Inkscape tips and tricks.

Ok,

There are now loads of people using Inkscape. We all know the instructions don't tell you a lot, and most of what we learn is by accident.

I have discovered a few little shortcuts whilst playing with it, so maybe others have too. How about everyone sharing their tips and tricks, so we can all become experts.

Here's mine.

If you want to see the nodes, double click the selected item, it will display them.

To add an additional node, when viewing the nodes, double click where you want it to go.

Selecting a text letter and pressing Ctrl L will convert it to a path and simplify it simultaneously.

If you have a scroll mouse, press Ctrl and move the wheel to make the zoom in or out. Press shift and move the wheel to move the screen left and right.

Don't bother with cut and paste. Just hit Ctrl D for an instant copy.

This is all I can think of for now.
I look forward to any other tips and tricks.

Erika

I press f2 to see all the nodes.

didnt know about ctrl L, if i can remeber i will try that out

Thanks Erika - great stuff didn't know the Ctrl L either - living and learning!!!
I always use Ctrl D as it places the copy directly on the top of your working copy - so best for making mats. Great for making frames too - Ctrl D then Ctrl shift ) hit ) repeatedly and you get a frame as wide as you want. Select all Path>Exclusion and your two frames or shapes become 1.

Susibi

Here are some more bits copied from previous posts :

Hint: the simplest way to 'select all' is to position your mouse in the top left hand corner of your page then- while holding the left mouse button depressed- drag your mouse towards the bottom right hand corner of the page. This will make sure all the elements you need to include are selected.


Simple Christmas tree frames :

Inkscape - new page A4 landscape
Click on stars/shapes tool change number of sides to 3
Draw triangle - cut and paste two more triangles
Arrange and resize them to form a tree shape
Draw a small rectangle to form the base and add to the tree
Select all Path>Union tree shape with trunk!
Ctrl D select then Path>Outset as many times as you wish
You have 2 tree shapes
Select all Path>exclusion - tree frame
Make a star frame
Resize and put on top of tree - Select all Path>Union
save as -dxf
Load to Cr and change colour to black Edit>Group


How to do curved text on a shape ( top word convex bottom word concave):

1.Open Inkscape New page - A4 landscape

2. View >Display Mode>Outline ( this tells your prog how you want to see your finished word - nothing will happen yet!)
Choose any script type font ( I used Freehand size 120 ) using T icon on top bar

3. Draw circle ( or ellipse) - make it a decent size for the word you are making and the font size you are using. If you make your shape too small your word will be squashed!! Practice makes perfect!
4. Write your word

5. Select the word and pull it over your shape

6. Select all Text>Put text on path your word will curve to your shape

7. double click on your word to bring up the direction arrows and drag your word so it's at the top of your shape
Select the word Path >Object to path

8. Delete your shape

9. Select all your word - you will see the letters are no longer joined

10. Path>break apart
You have separate editable letters:
A word of warning...for letters that have a 'centre' that is not attached to the outline Ps Ds As Bs etc : when you 'break apart' these centres will float as they are not attached to your letter outline so when you go to weld your word they will disappear.

11.Now highlight and move each letter slightly until they are all touching make sure you move the centres as well.
Select all your word then - while holding down Shift- left click over all the centres of the letters to unhighlight them other wise they'll disappear when you weld - unhighlighting them means they don't obey the 'Union' command.

12. Select all Path>Union - you have a curved welded script word - with your centres intact but still floating

13.Select your word Object>Group

For the bottom word:
repeat steps 4 5 6 and 7
then:

8. Highlight word Object>flip vertically your word is curved inside your circle

9. Select the word Path >Object to path

10. delete your shape

follow steps 9 to 13

Save your file as a .dxf



Monograms in Inkscape try this:
So excited - thanks to Sandy Macauley who posted on Paperthreads I've learnt a new trick and the results are fantastic - easy peasy etc etc.I've combined her tricks with some of mine and I'm sharing with her permission:
With this method your work is all done in Inkscape so all you have to do in CR is change the line colour and group.

