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-tips.svg | 536 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 536 insertions(+) create mode 100644 share/tutorials/tutorial-tips.svg (limited to 'share/tutorials/tutorial-tips.svg') diff --git a/share/tutorials/tutorial-tips.svg b/share/tutorials/tutorial-tips.svg new file mode 100644 index 000000000..0cfe1b9a3 --- /dev/null +++ b/share/tutorials/tutorial-tips.svg @@ -0,0 +1,536 @@ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + image/svg+xml + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + ::TIPS AND TRICKS + + + + + +This tutorial will demonstrate various tips and tricks that users have learned through +the use of Inkscape and some "hidden" features that can help you speed up production +tasks. + + + + +Radial placement with Tile Clones +It's easy to see how to use the Tile Clones dialog for rectangular grids and +patterns. But what if you need radial placement, where objects +share a common center of rotation? It's possible too! + +If your radial pattern need only have 3, 4, 6, 8, or 12 elements, then you can try the +P3, P31M, P3M1, P4, P4M, P6, or P6M symmetries. These would work nicely for snowflakes +and the like. A more general method, however, is as follows. + +Choose the P1 symmetry (simple translation) and then compensate for +that translation by going to the Shift tab and setting Per +row/Shift Y and Per column/Shift X both to -100%. Now all +clones will be stacked exactly on top of the original. All that remains to do is to go +to the Rotation tab and set some rotation angle per column, then +create the pattern with one row and multiple columns. For example, here's a pattern made +out of a horizontal line, with 30 columns, each column rotated 6 degrees: + + + + +To get a clock dial out of this, all you need to do is cut out or simply overlay the +central part by a white circle (to do boolean operations on clones, unlink them first). + +More interesting effects can be created by using both rows and columns. Here's a pattern +with 10 columns and 8 rows, with rotation of 2 degrees per row and 18 degrees per +column. Each group of lines here is a "column", so the groups are 18 degrees from each +other; within each column, individual lines are 2 degrees apart: + + + + +In the above examples, the line was rotated around its center. But what if you want the +center to be outside of your shape? Just create an invisible (no fill, no stroke) +rectangle which would cover your shape and whose center is in the point you need, group +the shape and the rectangle together, and then use Tile Clones on +that group. This is how you can do nice "explosions" or "starbursts" by randomizing +scale, rotation, and possibly opacity: + + + + + + + + + +How to do slicing (multiple rectangluar export areas)? +Create a new layer, in that layer create invisible rectangles covering parts of your +image. Make sure your document uses the px unit (default), turn on grid and snap the +rects to the grid so that each one spans a whole number of px units. Assign meaningful +ids to the rects, and export each one to its own file. Then the rects will remember +their export filenames. After that, it's very easy to re-export some of the rects: +switch to the export layer, use Tab to select the one you need (or use Find by id), and +click Export in the dialog. Or, you can write a shell script or batch file to export all +of your areas, with a command like: + +inkscape -i <area-id> -t <filename.svg> + +for each exported area. The -t switch tells it to use the remembered filename hint, +otherwise you can provide the export filename with the -e switch. Alternatively, you can +use the svgslice utility to +automate exporting from Inkscape SVG documents, using either a slice layer or guides. + + + + +Non-linear gradients +The version 1.1 of SVG does not support non-linear gradients (i.e. those which have a +non-linear translations between colors). You can, however, emulate them by +multistop gradients. + +Start with a simple two-stop gradient. Open the Gradient editor (e.g. by +double-clicking on any gradient handle in the Gradient tool). Add a new gradient stop in +the middle; drag it a bit. Then add more stops before and after the middle stop and drag +them too, so that the gradient is smooth. The more stops you add, the smoother you can +make the resulting gradient. Here's the initial black-white gradient with two stops: + + + + + + + + + + +And here are various "non-linear" multi-stop gradients (examine them in the Gradient +Editor): + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +Excentric radial gradients +Radial gradients don't have to be symmetric. In Gradient tool, drag the central handle +of an elliptic gradient with Shift. This will move the x-shaped +focus handle of the gradient away from its center. When you don't +need it, you can snap the focus back by dragging it close to the center. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +Aligning to the center of the page +To align something to the center or side of a page, select the object or group and then +choose Page from the Relative to: list in the +Align dialog (Ctrl+Shift+A). + + + + +Cleaning up the document +Many of the no-longer-used gradients, patterns, and markers (more precisely, those which +you edited manually) remain in the corresponding palettes and can be reused for new +objects. However if you want to optimize your document, use the Vacuum +Defs command in File menu. It will remove any gradients, patterns, or markers +which are not used by anything in the document, making the file smaller. + + + + +Clipping or masking a bitmap + +By default, an imported bitmap (e.g. a photo) is an <image> element which is not +editable by the Node tool. To work around this, convert the image into a rectangle with +pattern fill by Object to Pattern (Alt+I). This will +give you a rectangle filled with your bitmap. Now this object can +be converted to path, node-edited, intersected with other shapes etc. In +Inkscape Preferences (Misc tab), you can set the +option of always importing bitmaps as pattern-filled rectangles. + + + + +Hidden features and the XML editor +The XML editor allows you to change almost all aspects of the document without using an +external text editor. Also, Inkscape usually supports more SVG features than are +accessible from the GUI. For example, we now support displaying masks and clipping +paths, even though there's