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Exporting to SVG

John Barton

Hello, I have a problem for which I can find no answer anywhere else.

I am creating ovals with transparent interiors that need to be exported to SVG and then uploaded to a website for use in a sign making app.  The problem is that when I create the oval correctly in Corel and upload to SVG then the inner oval is not transparent.  Basically I create two ovals and clip the selected objects so that the oval has a transparent center.  If I do this in inkscape and save it then I can upload it to the website and it works as it is exepcted to.  If I save an SVG oval from the web and import to Corel and then modify it and export it to SVG it works.  

I have gone over this every way I can think of and can find no reason why this isn't working.  I am happy to make a video for anyone who wants to see the exact process.  I am super frustrated and I don't want to have to do all this work in inkscape given that I have been with CorelDraw since the 90s.  

I am using Corel on the mac if that makes a difference and I haven't yet tried it on a windows version.  

Here is a link to a video I uploaded to YouTube for anyone who can help with this.  thank you greatly in advance for anyone who tries to help!



  • here is a video I made of the problem.  In the interim I have discovered that if I type the letter O and convert it to curves and export that to SVG then it works as expected - genuinely flummoxed here as to why using regular curves doesn't work.

    www.youtube.com/watch

  • This usually happens because CorelDraw on mac exports clipping groups differently (clipPath vs mask), so the inner oval isn’t preserved as true transparency in SVG, try converting the clip to a compound path or exporting as SVG 1.1 with “preserve appearance” off. I’ve seen similar asset-structure quirks in workflows beyond design too, including projects around blockchain consulting services canada where SVG handling standards matter for consistency.

  • Yeah, this kind of SVG “hole not becoming transparent” issue is actually pretty common between CorelDRAW and Inkscape.

    What’s happening is usually that Corel is exporting the shape as two separate filled paths (or using a clipping method), while your sign app expects a proper compound path with a hole (evenodd fill rule). Inkscape handles that more cleanly by default, which is why it works there.

    A few things you can try in CorelDRAW:

    • Instead of “clip”, use Combine (Ctrl + L) to create a true compound path
    • After combining, check if it’s set to “Convert to Curves”
    • In Object Properties (or Fill settings), set fill rule to Even-Odd Fill if available
    • When exporting SVG, try different options like:
      • SVG Tiny / Plain SVG
      • Disable “export as curves per object” if it’s splitting shapes

    Also worth testing:

    • Export one simple version (just 2 ovals combined) to isolate the issue
    • Open the SVG in a text editor — if you see two filled paths instead of one compound path, that’s the problem

    Since you already confirmed Inkscape works, it strongly suggests the issue is how Corel is building the path structure, not the design itself.

    Are you using PowerClip or just Combine for the cutout?

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