Inkscape 0.45.1 Released
I don’t know how this one slipped by me, but Inkscape 0.45.1 was recently released. If you aren’t familiar with Inkscape, it’s a free, open source vector graphics editor (like Illustrator) available for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and Fedora. I’m not a regular Inkscape user but I do like the Trace Bitmap feature. If you aren’t willing to drop the cash on Illy, Inkscape is for you. Download Inkscape here.
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I think I may have mentioned this before, but Inkscape is a must-have for anyone who works with vector graphics. Its gradient tool far outstrips Illustrators — it allows you to change the shape of the gradient, move focus and color change placement live in the image, and use (GASP) transparency, a feature that Illustrator lacks completely. Ok, you can then apply a mask, but its not the same level of control.
I do my actual drawing and solid coloring in Illustrator, and then I pull it into Inkscape to finish coloring with the awesome gradient tools.
@jake
Doesn’t the gradient mesh tool in Illustrator do some of what you’re talking about?
http://www.magicalbutterfly.com/tutorials/meshtutorial/meshtutpage1.htm
‘Course I’m not really proficient in either program, so I might just be talking out of my butt. :-/
The problem as i see it with these spin off software programmes is that no one really uses them comercially. At least,,not that im aware of.. I would donwload Inkscape..but if an employer doesnt use it or a finished image has to be made into a file that isnt the norm, then hardly no clients will be able to open the file. That to me its wasted learning. Id rather learn a ”work around” in Illustrator or photoshop to achieve what inkscape can do better. At least that way im getting even more proficient with an industry standard programme. If i can save to pdf from Inkscape and the filters and effects it creates will come out in acrobat. Then i think its worth it. Any chance you know weather this can be done with Inkscape Bitt???
I really don’t use it enough to know. Hopefully someone else out there can help us on this?
~Bitt
In the save-as, it has an option for pdf. I’m not sure how well it works though as i’ve never had to use it before.
No disrespect to Jake Teton-Landis,,,but saying that Inkscape is a ”must have” for anyone that uses vector graphics, is surely an exhageration to say the least, seem as its virtually unheard of or completely un used right accross the board industry wise.
I dont mean to sound harsh with my other post Bitt,,but i think that people should know what the industry standards are within graphic design, or budding designers will waste a multiude of hours trying to learn software that employers will at best give them no credit for knowing, and at worst believe the designer trying to gain employment has no clue what employer or client needs are. Adobe suite does it all, and if it doesnt, then good designers find work arounds. I never heard a client or employer say, ”if only we had inkscape”! But take away adobe suite from a print or design department and good luck making a living.
Inkscape uses the W3C standard SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) as it’s default format, so it’s pretty interoperable.
@ Frank - actually, Inkscape is one of the most interoperable programs, as it (by default) uses the SVG standard. If anything, Illustrator is not interoperable.
How many other programs can you think of that open .ai files? Industry standards are one thing - open, accessible and cross platform standards are another. SVG files are the future - for web, print and all kinds of media.
It’s like the difference between a Microsoft Word document and an Open Office document. Or a DRM’ed MP3 from Apple and a a losslessly ripped FLAC file.
If I gave a non-designer client an .ai file - they wouldn’t get very far with it; however, give them an SVG file, and they could use any number of programs to open/edit it. Also, SVG files will become a big part of web design, so they will function as a very effective cross-media, cross-platform format.
The open source Tango Desktop Project icons are made with Inkscape. Also, Inkscape doesn’t cost an arm and a leg :)
There are some serious discussions going on here……Ill stick with my illustrator and hopefully in CS4 they will incorporate transparency gradient.
Ian allow me to explain in more detail…whos says SGV files are the future?? Thats another point..Theres alot of assumptions out there…Designers dont decide what the future is, clients dont either. Isnt it better for a budding designer to learn whats industry standard right now?? rather in some abstract future that no designer really knows of but has prefereances or hopes on. If a client doesnt have the free adobe viewer to open pdf files, then i reckon they probably dont know how to switch on their computer either. Inkscape may achieve many things, but the fact is…its not mainstream. Wouldnt it be better a budding designer learn the adobe suite rather than inkscape. Saying inkscape is a ”must have” is just wrong.. Thats my point. If anything, the adobe suite is a must have if you hope to get employed as a designer. Maybe there are those that could be self employed with inkscape, but for most of us, we need to please bosses or potential bosses. Inkscape isnt the norm with them right now.
I’m a fan/user of Inkscape for png’s, etc - but I’ve never been asked for an SVG or PNG by a print shop. I get .AI requests (logos, artwork, etc) regularly. If only Inkscape had a plugin for opening/saving .AI files! Until then, Illy is a requirement.
I’d love see SVG as a widely acceptable format. Until that happens, Frank’s right. Learn Adobe.
