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Inkscape Tutorial

This document provides an overview of the vector graphics editor Inkscape. It discusses how to set up and navigate canvases, create basic shapes using tools, transform objects, work with paths, combine objects, add and edit text, and save and export files in different formats. The summary focuses on the core functions of Inkscape for drawing, manipulating, and exporting vector graphics.

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adonay1982
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41 views32 pages

Inkscape Tutorial

This document provides an overview of the vector graphics editor Inkscape. It discusses how to set up and navigate canvases, create basic shapes using tools, transform objects, work with paths, combine objects, add and edit text, and save and export files in different formats. The summary focuses on the core functions of Inkscape for drawing, manipulating, and exporting vector graphics.

Uploaded by

adonay1982
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Inkscape Tutorial

v2023-02
Simon Andrews

simon.andrews@babraham.ac.uk
What is Inkscape?
• Vector Graphics Editor
• Free Software www.inkscape.org
• Cross Platform
• Easy to use
• Good for:
– Compositing
– Drawing
• Not for:
– Bitmap editing
Setting up a canvas
• File > Document Properties
• Shows page in view
• Doesn’t restrict drawing
• Useful as a guide
Moving around
• Panning
– Scroll bars on bottom / right
– Scroll up/down, Shift+scroll for left/right
• Zooming in / out
– Click to zoom in, shift+click to zoom out
– Control + Scroll Up/Down to zoom in/out to cursor
• Shortcuts
– Fit page, drawing, selection in window
The main toolbar
• Selection tool
• Edit nodes tool
• Make rectangles
• Make ellipses / arcs
• Make polygons / stars
• Make 3D boxes
• Make spirals
• Draw straight lines / curves
• Draw freehand lines
• Calligraphy tool
• Add text
Creating basic shapes
• Select tool from toolbar

• Click and drag on canvas


– Box selects the bounds of the new shape
– Colours are remembered from the last shape

• Basic options appear in top toolbar


– Number of spokes on stars
– Rounded corners on rectangles
– Circle vs segment vs arc
Creating basic shapes
Creating basic shapes
• Modifiers – press keys whilst drawing
– Control = Constrain height/width ratio
– Easiest way to make circles / squares

– Shift = grow from centre not edge

– Help appears at the bottom of the screen


Control nodes
• Use the Edit Nodes tool
• Two types of control points, squares and circles
– Squares generally change the size of the shape
– Circles change the appearance
General Transformations
• Select the Selection tool
• Moving – Click and drag an object
• Duplicating – Select object and press Ctrl+D
• Resizing / Rotating
– Click on object
– Click again to change control arrow type
– Click and drag arrows to resize / rotate
Resize / Rotate

Resize Rotate

• Can use shift/control keyboard modifiers as


before
• For rotation you can move the crosshair to
change the centre of rotation
Transform Shortcuts

• Rotate 90 degrees anticlockwise


• Rotate 90 degrees clockwise
• Mirror object around the vertical axis
• Mirror object around the horizontal axis
Selecting and Grouping
• Selecting multiple objects
– Drag a box to cover multiple objects
– Shift+click to add an object to a selection
– Shift+click on a selected object to remove it from the selection

• Grouping
– Combine multiple objects into a single object
– Reversible
Grouping
• Select Multiple Objects
• Object > Group (Control+G)
• Multiple Levels

• Object > Ungroup (Control+Shift+G)


Fill and Stroke
• Fill = Colour/Gradient/Pattern within a shape
• Stroke = The line around a shape
• Object > Fill and Stroke (Shift+Ctrl+F)
• Edit
– Colours
– Opacity
– Blur
Opacity / Blur
• Applies to whole object
• Separate from alpha in colours
• Works on all Objects
Aligning and Distributing
• Object > Align and Distribute
– Align = Give objects the same centre/edge position
– Distribute = Space objects evenly
• Align relative to
– First/Last selected object in group
– Largest/Smallest object in group
– Page
– Drawing
Aligning and Distributing

Align top edges Align centres (horizontal)

Align centres (vertical) Even spaces between objects


Z axis - Ordering
• New objects sit over the top of old objects
• Objects obscure those underneath them (except for
transparency)
Z-axis Ordering

• Send object to bottom of z-stack


• Lower object one level
• Raise object one level
• Bring object to top
Working with bitmaps (photos)
• Inkscape can include bitmaps in images
• Appear as objects alongside vector objects
• Can’t edit the images
• Can’t increase the resolution of the image
• Transparency (from PNG etc) is preserved

• File > Import


– PNG, JPEG, SVG, PDF etc. etc.
Working with bitmaps (photos)
• Embed
– Large file sizes
– No updating image
– Portable file
• Link
– Small file sizes
– Need to keep original
– Can update original
– Can’t (easily) move file
Creating and Editing Paths
• Created using freehand or line tool
• Can convert other objects to become a path

• Paths are composed of nodes and segments


• There are different types of node and segment
Nodes and Segments
3 3
• Segment types
– Lines (1) 2 2

– Curves (2)
5
• Node types 1
2
– End (3)
– Corner (4) 4
– Smooth (5)
• Normal
• Symmetric
• Auto
Editing nodes

• Use nodes toolbar to add, remove or convert


nodes or segments
• Select nodes or segments to make their
handles visible
• Drag handles to change the arc of curves
Freehand drawing
• Freehand drawings tend to have large numbers
of nodes, and be quite messy
• Can use simplification (Path > Simplify, Ctl+L)

• Can finally edit nodes on the simplified version


Combining paths
• Often want to add or subtract objects from
each other
• Have to do this as paths (Path > Object to Path)
• Lots of options for joining paths together
Combining Paths

Union Difference

Intersection Exclusion
Adding Text
• Use the text tool to add text.
• Click and type to generate text
• Text can be scaled or rotated as any other object
– Always hold Ctrl when scaling otherwise the aspect ratio will be
messed up
Text options
• Text toolbar

• Text and font settings


– Font
– Alignment
– Spacing
Saving
• Saving
– File > Save (As)
– Default is Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG)
– Adds custom extensions to SVG standard
– Can select plain SVG for maximum compatibility
– Can compress SVG (svgz) for disk space saving
Exporting
• Vector
– Can export as a PDF
– File > Save (As), select PDF

• Bitmap
– Can render high quality PNGs
– File > Export PNG Image

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