From 179fa413b047bede6e32109e2ce82437c5fb8d34 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: MenTaLguY Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 02:36:01 +0000 Subject: moving trunk for module inkscape (bzr r1) --- share/tutorials/tutorial-basic.svg | 562 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 562 insertions(+) create mode 100644 share/tutorials/tutorial-basic.svg (limited to 'share/tutorials/tutorial-basic.svg') diff --git a/share/tutorials/tutorial-basic.svg b/share/tutorials/tutorial-basic.svg new file mode 100644 index 000000000..9676a4d13 --- /dev/null +++ b/share/tutorials/tutorial-basic.svg @@ -0,0 +1,562 @@ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + image/svg+xml + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + ::BASIC + + + + + + + +This tutorial demonstrates the basics of using Inkscape. This is a +regular Inkscape document that you can view, edit, copy from, or save. + + +The Basic Tutorial covers canvas navigation, managing documents, shape tool +basics, selection techniques, transforming objects with selector, grouping, setting fill +and stroke, alignment, and z-order. For more advanced topics, check out the other +tutorials in the Help menu. + + + + + +Panning the canvas + +There are many ways to pan (scroll) the document canvas. Try +Ctrl+arrow keys to scroll by keyboard. (Try this now to scroll this +document down.) You can also drag the canvas by the middle mouse +button. Or, you can use the scrollbars (press Ctrl+B to show or hide +them). The wheel on your mouse also works for scrolling vertically; +press Shift with the wheel to scroll horizontally. + + + +Zooming in or out +The easiest way to zoom is by pressing - and + (or +=) keys. You can also use Ctrl+middle click or +Ctrl+right click to zoom in, Shift+middle click or +Shift+right click to zoom out, or rotate the mouse wheel with +Ctrl. Or, you can click in the zoom entry field (in the bottom left +corner of the document window), type a precise zoom value in %, and press Enter. We also +have the Zoom tool (in the toolbar on left) which lets you to zoom into an area by +dragging around it. + +Inkscape also keeps a history of the zoom levels you've used in this work +session. Press the ` key to go back to the previous zoom, or +Shift+` to go forward. + + + + +Inkscape tools + +The vertical toolbar on the left shows Inkscape's drawing and editing tools. In +the top part of the window, below the menu, there's the Commands +bar with general command buttons and the Tool Controls +bar with controls that are specific to each tool. The status +bar at the bottom of the window will display useful hints and messages as +you work. + +Many operations are available through keyboard shortcuts. Open +Help > Keys and Mouse to see the complete reference. + + + +Creating and managing documents + +To create a new empty document, use File > New or press +Ctrl+N. To open an existing SVG document, use File > +Open (Ctrl+O). To save, use File > Save +(Ctrl+S), or Save As (Shift+Ctrl+S) +to save under a new name. (Inkscape may still be unstable, so remember to save +often!) + +Inkscape uses the SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) format for its files. SVG is an open standard widely +supported by graphic software. SVG files are based on XML and can be edited with any +text or XML editor (apart from Inkscape, that is). Besides SVG, +Inkscape can import and export several other formats (EPS, PNG). + +Inkscape opens a separate document window for each document. You can navigate +among them using your window manager (e.g. by Alt+Tab), or you can use +the Inkscape shortcut, Ctrl+Tab, which will cycle through all open +document windows. (Create a new document now and switch between it and this document for +practice.) + + + +Creating shapes +Time for some nice shapes! Click on the Rectangle tool in the toolbar +(or press F4) and click-and-drag, either in a new empty document or +right here: + + + +As you can see, default rectangles come up blue, with a black stroke (outline), +and partly transparent. We'll see how to change that below. With other tools, you can +also create ellipses, stars, and spirals: + + + +These tools are collectively known as shape tools. Each shape you +create displays one or more diamond-shaped handles; try dragging +them to see how the shape responds. The Controls panel for a shape +tool is another way to tweak a shape; these controls affect the currently selected +shapes (i.e. those that display the handles) and set the default that +will apply to newly created shapes. + +To undo your last action, press +Ctrl+Z. (Or, if you change your mind again, you can +redo the undone action by Shift+Ctrl+Z.) + + + + +Moving, scaling, rotating The most frequently used Inkscape tool is +the Selector. Click the topmost button (with the arrow) on the +toolbar, or press F1 or Space. Now you can select +any object on the canvas. Click on the rectangle below. + + + +You will see eight arrow-shaped handles appear around the object. +Now you can: + + +Move the object by dragging it. (Press Ctrl to restrict movement +to horizontal and vertical.) + + +Scale the object by dragging any handle. (Press Ctrl to preserve +the original height/width ratio.) + + + +Now click the rectangle again. The handles change. Now you can: + + + +Rotate the object by