But check out Inkscape afterward. :)
No, Inkscape will never be regarded as a design software standard. But who cares? It’s free and great, and I thank Bitt for sharing it.
Some of the best illustrations out there are created in Painter, GIMP, or (gasp!) with real paint. The ends justify the means, and if you can’t afford Illustrator, then go for Inkscape. I’m sure it has a bezier tool, and that’s all you really need to know about vectors in the end.
And for the record, EPS is currently the de facto vector standard, not SVG. That’s not going to change very soon, even on the web.
my 2 cents..
is Inkscape a “must have”?
yes and no! :D
for professional use, inkscape is to young obviously. not because of he editor possibilities but because of the export options…
for personal use and FREE and OPEN SOURCE software, is really the best, in comparison with all the others OPEN SOURCE solutions. the only one really created for the needs of designers and not of hackers.
PS:
svg editors can be more important in the future for web design, if all browsers support SVG files like Firefox and Opera…
just imagine the possibilities of this feature… in quality, weight and flexibility…
I believe as I did 10 years ago when I stared my design / art career and was a budding new artist myself. Programs are tools for you to use. Some programs do things in the most efficient way some do not. As you learn programs especially to the level of degree required by some that learning yet another program is often simplified because of the similarities in programs in general. Everyone should always strive to learn as much as possible about as much as possible…..including process and about the tools(programs) that you can. If you can’t fathom the need for such a feat then perhaps you should specialize in a particular area and find your satisfaction there only learning what you need with what you find to be best suited for the output…otherwise you are doing yourself a huge injustice by limiting yourself to said “Industry standards”. Industry standards will change and are dictated often not by those creating products but those using products. If you do not ever engage the use of differing products and devices then you will not expand your skill set……nor will there be a need for competition between software manufacturers…thus limiting what choices you have to complete said tasks…or find that you have a limited view of the possibilities of a new method or emerging or unforseen new “Standard”. I have my own “Standards” and they are to produce beautiful functional work in the best optimized manner possible using any number of professional “industry standard” or open source products. I do not confine myself to the Adobe Suite when I know I have found a better way of optimization or process using something others may declare as inferior or otherwise. You don’t use a screwdriver to do a hammer’s job….and you would be sorely disappointed to find out that because of the lack of motivation to find new tools was the sole reason it took you two years to frame up your house instead of two days. The bottom line I guess is if you are striving for efficiency, optimization, and functionality in your design it would behoove you to entertain the learning process enough to open your eyes to emerging products and developments in and out of the so called “Industry standards”. Remember people…..Often times these big companies like Adobe, Google, and the like did not develop the products you claim to be standards now……they bought them or rights to develop software from groups or individuals that developed said product (often even to the current version) and without being bought or repackaged met with the same nonsense about their product not being a standard as some have claimed here today and only on the basis that it couldn’t possibly be as good as the industry standard. We need options…..options are nice….and knowledge well we know where that will get you…..using products and tools to make your best efforts a reality.
brizzle i know what your saying in your message.. but all that is blown away by this simple fact……Employers dont use inkscape..if they do.. they are very few and far between. They use adobe suite… Your standard is one thing, an employers expectation on software knowledge from thier employee is something quite different.
%99 of employers expect employees to know adobe suite. Thats WHY its an industry standard. Its standard cos employers say it is. Im not saying its right or wrong but like it or not..Most employers dont care if designers know inkscape. They sit up and listen if you know adobe suite cos 9 times out of 10 thats the software they keep on their macs/pc… Thats why its industry standard. The consumer can want what they want. But unless you work for yourself, then your learning adobe suite, like it or not, cos employers want you to know that…Industry standards will change when employers use something other than adobe suite..Untill then, adobe is industry standard. We can better ourselves software wise all we want. But untill employers adopt another standard.. Adobe suite remains. Nuff said.
In all my days (15+ years) in the graphic design / print industry (first as an AE, then as a creative / art director), I’ve NEVER EVER had anyone ask for work to be saved as an SVG file nor was I ever given one by a client to work with.
That said, just because I don’t use it doesn’t mean others don’t… I’ve just never come across it.
