
Inkscape 0.48 Illustrator's Cookbook

A blending filter primitive can be applied to a layer by using the Layers dialog and selecting a Blend mode. There's a catch however: you can only choose one from a predefined list.
There is a way though to apply a complex filter to a whole layer manually. This method was first invented by the Inkscape forum user kelan (http://www.inkscapeforum.com) and expanded by Ivan Loulette. It involves playing some dirty tricks with the XML editor, but the results are quite effective.
This recipe will guide us through that method of adding a filter to all objects in a layer.
The following steps will demonstrate how to use a filter on all the objects in a layer:
1. In a new document open the Layers dialog (Shift + Ctrl + L) and create a new layer. Name it "Filtered".
2. Select the Rectangle tool (F4 or R) and create a rectangle. Set its fill to #0044AA
and remove the stroke.
3. Apply the 3D mother of pearl filter by going to Filters | Materials | 3D mother...
Change the font size
Change margin width
Change background colour