dragging corner handles. (Press Ctrl to +restrict rotation to 15 degree steps. Drag the cross mark to +position the center of rotation.) + + +Skew (shear) the object by dragging non-corner +handles. (Press Ctrl to restrict skewing to 15 degree +steps.) + + +While in Selector, you can also use the numeric entry fields in the Controls bar +(above the canvas) to set exact values for coordinates (X and Y) and size (W and H) of +the selection. + + + +Transforming by keys + +One of Inkscape's features that set it apart from most other vector editors is its +emphasis on keyboard accessibility. There's hardly any command or action that is +impossible to do from keyboard, and transforming objects is no exception. + +You can use the keyboard to move (arrow keys), scale +(< and > keys), and rotate ([ +and ] keys) objects. Default moves and scales are by 2 px; with +Shift, you move or scale by 10 times that. Ctrl+> +and Ctrl+< scale up or down to 200% or 50% of the original, +respectively. Default rotates are by 15 degrees; with Ctrl, you rotate +by 90 degrees. + +However, perhaps the most useful are pixel-size +transformations, invoked by using Alt with the transform +keys. For example, Alt+arrows will move the selection by 1 pixel +at the current zoom (i.e. by 1 screen pixel, +not to be confused with the px unit which is an SVG length unit independent of +zoom). This means that if you zoom in, one Alt+arrow will result in a +smaller absolute movement which will still look like one-pixel +nudge on your screen. It is thus possible to position objects with arbitrary precision +simply by zooming in or out as needed. + +Similarly, Alt+> and Alt+< +scale selection so that its visible size changes by one screen pixel, and +Alt+[ and Alt+] rotate it so that its +farthest-from-center point moves by one screen pixel. + + + +Multiple selections You can select any number of objects +simultaneously by Shift+clicking them. Or, you can +drag around the objects you need to select; this is called +rubberband selection. (Selector creates rubberband when dragging +from an empty space; however, if you press Shift before starting to +drag, Inkscape will always create the rubberband.) Practice by selecting all three of +the shapes below: + + + +Now, use rubberband (by drag or Shift+drag) to select the two ellipses +but not the rectangle: + + + +Each individual object within a selection displays a selection +cue — by default, a dashed rectangular frame. These cues make it easy +to see at once what is selected and what is not. For example, if you select both the two +ellipses and the rectangle, without the cues you would have hard time guessing whether +the ellipses are selected or not. + +Shift+clicking on a selected object excludes it from the selection. +Select all three objects above, then use Shift+click to exclude both +ellipses from the selection leaving only the rectangle selected. + +Pressing Esc deselects any selected +objects. Ctrl+A selects all objects in the current layer (if you did +not create layers, this is the same as all objects in the document). + + + +Grouping + +Several objects can be combined into a group. A group +behaves as a single object when you drag or transform it. Below, the three objects on +the left are independent; the same three objects on the right are grouped. Try to drag +the group. + + + + + + + +To create a group, you select one or more objects and press +Ctrl+G. To ungroup one or more groups, select them and press +Ctrl+U. Groups themselves may be grouped, just like any other +objects; such recursive groups may go down to arbitrary depth. However, +Ctrl+U only ungroups the topmost level of grouping in a +selection; you'll need to press Ctrl+U repeatedly if you want to +completely ungroup a deep group-in-group. + +You don't necessarily have to ungroup, however, if you want to edit +an object within a group. Just Ctrl+click that object and it will be +selected and editable alone, or Shift+Ctrl+click several objects +(inside or outside any groups) for multiple selection regardless of +grouping. Try to move or transform the individual shapes in the +group (above right) without ungrouping it, then deselect and select +the group normally to see that it still remains grouped. + + + +Fill and stroke + +Many of Inkscape's functions are available via dialogs. Probably the +simplest way to paint an object some color is to open the Swatches dialog from the +Objects menu, select an object, and click a swatch to paint it (change its fill +color). + +More powerful is the Fill and Stroke dialog +(Shift+Ctrl+F). Select the shape below and open the Fill and Stroke +dialog. + + + +You will see that the dialog has three tabs: Fill, Stroke paint, and Stroke +style. The Fill tab lets you edit the fill (interior) of the +selected object(s). Using the buttons just below the tab, you can select types of fill, +including no fill (the button with the X), flat color fill, as well as linear or radial +gradients. For the above shape, the flat fill button will be activated. + +Further below, you see a collection of color pickers, each +in its own tab: RGB, CMYK, HSL, and Wheel. Perhaps the most convenient is the Wheel +picker, where you can rotate the triangle to choose a hue on the wheel, and then select +a shade of that hue within the triangle. All color pickers contain a slider to set the +alpha (opacity) of the selected object(s). + +Whenever you select an object, the color picker is updated to display its current +fill and stroke (for multiple selected objects, the dialog shows their +average color). Play with these samples or create your own: + + + +Using the Stroke paint tab, you can remove the stroke +(outline) of the object, or assign any color or transparency to it: + + + +The last tab, Stroke style, lets you set the width and other parameters +of the stroke: + + + +Finally, instead of flat color, you can use gradients for +fills and/or strokes: + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +When you switch from flat color to gradient, the newly created gradient uses the +previous flat color, going from opaque to transparent. Switch to the Gradient tool +(Ctrl+F1) to drag the gradient handles — +the controls connected by lines that define the direction and length of the +gradient. When any of the gradient handles is selected (highlighted blue), the Fill and +Stroke dialog sets the color of that handle instead of the color of the entire selected +object. + +Yet another convenient way to change a color of an object is by using the Dropper +tool (F7). Just click anywhere in the drawing with +that tool, and the picked color will be assigned to the selected object's fill +(Shift+click will assign stroke color). + + + +Duplication, alignment, distribution + +One of the most common operations is duplicating an object +(Ctrl+D). The duplicate is placed exactly above the original and is +selected, so you can drag it away by mouse or by arrow keys. For practice, try to fill +the line with copies of this black square: + + + +Chances are, your copies of the square are placed more or less randomly. This is +where the Align dialog (Ctrl+Shift+A) is useful. Select all the squares +(Shift+click or drag a rubberband), open the dialog and press the +"Center on horizontal axis" button, then the "Make horizontal gaps between objects +equal" button (read the button tooltips). The objects are now neatly aligned and +distributed equispacedly. Here are some other alignment and distribution +examples: + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +Z-order + +The term z-order refers to the stacking order of objects in a drawing, +i.e. to which objects are on top and obscure others. The two commands in the Object +menu, Raise to Top (the Home key) and Lower to Bottom (the +End key), will move your selected objects to the very top or very +bottom of the current layer's z-order. Two more commands, Raise (PgUp) +and Lower (PgDn), will sink or emerge the selection one step only, +i.e. move it past one non-selected object in z-order (only objects that overlap the +selection count; if nothing overlaps the selection, Raise and Lower move it all the way +to the top or bottom correspondingly). + +Practice using these commands by reversing the z-order of the +objects below, so that the leftmost ellipse is on top and the rightmost +one is at the bottom: + + + +A very useful selection shortcut is the Tab key. If nothing is +selected, it selects the bottommost object; otherwise it selects the object above the +selected object(s) in z-order. Shift+Tab works in reverse, +starting from the topmost object and proceeding downwards. Since the objects you +create are added to the top of the stack, pressing Shift+Tab with +nothing selected will conveniently select the object you created last. Practice +the Tab and Shift+Tab keys on the stack of ellipses +above. + + + +Selecting under and dragging selected + +What to do if the object you need is hidden behind another object? +You may still see the bottom object if the top one is (partially) +transparent, but clicking on it will select the top object, not the +one you need. + +This is what Alt+click is for. First Alt+click +selects the top object just like the regular click. However, the next +Alt+click at the same point will select the object below the top +one; the next one, the object still lower, etc. Thus, several +Alt+clicks in a row will cycle, top-to-bottom, through the entire +z-order stack of objects at the click point. When the bottom object is reached, next +Alt+click will, naturally, again select the topmost object. + +This is nice, but once you selected an under-the-surface object, what can you do +with it? You can use keys to transform it, and you can drag the selection +handles. However, dragging the object itself will reset the selection to the top object +again (this is how click-and-drag is designed to work — it selects the (top) +object under cursor first, then drags the selection). To tell Inkscape to drag what +is selected now without selecting anything else, use Alt+drag. +This will move the current selection no matter where you drag your mouse. + +Practice Alt+click and Alt+drag on the two brown +shapes under the green transparent rectangle: + + + + + + + +Conclusion + +This concludes the Basic tutorial. There's much more than that to Inkscape, but +with the techniques described here, you will already be able to create simple yet useful +graphics. For more complicated stuff, go through the Advanced and other tutorials in +Help > Tutorials. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + image/svg+xml + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + \ No newline at end of file -- cgit v1.2.3