no GUI for creating or modifying them. The XML editor is one +way to get access to these features (if you know SVG). + + + + +Changing the rulers' unit of measure +In the default template, the unit of measure used by the rulers is px ("SVG user unit", +in Inkscape it's equal to 0.8pt or 1/90 of the inch). This is also the unit used in +displaying coordinates at the lower-left corner and preselected in all units menus. (You +can always hover your mouse over a ruler to see the tooltip with the units it uses.) To +change this, open Document Preferences +(Ctrl+Shift+D) and change the Default units on the +Page tab. + + + + +Stamping +To quickly create many copies of an object, use stamping. Just +drag an object (or scale or rotate it), and while holding the mouse button down, press +Space. This leaves a "stamp" of the current object shape. You can +repeat it as many times as you wish. + + + + +Pen tool tricks +In the Pen (Bezier) tool, you have the following options to finish the current line: + + +Press Enter + +Double click with the left mouse button + +Select the Pen tool again + +Select another tool + + + +Note that while the path is unfinished (i.e. is shown green, with the current segment +red) it does not yet exist as an object in the document. Therefore, to cancel it, use +either Esc (cancel the whole path) or Backspace +(remove the last segment of the unfinished path) instead of Undo. + + +To add a new subpath to an existing path, select that path and start drawing with +Shift from an arbitrary point. If, however, what you want is to simply +continue an existing path, Shift is not necessary; just start +drawing from one of the end anchors of the selected path. + + + + +Entering Unicode values +While in the Text tool, pressing Ctrl+U toggles between Unicode and +normal mode. In Unicode mode, each group of 4 hexadecimal digits you type becomes a +single Unicode character, thus allowing you to enter arbitrary symbols (as long as you +know their Unicode codepoints and the font supports them). To quit the Unicode mode, you +can press Esc. For example, Ctrl+U 2 0 1 4 Esc inserts +an em-dash (—). + + + + +Using the grid for drawing icons +Suppose you want to create a 24x24 pixel icon. Create a 24x24 px canvas (use the +Document Preferences) and set the grid to 0.5 px (48x48 gridlines). +Now, if you align filled objects to even gridlines, and stroked +objects to odd gridlines with the stroke width in px being an even +number, and export it at the default 90dpi (so that 1 px becomes 1 bitmap pixel), you +get a crisp bitmap image without unneeded antialiasing. + + + + +Object rotation +When in the Select tool, click on an object to see the scaling arrows, +then click again on the object to see the rotation and shift arrows. If +the arrows at the corners are clicked and dragged, the object will rotate around the +center (shown as a cross mark). If you hold down the Shift key while +doing this, the rotation will occur around the opposite corner. You can also drag the +rotation center to any place. + + +Or, you can rotate from keyboard by pressing [ and ] +(by 15 degrees) or Ctrl+[ and Ctrl+] (by 90 +degrees). The same [] keys with Alt perform slow +pixel-size rotation. + + + + +Open dialog as an object palette +If you have a number of small SVG files whose contents you often reuse in other +documents, you can conveniently use the Open dialog as a palette. Add the directory with +your SVG sources into the bookmarks list so you can open it quickly. Then browse that +directory looking at the previews. Once you found the file you need, simply drag it to +the canvas and it will be imported into your current document. + + + + +Bitmap drop shadows +While Inkscape does not yet support the Gaussian blur SVG filter, you can easily create +blurred drop shadows for objects as bitmaps, via the "Create a Bitmap Copy" command with +a filter script. See share/extensions/inkscape-shadow.README for details and limitations +of this method. + + + + +Placing text on a path +To place text along a curve, select the text and the curve together and choose +Put on Path from the Text menu. The text will start at the beginning +of the path. In general it is best to create an explicit path that you want the text to +be fitted to, rather than fitting it to some other drawing element — this will give you +more control without screwing over your drawing. + + + + +Selecting the original +When you have a text on path, a linked offset, or a clone, their source object/path may +be difficult to select because it may be directly underneath, or made invisible and/or +locked. The magic key Shift+D will help you; select the text, linked +offset, or clone, and press Shift+D to move selection to the +corresponding path, offset source, or clone original. + + + + +Window off-screen recovery +When moving documents between systems with different resolutions or number of displays, +you may find Inkscape has saved a window position that places the window out of reach on +your screen. Simply maximise the window (which will bring it back into view, use the +task bar), save and reload. You can avoid this altogether by unchecking the global +option to save window geometry (Inkscape Preferences, +Windows tab). + + + + +Transparency, gradients, and PostScript export +PostScript or EPS formats do not support transparency, so you +should never use it if you are going to export to PS/EPS. In the case of flat +transparency which overlays flat color, it's easy to fix it: Select one of the +transparent objects; switch to the Dropper tool (F7); make sure it's in +the "pick visible color without alpha" mode; click on that same object. That will pick +the visible color and assign it back to the object, but this time without +transparency. Repeat for all transparent objects. If your transparent object overlays +several flat color areas, you will need to break it correspondingly into pieces and +apply this procedure to each piece. + + +Exporting gradients to PS or EPS does not work for text +(unless text is converted to path) or for stroke paint. Also, since transparency is lost +on PS or EPS export, you can't use e.g. a gradient from an opaque +blue to transparent blue; as a workaround, replace it by a gradient +from opaque blue to opaque background +color. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + image/svg+xml + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + \ No newline at end of file -- cgit v1.2.3