Changing the background color of the canvas using Javascript

I want to create a rect on a canvas with a slightly transparent background, but I don't want the drawn rect to have any background.

Here is an example of what I'm looking for:

https://i.stack.imgur.com/axtcE.png

The code I am using is as follows:

var canvas = document.getElementById('canvas');
var img = document.getElementById('photo');
var ctx = canvas.getContext('2d');
var rect = {};
var drag = false;
var update = true; // when true updates canvas
var original_source = img.src;
img.src = original_source;

function init() {
    img.addEventListener('load', function(){
        canvas.width = img.width;
        canvas.height = img.height;
        canvas.addEventListener('mousedown', mouseDown, false);
        canvas.addEventListener('mouseup', mouseUp, false);
        canvas.addEventListener('mousemove', mouseMove, false);
    });
    // start the rendering loop
    requestAnimationFrame(updateCanvas);
}

// main render loop only updates if update is true
function updateCanvas(){
  if(update){
      drawCanvas();
      update = false;
  }

  requestAnimationFrame(updateCanvas);
}

// draws a rectangle with rotation 
function drawRect(){
   ctx.setTransform(1,0,0,1,rect.startX + rect.w / 2, rect.startY + rect.h / 2);
   ctx.rotate(rect.rotate);
   ctx.beginPath();
   ctx.rect(-rect.w/2, -rect.h/2, rect.w, rect.h);
   /* ctx.fill(); */
   ctx.stroke();
}

// clears canvas sets filters and draws rectangles
function drawCanvas(){
    // restore the default transform as rectangle rendering does not restore the transform.
    ctx.setTransform(1,0,0,1,0,0);
    ctx.clearRect(0, 0, canvas.width, canvas.height);
    drawRect()
}

// create new rect add to array 
function mouseDown(e) {
    rect = {
      startX : e.offsetX,
      startY : e.offsetY,
      w : 1,
      h : 1,
      rotate : 0,
    };
    drag = true;
}

function mouseUp() { drag = false; buttons_shown = true; update = true; }

function mouseMove(e) {
    if (drag) {
        rect.w = (e.pageX - this.offsetLeft) - rect.startX;
        rect.h = (e.pageY - this.offsetTop) - rect.startY;
        update = true;
    }
}

init();
.hide{
    display: none !important;
}

canvas{
  position: absolute;
  left: 0; 
  right: 0; 
  top: 0; 
  bottom: 0; 
  display:inline-block;
  background:rgba(0,0,0,0.3);
}
<div style="position: relative; overflow: hidden;display:inline-block;">
    <img id="photo" src="http://www.html5canvastutorials.com/demos/assets/darth-vader.jpg"/>
    <canvas id="canvas"></canvas>
</div>


<div id="buttons" class="hide"></div>

In my scenario, I've set the canvas background to match what I want, but I'm struggling to make the drawn rect appear without that background color being applied.

Here is the fiddle.

Any suggestions on how to solve this issue?

Answer №1

To achieve this effect, there are several methods that can be used such as compositing or clip-path. However, the simplest approach for creating a rectangle with a hole is to utilize the "evenodd" fill-rule parameter of the fill() method in CanvasRenderingContext2D.

The process involves drawing a larger rectangle covering the entire canvas first, and then within the same path declaration, drawing a smaller inner rectangle. By setting the fill-rule to "evenodd", the smaller rectangle will be excluded from the larger one.

function drawRect() {
  ctx.beginPath(); // defines a single path
  ctx.rect(0, 0, ctx.canvas.width, ctx.canvas.height); // draws big rectangle covering canvas
  ctx.setTransform(1, 0, 0, 1, rect.startX + rect.w / 2, rect.startY + rect.h / 2);
  ctx.rotate(rect.rotate);
  ctx.rect(-rect.w / 2, -rect.h / 2, rect.w, rect.h);
  ctx.fill('evenodd'); // sets fill-rule to evenodd
  ctx.beginPath(); // starts a new path declaration
  ctx.rect(-rect.w / 2, -rect.h / 2, rect.w, rect.h);
  ctx.stroke(); // strokes small rectangle
}

var canvas = document.getElementById('canvas');
var img = document.getElementById('photo');
var ctx = canvas.getContext('2d');
var rect = {};
var drag = false;
var update = true; 
var original_source = img.src;

// Event listeners for mouse interactions
function init() {
  img.addEventListener('load', function() {
    canvas.width = img.width;
    canvas.height = img.height;
    canvas.addEventListener('mousedown', mouseDown, false);
    canvas.addEventListener('mouseup', mouseUp, false);
    canvas.addEventListener('mousemove', mouseMove, false);

    // context styles
    ctx.fillStyle = 'rgba(0,0,0,.5)';
    ctx.strokeStyle = 'white';
    ctx.lineWidth = 2;
  });
  
  requestAnimationFrame(updateCanvas); // rendering loop
}

// renders canvas only if update is true
function updateCanvas() {
  if (update) {
    drawCanvas();
    update = false;
  }

  requestAnimationFrame(updateCanvas);
}

// clears canvas, applies filters, and draws rectangles
function drawCanvas() {
  ctx.setTransform(1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0);
  ctx.clearRect(0, 0, canvas.width, canvas.height);
  drawRect()
}

// creates new rectangle on mouse down
function mouseDown(e) {
  rect = {
    startX: e.offsetX,
    startY: e.offsetY,
    w: 1,
    h: 1,
    rotate: 0,
  };
  drag = true;
}

function mouseUp() {
  drag = false;
  buttons_shown = true;
  update = true;
}

function mouseMove(e) {
  if (drag) {
    rect.w = (e.pageX - this.offsetLeft) - rect.startX;
    rect.h = (e.pageY - this.offsetTop) - rect.startY;
    update = true;
  }
}

init();
.hide {
  display: none !important;
}

canvas {
  position: absolute;
  left: 0;
  right: 0;
  top: 0;
  bottom: 0;
  display: inline-block;
  background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3);
}
<div style="position: relative; overflow: hidden;display:inline-block;">
  <img id="photo" src="http://www.html5canvastutorials.com/demos/assets/darth-vader.jpg" />
  <canvas id="canvas"></canvas>
</div>

<div id="buttons" class="hide"></div>

Answer №2

Make sure to fill your rectangle before using ctx.stroke(), as demonstrated below:

ctx.fillStyle = "rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.3)";
ctx.fill();

By following this method, you can achieve a similar effect to what was displayed in the original question. Instead of just applying a css background, filling both inside and outside of the rectangle with the desired style would result in an even more enhanced effect.

Answer №3

To start, create a complete canvas with a slightly transparent background by using the following code:

ctx.fillStyle = 'rgba(50, 50, 50, 0.6)';
ctx.fillRect(0, 0, width, height);

Next, simply clear a specific rectangular area from this canvas using the following code:

ctx.clearRect(x, y, rect_width, rect_height);

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