Book Image

Inkscape Beginner's Guide

By : Bethany Hiitola
Book Image

Inkscape Beginner's Guide

By: Bethany Hiitola

Overview of this book

Learning to use Inkscape, an exciting open-source vector graphics program, broadens your software toolkit as a graphic designer. Using practical, real-world examples, you'll learn everything about the software and its capabilities so you'll be able to design anything from logos to websites.Inkscape Beginner's Guide is a practical step-by-step guide for learning this exciting vector graphics software. Not only will it take you through each menu item and toolbar, but you will also learn about creating complex shapes, text styling, filters, working with images, extensions, and the XML editoróall using real world examples.The book starts with an overview of vector graphics and how best to use them when designing for digital and print mediums. Then we install Inkscape and start learning all the ins and outs of the software. You'll build your first vector graphic while learning best practices for using layers, and build simple and complex objects with shapes and paths that will ultimately become exciting graphics to be used in your designs. Beyond designing sample logos and brochures while learning the software, you'll also learn how to use filters, install and use extensions, and the ins-and-outs of SVG and the XML Editor in Inkscape.
Table of Contents (18 chapters)
14
B. Keyboard Shortcuts
15
C. Glossary of Terms
17
Index

Time for action — making guides

Now it's time to create guides. Guides are lines on the screen that you will use for aligning, that is, guiding objects. These lines are only visible while you are working in Inkscape and we can set objects to snap to them when we are designing. Both of these simple tools (guides and the Snap to feature) will give you automatic alignment for the basic areas of your web page layout—which in turn will help make the design process much easier.

  1. To create a guide in any open document, drag from the left or top ruler toward your page as in the following screenshot. A red line represents the guide until you let go of the guide and place it on the page. Then the line turns blue.
    Time for action — making guides

    You can move the guides after placing them on the page by using the Select tool and clicking-and-dragging the circle node on the guide. Also, double-clicking directly on a guide will bring up a dialog box which lets you change the guide positions and angle very accurately...