In my business —entertainment design— Creative Suite is an absolute must have. Can’t function or be considered reputable without it.
emiliodobrasil… I beleive what Jake Teton wrote was that inkscape was a ”must have for anyone that uses vector graphics” Thats simply not true. So the answer isnt yes and no.. its a firm NO. Its NOT ”a must have”.. Its more like ”have it if your curious about vectors and dont want to fork out alot of cash for adobe suite”. That would be alot more accurate.
i think you are mixing 2 diferent things…
on 1 hand, the software
on the other, the file format…
sometimes people ask me for “corel” files…
the software is not important, but it must be a priority t find a real open format por vector files, like is happening with the “text” file and the open-document format…
the .pdf is a good example of what Adobe have to do with the .ai files…
frank, I agree ;)
@paige .. I love bitt for this website and its one i visit frequently…Your right,, inkscape is free and im sure its every ”bitt” as great as you say it is….But just to mention…The ones that will ”care” are the ones that may think that inkscape is a ”must have for anyone that works with vector graphic” and then may think that knowing inkscape will get them points at an interview with an employer that doesnt care one iota for that knowledge cos that employer doesnt know or care to know about inkscape. They want to hear that you know adobe suite.. Sad maybe but true. And id hate to think that theres a budding designer out there learning the ”must have” inkscape thinking that they gotta know that cos employers want designers to know a spin off software that isnt standard. They would care, after realising learning inkscape was a waste of time for gaining employment.
hmmmm… sounds like someones pants are on just a little too tight : )
@Doctheop…I worked 15+ years in the print industry too and your right about the SVG files..Over ridingly, most of the time clients want pdf’s or an adobe suite file…But its mostly pdf’s…No one cares about SVG even half as much as Ian does.. Most softwares convert to pdf and you can also add comments on pdf’s aswell…PDF is the most popular by far in my experience and in the experience of others that use computers to export static visual media.
@oipurplepenguin…yeh i think brizzles are lol
while inkscape may not be a “must have”, its incredibly great for people like me who like to do vector art as a hobby and don’t want to spend a lot of money on something we won’t use very often or be reciprocated financially by using it.
Frank,
You’re preaching to the choir. :D I agree with you about Adobe’s dominance. But I don’t think anyone’s harboring any illusions about needing to know this program.
I’m just saying for people like this last poster, $0 is a good deal on a freeware vector image editor.
And for those with professional aspirations, I’m sure many of the critical features are comparable between the 2 apps. BTW, I’ve never touched Inkscape; I just trust this site’s recommendations.
@Frank - I’m not disputing the fact that Adobe Creative Suite is the industry standard. There’s no doubt about that. In fact I use it every day (CS3), as I work in a design studio. As it happens, Illustrator is probably my favourite app in the suite :)
Picture this: Microsoft dominates the web browser scene, then a little open source company make this browser called ‘Firefox’. I’m sure there were plenty of people at the time who said “we don’t need another browser”or “Internet Explorer (6) is the industry standard”. The market share for IE6 was something ridiculous - does that make it right in the software world? No.
Now look where Firefox is. Like I previously mentioned, the format of the file is the important thing - SVG files *will* be heavily used on the web in years to come - trust me, I’m a web designer too, so I can see the differences between the two industries and where they meet. Inkscape is merely one program that is good at using them. Illustrator’s support for SVG will improve no end, I’m sure, and I can imagine a day when .ai files are no longer used, but instead an open format like SVG :)
Meanwhile, our studio uses a lot of .ai’s. And we probably will, for a while, until SVG really blossoms. Then programs like Inkscape will gain more popularity.
As a web designer, if I walked into a web design company to get myself hired, and said “I design websites for IE6, nothing else”, I’d probably be thrown out of the building in under 10 seconds. I’m not saying Adobe is bad like Microsoft in their dominance, but change has happened before, and will happen again (for the good of designers, clients, employers and employees).
dear franky don’t be so anti :D it’s for your own good to know more graphic programs. if you think inkscape will not help you at all then do not download it. point.
“… available for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and Fedora” — doesn’t Fedora come under Linux?
@All, especially Frank
Inkscape reduces the amount of time it takes for me to draw a nice illustration by about ~8 hours. Its not whether or not anyone has heard of Inkscape, its what you can do with it that counts. I could say roughly the same thing about Mac vs Windows; very few organizations use Macs at every level, but stability and bulk modification using applescript + Photoshop actions makes the Mac a much more viable platform for some (ie, me)
Jake…Inkscape, is not a must have for working with vectors. Thats all im saying. It might makes things easier for you, but its simply not a must have. End point.
@Frank
I think you have missed my point…..don’t stop learning to use alternative programs because someone tells you something isn’t a standard…..designers….people and even employers make a products a standard….. but that’s not my point….my point is why should you not learn something that improves your work flow because the industry has yet to make it a standard…..If it is capable of being utilized and it can be worked into your flow without a huge workaround then Its not a question of what is standard….obviously my arsenal includes the standards like Adobe suite…but it also includes programs that are not standards in order to help produce work. Please don’t misunderstand also that just because you work in a non-standards program that it has the final say over output……I often use open source 3-d programs to produce 3-d imagery but take it into PS then to illustrator…..I’m just saying don’t sell your brain short by being told its this way or the highway…obviously you have to determine what the final output file is but with most programs exporting to another filetype will allow you to make use of your work in a program that is acceptable as “Standard”. Bottom line: don’t limit yourself cause you think you aren’t working in a so-called “standards” program. LEARN LEARN LEARN….it will only accentuate your skill set!!!! nuff said
I am a full time Linux/OSS user, and inkscape is my bread and butter. Without inkscape I would not be able to do much of the web design I do do. To say that ai is the standard is to be a fool, ignoring an up and coming technology which is highly disruptive to the status quo (the fact that inkscape is mentioned on a popular blog like this, and a lot of bitt’s graphics are distributed as SVG as well points to the fact that things are changing). I am not saying Inkscape is as mature, and as whizzbang as AI, but it is free (in terms of beer, and rights), and it already does an impressive amount, and the forthcoming release adds a lot of features that cover both existing (in other programmes) and non-existing (i.e. new innovation).