Open new page A4 landscape
View>Display Mode>Outline
Draw circle ( could be any shape we'll use a circle)
Ctrl D ( duplicate shape)
Select Path>Outset as many times as necessary to give a frame like shape
Select all Path>Exclusion ( and your two shapes become a single frame)
Type a letter, resize and place it over the frame so it touches the frame in various points
select letter Path>Object to path
Select all Path>Union
Finished!!
Save as .dxf and load into CR.

ive made another template today using that exclusion technique, so easy ive posted my card in my photos on here, it looks abit plain not sure if it needs something else, but in real life looks ok so will probably leave it alone, made another one on patterned background card will post that tomoorrow.

The CTRL L was the only thing that made sense from the tutorial for me. Really enjoyed using the monogram tutorial from Susibi today - really easy to do and SO effective!!!

Thanks Susibi, didn't realise you could choose the points on a star, missed that one. Very useful for other shapes.

Erika

When doing welded words with curved script... if your script has 'break away' bits like the centres of the tails on the attachment (the 'floating' bits from Susibi's tutorial before welding (while in the 'break away' part of the process)).

Combine them with the rest of the letter by moving the larger part of the letter away, select the small piece, then CTRL Z to undo the move. The smaller piece will be selected so Shift and click on the main part of the letter to select that as well then CTRL K to combine the two. You can then move the two (or more!) pieces together. B)

Discovered a few keyboard shortcuts today by accident.

Alt [ or] rotates the selected item by degree.

Ctrl [ or ] flips the selected item by 90 degrees

Alt < or > increases the size of the selected item by a small increment.

Ctrl < or > increases the size by 100%.

Hope these are useful.

Wicked ... as they say!!|
Susibi

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ErikaP

Discovered a few keyboard shortcuts today by accident.

Alt [ or] rotates the selected item by degree.

Ctrl [ or ] flips the selected item by 90 degrees

Alt < or > increases the size of the selected item by a small increment.

Ctrl < or > increases the size by 100%.

Hope these are useful.

---

These are GREAT, Erika! I am so impressed with all the tips and tricks you've come up with! Thanks for sharing and I hope you guys have received copies of my own Inkscape class tutorials. Although now I feel a need to go revise them a bit to include some of this new information. :D

Sandy

These tips and tricks are a sort of hotch potch of what has been previously published on here by Michelle Hessler, Sandy McCauley, Susibi, Stressed and Erika to name but a few - abridged and edited !! as we progressed we've found that some steps which seemed necessary from a graphics point of view weren't necessary for the final result so why do them!



Simple welded word in Inkscape:

1)Open Inkscape
2)new page - landscape A4
3)View>Display Mode>Outline

Choose any NON SCRIPT font

Type your word
To join your letters : Click between each letter then using Alt and left arrow
move your letters until they touch
OR.
Type each letter separately then using your cursor join them together
Select your word ( best way to select is to hold down your left mouse button and drag a box around your word or image)
Path>Object to path
Path>Union
You have a welded word

To make a mat:
select your word then Ctrl D and CtrlShift ) again as many
times as you need to make your mat

Word art in Inkscape:

First three steps as above
Choose font ( any font)
Type each letter separately
Using your cursor move and/or rotate the letters until they all touch each other
Select your word
Path> Union
You have a welded word

To make a mat:
select your word then Ctrl D and CtrlShift ) again as many
times as you need to make your mat

Simple script:

First three steps as above
Choose a script font
( eg English Script)
Write your word
to join those letters that aren't joined up click between them and do Alt and left arrow
Select word
Ctrl Shift )
( ie hit your Ctrl key Shift key and bracket key together)
you have welded script.

To make a mat:
select your word then Ctrl D and CtrlShift ) again as many
times as you need to make your mat

To make 'words on an edge'
( greatly simplified)

Steps 1 to 3 as above
Draw a shape
Type your letters separately on the page
Move them until they are over the edge of the shape
Select all
Path>Union
Done

To make words in a box:

Steps 1to 3 as above
Make a welded word and move to one side

Make a frame:

Draw a shape
Select
Ctrl D
Ctrl +Shift+ ) ( hold down Ctrl and Shift and hit bracket key as many times as you need to make your frame)
Select all
Path>Exclusion - you have a welded frame
Place your welded word over your frame
Adjust size and position
Select all
Path>Union


Remember : When your word is welded it is considered as an object so to weld two images or words together select all then Path>Union

By using Ctrl +Shift+ ) to weld a script word you are using the Path>Outset command and your word may result a little 'fatter' than you want. To make it thinner once it is welded simply hit the ( key

these are the instructions for Inkscape they all finish with:
Save as .dxf
Load into CR ( File>Load dxf)
Select all change line clour to black
Group each individual image

Susibi

Well done Susi, that's worth printing!

