help moving shapes between inkscape files

hey guys. so, i'm not sure if there is another forum i should post this to, but i'm in a hurry so i guess i'm making a new one.

i'm in the middle of a project where i have to make ten images illustrating key moments in the life of the Buddha and i've decided to do it in the oots style. so far i'm on number four and i'm worried about reaching a new age category before i hit ten :smalltongue:.

can anyone tell me how to move shapes between inkscape files so i don't have to start each new pic from scratch? thanks.

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Originally Posted by commander panda

hey guys. so, i'm not sure if there is another forum i should post this to, but i'm in a hurry so i guess i'm making a new one.

i'm in the middle of a project where i have to make ten images illustrating key moments in the life of the Buddha and i've decided to do it in the oots style. so far i'm on number four and i'm worried about reaching a new age category before i hit ten :smalltongue:.

can anyone tell me how to move shapes between inkscape files so i don't have to start each new pic from scratch? thanks.

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Try just copying and pasting. Usually works. You could also make all in the same .svg and export selections.

cutting/pasting turns the shape (well, combination of shapes) into an image (like a jpg)

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You could also make all in the same .svg and export selections.

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not sure what you mean by that, can you elaborate?

Each inkscape drawing is an .svg. When you export it via photobucket or something like imageshack, you have to export it, turning it into a png. You can also export a selection, rather than the whole thing. You could just make all 10 drawings in the same svg at the same time, though. Does that make sense?

yep, thanks. how do i export a selection?

lol, just realized i sound like i'm repeating the question to annoy you.:smalltongue:

I can't think of any reason why copy-pasting your shapes between .svg files wouldn't work. Are you highlighting the shapes you have created, and then copy-pasting them across? What exactly do you do when you copy them?

i use the 'select and transform object' tool (the one at the top of the tool bar that looks like a mouse cursor,) form a box over whatever i'm trying to move, then cut, go to the other file, paste.

unfortunately, when i do that the shape turns into some kind of image (i'm new to inkscape, so i don't know how to see the format, but i assume its JPG or something like that.)

That's very strange, and shouldn't happen. I just did what you said, and was able to take and alter the image I had made in the new .svg perfectly fine. It didn't turn into an image or anything, and there isn't a reason I can think of why it should. Very strange.

i see, well i found a temporary solution that should work for the time being, but i guess i'll need to experiment a bit to find the problem. thanks for the help.

I had a similar problem some time ago. It went away luckily, although I think I reinstalled Inkscape to do it.

I actually had this exact problem not long ago. If you haven't already solved the thing, here's what you need to do:

-under "file" there should be an option labeled "import." select that, then choose the file that has the shapes you want. Make sure you choose the .svg file.
-the image will appear in your current project, but they will all be in the same group, and you won't be able to work with them individually. Do not panic.
-With the grouped import selected, click "ungroup" (I forget where that is, but it is under one of the menu tabs on the same row as File). You may need to do this more than once to get it to work properly.
-Delete the shapes you don't need, and you're ready to go forward.

I hope this is helpful!

Inkscape has a problem using the clipboard and I'm not sure it's been fixed. You cannot transfers selections between two instances of Inkscape but you can between two documents in the same instance.

To create two instances of Inkscape from two SVG files: Open the folder with the files; double-click one; swap back to the folder and double-click on the other. If you cannot transfer selections via the clipboard between the two documents, your version of Inkscape has this bug.

To create one instance of Inkscape with two documents: double-click on one; from Inkscape, open the other. In this case, you should be able to transfer a selection from one document to the other.

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I hope this is helpful!

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tis indeed helpful, thank you.