Open source software works where there is pressure, so Inkscape is incorporating colour management (CMYK, Adobe RGB, and RGB), it’s export functions are going to include multiple formats (PNG is a really good quality export format as it stands).
Adobe and CS never used to be the standard, Corel used to hold market sway, and now corel format files are very rarely heard of, so maybe it is worthwhile learning inkscape, and making it a must have, it is certainly at a level where there are a few places in the design industry which can currently run on only inkscape, and inkscape opens the doors for hobbyists and enthusiasts, the kid down the street, etc. so best you be on your guard, cos some time someone will come along with a sparkling portfolio, amazing talent, and skills in inkscape, and it would be in your interest, as a company, to understand the value of that person ;)
p.s. wonderful site!
As an employer, I want my employees to know THE must-have Adobe products. But I also know that getting a desired effect can sometimes involve many mediums. You wouldn’t expect any artist to stick to a certain medium and never stray away. That’s what art is all about. Expression through Experimentation. If Inkscape gets the effect right for one of my employees, then certainly it is a must-have for that employees tool kit. Can’t we take the finished result and convert it for those who need to use it? I’ve had to do that on my Mac for the last 25 years. I’ve been using Freehand since version 1 and still use it. I am being forced to learn ai as Freehand is no longer developed. Freehand ramains a must-have in my kit. A must-have is anything YOU MUST HAVE TO GET THE JOB DONE. But, you better know the standards also, because you’re going to need them if you work for me. And I will give you preference on hiring day if you exhibit new and fresh ideas and a desire to experiment and introduce new techniques to our team!
Well stated Cecil,
There is more of an argument here than there needs to be. Inkscape can’t output AI files, but Illustrator supports SVG, so there is really not that much of a format war at all. Personally I think Inkscape’s Trace Bitmap is way better than Illustrator’s Live Trace, and that’s all I use it for. Inkscape can also be nice for those who don’t have the cash for Illy.
just 1 point, to say: Inkscape can output in AI.
ok you need a plug-in, but it can do it (but unfortunately the inverse is impossible…)
@cecil and Bitt… so adobe suite is the must have if your gonna be hired. Thank you for making my point for me.. Inkscape isnt the must have for that reason, however way you cut it.
@Frank
I’m sure you already know this, but there are *plenty* of good graphic and web designers around who don’t need to get hired - they are self-empoyed. In fact, you’d probably find that a lot of the best designers don’t report to an office at 9 AM every morning.
At the end of the day, you either choose to use what you prefer, or what your employer decides. There is not one piece of software that everyone *must* know or use. This is called choice and freedom. Things like open source software (GNU/Linux, Firefox, Inkscape) help promote choice and freedom.
If I’m self employed and want to use Inkscape, I can - because my clients couldn’t care less about the file format or software I use - they just want the work done. They appreciate that I am the designer and therefore can my own decisions - I’m all grown-up now ;)
I don’t let anyone decide what I will use. If I did, I’d still be using Windows :)
@Ian…Youd be a good person to ask this question to then being self employed..At thankfully its not an Inkscape question… What would be your biggest tip on getting your own clients? or which clients do you think are best to target when your marketing yourself? I always think being employed is the way to start, to get a good grounding then going self employed at a later stage, im sure though there are ample examples of designers that have never been employed that go it alone and do very well.
I’m not currently self-employed, although I have done a few private jobs. However, my brother has been self-employed for about 4 years (he also used to be employed), and he has never had to advertise himself. He has got all of his work through recommendations, friends and word of mouth. Sorry, I can’t really help you any more than that :)
PS: I was only stating ‘if’ I was self-employed. The same applies though - with the few private jobs I have done, clients haven’t required any particular file formats.
@Ian..well then no..the same doesnt apply..if your employed, bosses care more that you know adobe suite rather than inkscape. Your clients wont care cos theyre not doing the design,,but your boss will cos its got more tools in its arsenal than most anything else out there. That fact isnt rocket science and im quite surprised so many intelligent peopld dont get that point.