Erika

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by sandymcc

These are GREAT, Erika! I am so impressed with all the tips and tricks you've come up with! Thanks for sharing and I hope you guys have received copies of my own Inkscape class tutorials. Although now I feel a need to go revise them a bit to include some of this new information. :D

Sandy

---

what tutorial? where can I find it please?
sugar xxx

http://www.ilovecraftrobo.com/
This is Sandy's site - her comment referred to the fact that some of us had already been in contact and exchanged tips and hints. Her site is great fun and contains some very good tuts.
Susibi

Yes, go to www.ilovecraftrobo.com and then click on Tutorials and then look under Wishblade Class Tutorials. My Inkscape tutorials are Wishblade 301 and 302. Let me know if you have any questions.

Sandy

Back to top for newbies - thought this had been axed too. I can see why they needed to prune the posts but the tut section was invaluable for ' getting started' tuts. What a shame.:(
Susibi

BTT - back to top for future reference.
Susibi

Back to top again
Susibi

Get them to make it a sticky susubi!!:lol: :lol: Rosemary

either that or flashing neon lights!!
B) B)
Susibi

BTT again - please can we sticky this ( begging on knees with hands joined):wacko: :wacko:
Susibi

wow, am i glad i found this. have just downloaded inkscape in a bid to get more use of the craft robo, and you've all been very busy. i'm gonna have a go at welded words when i get back at the weekend.
thanks everybody, Donna:lol:

[/QUOTE]
Open new page A4 landscape
View>Display Mode>Outline
Draw circle ( could be any shape we'll use a circle)
Ctrl D ( duplicate shape)
Select Path>Outset as many times as necessary to give a frame like shape
Select all Path>Exclusion ( and your two shapes become a single frame)
Type a letter, resize and place it over the frame so it touches the frame in various points
select letter Path>Object to path
Select all Path>Union
Finished!!
Save as .dxf and load into CR.[/QUOTE]

Hi

A newbie here, jusy tried to follow these instructions, all was well until I got to, 'Select all Path>Union' when my letter disappeared and when I saved it and opened it up in CR it was just a circle. What have I done wrong?

Sorry to be so thick :huh:

When you did Path > Exclusion, did you make sure both cricles were selected, you will notice the dashed lines change around the inner circle

If you go to the tutorial section there is a pictorial which takes you step by step in pictures through the basics.
I think maybe you haven't made your frame properly.
When you do select all use the click and drag method so you can select all the images before doing Path>Exclusion
Once you've made your frame place your letter over it then do select all Path>union otherwise your letter will weld itself to the inner rectangle of the frame and become invisible.
HTH
Susibi

Many, many thanks ladies, I don't know where I would have been without you all today. It's amazing just how quick people are to help on here. Going to have to try again tomorrow, husband's making all sorts of 'huffing' noises now!

Thanks again and night night

Hazel x

Thanks for bumping this up again, hadn't seen it before :) great info and great resource.....agree it would be good if they made it sticky :) Too much valuable info to lose :)

Jane - don't worry there is a link to this thread as part of the How to in pictures Inkscape tutorial in the tut section so we've not lost all our hard work!
Susibi

I have just read through this thread and nothing makes any sense to this newbie :rolleyes: i am going to print it and practise, i am sure i will learn loads from you all. :)


sammy

Don't worry - nothing will make sense unless you have Inkscape on your computer! It is a free download and there are tutorials to help you get started in the tutorial section of the forum.
The best thing to do though is print off bev's getting started tutorial and follow that - leave the .dxf files and Inkscape until you know your machine a little better.
Susibi

Hi there

New to craft robo AND inkscape. Have been working with corel draw for the last 2 weeks (since I got my CR). Have just downloaded inkscape and followed tutorials. WOW!!!!!! how much easier is it - have so many ideas that I don't know which card to do first - thanks to all on line who have left messages, tutorials and shortcuts - if I ever get to grips with this then will leave notes of my own.

Husband is rationing me to after 7pm only as no-one is being fed in my family and they are running out of clean undies as so entranced with this the housework has gone to pot!!

Susy