ArcGIS Pro Fill Layer Effect - Invert

[MatthewMiles2]

This one's a bit of a weird idea, but bear with me. Basically, I'd like to see a polygon fill layer effect that reverses the fill, globally covering the area around a polygon with a hole where the polygon is.

I came up with this thought while applying some of the design techniques in a couple (awesome) John Nelson posts here and here, where he created a visual mask for a map by creating a layer showing every state except Wyoming in a transparent white over a basemap.

In my case, the map I was trying to create didn't have any polygons except for the AOI I wanted the mask around - there were no other polygons to create the mask from. I got around this by taking a global polygon dataset in another Cartography blog post, copying it to my organization's SDE, and creating a Query Layer to generate a polygon covering the entire Earth minus that outline and drawing the mask. During this process I thought it would be so much easier if I could just do all that with a layer effect in Pro.

[mapping_gnome]

We definitely need this! There is a QGIS tool called inverted polygon which does what you're describing, but nothing I've been able to find in Arcpro. 

[GraemeBrowning]

This functionality has been sought at Inverted Polygon in ArcGIS Pro - Geographic Information Systems Stack Exchange too.

[RosnerHenrique]

Hello,

My name is Rosner Henrique, I am a Cartographer Engineer and I work with ArcGIS from versions 9.x to the current ArcGIS Pro 3.3... And in comparison to QGIS, it is often necessary to stimulate creativity in order to obtain results similar to what we have in QGIS for example. I want to say that some functionality found in QGIS is not available in ArcGIS in a similar way, this is a fact, but it is possible to achieve the same result using ArcGIS.Let's go:

Creating an Inverted Polygon in ArcGIS Pro

1. Surface Layer Configuration:

   • Ensure your surface layer (polygon or image) is well-configured with clearly defined borders. Use Map Series if necessary.

2. Add a Rectangular Image:

   • Insert a rectangular image with the desired color and transparency (50% recommended).

3. Configure Background Layer:

   • Add a hybrid basemap layer.
   • In the layout, set the Display Option to Linked map frame center and scale, referencing the main map.

Detailed Steps in Print Layout

1. Open Print Layout:

   • Go to Insert > New Layout to create a new print layout.

2. Add and Configure Main Map:

   • Insert and position the main map with the surface layer.

3. Add Rectangular Image:

   • Use the drawing tool to add a rectangular image with 50% transparency.

4. Add and Configure Background Layer:

   • Insert the hybrid basemap and set it to Linked map frame center and scale, referencing the main map.

5. Adjust Opacity:

   • Ensure the area around the main map has the desired opacity, creating the inverted polygon effect.

Final Result

The layout should show a map with adjusted opacity around the main map, achieving the inverted polygon effect.

Additional Tip

• Map Series: Use Map Series to define different borders and areas of interest for each page, applying this inverted polygon technique consistently.

Ps.: Don't notice the layout, it was still in progress😁

[RosnerHenrique]

Final result

[RosnerHenrique]

I hope I helped, if you need to share an idea, look for me on LinkedIn!!!