing up. I have been trying to figure this out...on and off...for years. I spent the whole day trying. ugggg...

[Cat]

Hmmm... well, the only programs I've used to create svg files are Inkscape (free download, sort of like Adobe Illustrator I think - very powerful but super complicated) and Photopea (Photopea | Online Photo Editor). Photopea is by far the easiest - and mostly I've used it to convert jpegs or pngs to svg. Everything I've created with both of those seems to work, but as I say, I don't really have a clue what I'm doing!  Good luck!

[Mistica]

I just tried photopea. will try again. It all looks good until I try to upload. 

[Cat]

What happens when you try to upload it?

[Mistica]

I see the orange line going from left to right and a few very quick flashes of the design,,,and then I see like an imageless png. Nothing there. 

[Mistica]

My purchased svg wildflowers ... that were 3600x3600 300 res worked just fine.

[Cat]

wait... I'm confused. So did you use Photopea to create a png or an svg? I've only ever used it to create an svg. For everything else I use GIMP. 

[Cat]

Do you get a server error like this? 

[Mistica]

Hi Cat, 
No error at all. It seemed to struggle to get the image, even though my test purchase of wild flowers SVG's had much larger png's to start with. It did have the flowers in SVG too. I do think the problem is my ignorance on how to use my software. There must be a setting I am missing. 

[Cat]

It does sound like there's a problem with the image itself. You might be able to get some clues by opening the image in another app - not sure if you're on a Mac or PC, but on a PC if you right click on the file you get the option to open it in a variety of different programs. 

[katz_d_zynes]

The timing of this thread …

I’ve been struggling with svgs for a while, too … the zazzle design tool would lock up on me every time. Ugh. Finally had success yesterday, funny enough. Using my windows pc and affinity designer v.1, on export I changed the preset to SVG (digital - high quality). Got the funny browser icon again after saving, thought *oh here we go again* but it uploaded to Z and it worked!! Couldn’t believe my eyes lol  Not sure why I wouldn’t have tried that setting in the past  *shrug* My image was much simpler than yours, though.

I didn’t have to change any settings on my mac using v.2, photo & designer, & the saved file looks like a png. 

[Mistica]

Thank you for your input. 

I just tried it after reading about your experience. When uploading it to Z lasted a few seconds longer before it decided to be transparent.