Trying to cut out shapes from an image, and then export as an SVG with a transparent background.

[costin.us]

I have looked through the forums, the support pages, and watched a couple YouTube videos, but I haven't found the best method of accomplishing my task. 

In summary, I want to take a .jpeg image, and cut out the background of spaces outside the image, and inside the image. Then I want to export to SVG. I want the background of all the spots I've cutout to be transparent. With the methods listed below, my image cutouts are not transparent on the exported SVG. My image is a case. sample.afdesign is attached. I am using Affinity Designer V2 at the moment because I found the most documentation and methods around using this software.

The methods I have found and tried are.

1. using the pen tool to draw around the case, give the curve a fill, and then from the layer drop down I made it an erase layer. Visually it looks to do the job, but the exported SVG does not show that area cut out.
2. I tried the Pixel Persona selection brush tool to select the portions of the background that differed from the black of the case. That seemed to work well until I got to the portions of the image where the background was very similar to the case. I had to touch up the edges / stroke with the eraser brush to remove the boarder. 
3. I found that I can use the pen tool to make a shape of a section that I want to cut out, choose invert selection to get the piece I want, but I am not sure what to do with it from there. 

From what I am reading, I feel like a need a method of making the shape of the area I want to cut out, make a mask, then delete the mask. Or flatten the mask and the image I am working with. I don't completely understand the usage of a mask, so I am trying to figure that out as well. If it helps, in the past I used fireworks to accomplish the task with the pen tool, converting that to a marquee, cutting out whatever was within the marquee, and making another shape. I refuse to go back to that. I bought the whole Affinity suite, so if another tools is more efficient I can go that route as well.

 

Thanks in advance for any help.

sample.afdesign

Edited April 3 by costin.us
Failed to mention the SVG export.

[David in Яuislip]

I can't read your V2 file and I might be off with my understanding that you want to isolate something from a jpg then cut holes in that
I don't have a case but I do have a cake so that will have to do
1) use an image layer not pixel
2) use Geometry/Merge Curves not Boolean subtract to form the clipping object

What I did is in the pdf, any other approach will result in rasterisation of the clipped image
Good luck

ClippingCake.pdf

[costin.us]

Hi David, 

I think the clipping cake covers everything I am trying to do. If not I will put a PDF together as you did. Thank you for the reply.

[costin.us]

Thank you David, the steps provided worked as expected. Attached is a PDF of the case I was working on for reference. 

Affinity Designer 2 - Clipping How To, Case Sample.pdf

[David in Яuislip]

I'm pleased you succeeded
FWIW I only worked it out by building the design in Inkscape, saved as svg, opened in Affinity and figured out what it needed. I don't use Affinity for serious svg work, far too many issues for me to bother working around