File > New From Template to create an image with default sizing.
File > Open–you should only open vector documents:
Opened files are often grouped together by default. To ungroup, select the object, Obect > Ungroup as many times as you ned to.
Import means that you are importing a file into an open file.
Clipart with File > Import Web Image
When you save a file, save it as an Inkscape SVG
File > Export
You can do single exports or batch exports. There is a preview at the bottom.
Export by:
Each tab has image size settings, like DPI. (Only worry about DPI when you are printing something or you are opening it up in another application. The DPI is 96. Standard print DPI is 300.)
Select the format at the bottom. PNG preserves transparency.
Export multiple graphics at one time. Name of the file is automatically named. You can select the graphic and change the name in the top toolbar.
After you have your batch export ready, you can click Add Export. Then, you can create another export in a different format and export them in the same operation.
Export by:
After you click Export, accept the defaults in the popup.
File > Document Properties or CTRL + SHIFT + D
Document is the piece-of-paper-looking white space. It is 8.5 x 11 letter size by default.
File > Document Properties
Allow you to save your document so you can open and launch from it without having to input the size dimensions, etc. each time.
File > Document Properties to change the sizing, etc File > Save Template. Then add name and set as default, if you want to.
Create a new file from a template: File > New From Template
Version 1.2
Create multi-page documents. This toolbar is second from the top, directly below the standard New file, open directory toolbar.
Click Create and Edit document Page on bottom of left toolbar. This activates nodes on the page.
All pages have an order. You can select the page and change order (or name) in the second toolbar from top.
Move overlapping objects as the page is moved
will move any objects on the page along with the page, if you click and drag.Fit the page to the current selection or drawing if there is no selection
trims the page down to the size of the object.File > Save as >
Allows you to control settings and behaviors.
Edit > Preferences or CTRL + SHIFT + P
These are all the tools on the left hand toolbar.
Zoom correction factor: makes sure what you create is true to size.
Toolbars: Change color, size of toolbar icons Keyboard: Keyboard shortcuts
Autosave: Configure where and how often work is saved automatically
Select the object Edit > Make a bitmap copy Click and drag the new object where you want it
Clones is a way to create duplicate copies of objects that are grouped together and behave together.
Edit > Clone > Create Clone or ALT + D. Then click and drag the new object over the existing one.
Edit > Clone > Unlink clone lets you make changes to clones individually.
Edit > Clone > Unlink clones recursively lets you unlink clones that are grouped together.
Edit > Clone > Relink to copy
Edit > Clone > Select Original if you cannot find the original when there are many clones
How to generate clones, in bulk.
Edit > Clone > Create tiled clones
All the tabs in this tool work together, so settings on one affect settings on another. Use the reset to get back to the defaults.
After you create clones, the clones are created on top of the original. Raise the original to the top and then change as needed.
If you want to generate clones that cover a specific amount of space, you can set the width and height
Use the dropdown to select clone formatting. You can rotate them all X degrees, or create reflection.
You can shift by row or by column.
Before you can edit the color, you have to remove the fill color.
Use HSL: H: Hue–the color that is being chosen S: Saturation–the levle of color that is applied L: Lightness–gradient of the color, with black and white on either side.
Lets you trace the drawing under the clones with the top object. You create two objects, then select the one that you would like to use to trace.
View > Zoom 1:1
View > Display Mode (CTRL + 5 to cycle through them)
Not rotating the design, just the view of the design.
View > Orientation > Lock Rotation – uncheck to rotate it
To reset, View > Orientation > Reset Rotation
View > Split Mode > Split
Layering is how you control the stacking of objects in your workspace
Layers > Layers and Objects opens up the side menu
You can rename the layer
Add layer button
When you delete a layer, it deletes the contents of the layer.
Select the objects that you want to group, then Object > Group or use the toolbar shortcut
If you want to select individual paths or objects in a group, click the Edit Paths by Nodes in the left hand toolbar, below the Select tool. After it is selected, you can use the Select tool and edit it.
To remove a selected object from the group, select the object, then Object > Pop Selected Object out of group.
View > Show/Hide > Rulers needs to have a check beside it.
Hover cursor over ruler on top, corder, or left, then drag.
Double-click to open up guide properties. Change Angle to change the degree/slant
To disable some guides if they are getting in the way, View > Guides or SHIFT + | (vertical bar) To lock guides, click the Lock in the top-left corner.
Use a shape to create guides:
Object > Raise/Lower/*, but you can do this with toolbar icons. Or, keyboard shortcuts: Fn + Home/PgUp/PgDn/End
Object > Fill and Stroke
Bottom colors are pre-defined colors, but fill menu allows you to create your own.
Create negative space, or remove color from overlapping sections of combined objects:
hexcolorff
–ff
is what makes it opaque.
Opacity slider in the HSLA color (the A part) applies to the fill of the object. Opacity at the bottom applies to the entire object. So, the HSLA value doesn’t impact the stroke.
The Blend dropdown changes the way that objects interact with each other.
Stroke is an outline that gets applied to an object.
Join: Cap: Butt cap ends at the end of the node path exactly Order: Changes how the stroke overlaps or interacts with the path. Put stroke on top of the fill or behind the fill.
4 icons to the right of the unit dropdown in the toolbar let you select if the stroke scales with the object.
Open the Fill and stroke tab CTRL + SHIFT + F, then click on the gradient tool in the left hand toolbar to view the stops.
To change the color of a gradient, click the stop and then select a new color.
There is a reverse gradient button in the toolbar beside the lock icon.
Click and drag a stop to change the gradient direction. Double-click on the gradient to add another stop.
CTRL + SHIFT to scale gradients evenly.
Select the Mesh tool in the left hand toolbar, then select the number of rows and cols for the mesh tool. Then select the mesh gradient from the Fill and Stroke toolbar.
You can change the color only where the mesh gradients intersect.
Provides a circular, top-down view of the object.
View > Swatches, bottom of the screen with the color picker
Use the up and down arrows on the far right to cycle through the color palette.
To save a custom color, select the object that has the color, then click the Swatch icon in the Fill and Stroke menu. Then, you can view the color in the Swatches tab.