The Inkscape Help Thread

[Babale]

OK, I have a signature on one document (My main document where I keep templates). How can I copy this to another document? Every time I try, it says that there is no copied image in the clipboard. Help?

[Kyronea]

OK, I have a signature on one document (My main document where I keep templates). How can I copy this to another document? Every time I try, it says that there is no copied image in the clipboard. Help?

I had that same problem at first, since I've got a whole lot of different template files.

Turns out the solution is easy. See, Inkscape still has issues with copying to different sessions of Inkscape, so all you have to do to keep the different windows in the same session is to open one, then open the other stuff from that same window.

So, for instance, if you double click on one of your template files to open up Inkscape to begin with, you then just access, from inside that first window, the file menu and go through there to open up whatever other files you also want to open up.

That way they're all in the same session.

[Babale]

Sweet! Thanks!

I wish GiantITP had a reputation system so I could raise you.

[Keris]

Sweet! Thanks!

I wish GiantITP had a reputation system so I could raise you.

Just a note, you may want to put your sig banner in a spoiler. It's over the forum limits at the moment.

[MethosH]

Here's a question: occasionally Inkscape'll lock up by taking up all of the CPU at once. Once that happens I don't think it unfreezes, and it loves to happen after I'm just about to save again. Only way to kill it is by killing the process.

Will it unfreeze after awhile if I'm patient, or is this a "You just lost your work" freeze?

EDIT: Darknesslord, try Irfanview. Might be able to do it.

That's a very hardware specific question... You will really need to let me know what kind of computer you have.

[Silverraptor]

Just a quick question here, how do I "blend" colors together? Like one side red, another yellow, and the middle is an even batch of blended orange from the 2 colors.

[MethosH]

Just a quick question here, how do I "blend" colors together? Like one side red, another yellow, and the middle is an even batch of blended orange from the 2 colors.

You mean a gradient?

Wait, I will put a step-to-step tutorial only for that one

EDIT:

Ok, here is the image-version of the tutorial, my Inkscape is in portuguese, but you shouldn't have any problems finding out what means what...
Any question just ask.

By the way, the images are a little big cuz I'm lazy

Tutorial 1
Tutorial 2
Tutorial 3
Tutorial 4
Tutorial 5
Tutorial 6
Tutorial 7
Tutorial 8
Tutorial 9
Tutorial 10

[Crimmy]

Here's a question: occasionally Inkscape'll lock up by taking up all of the CPU at once. Once that happens I don't think it unfreezes, and it loves to happen after I'm just about to save again. Only way to kill it is by killing the process.

Will it unfreeze after awhile if I'm patient, or is this a "You just lost your work" freeze?

EDIT: Darknesslord, try Irfanview. Might be able to do it.

Yes, it's a "You just lost your work" freeze.
Maybe try saving very often?? just press "Ctrl"+S.

Hey thanks guys, this really helped me get started. ^.^

A question though, while the PNG format works fine for avatars and stuff, I can't seem to find a good way to convert it to other file types without it losing the smoothness that Inkscape exports it as, even when using something like the GIMP for conversion, is there anyway around this if I wanna convert filetypes or am I stuck with either PNG or unsmooth images?
(I know this technically isn't Inkscape it's the aftersteps, so I hope this counts... ^.^;)

Use photobucket, that way, it instantly transforms to jpg!

[Kyronea]

That's a very hardware specific question... You will really need to let me know what kind of computer you have.

It's happened to me on several different computers, ranging from one with an AMD 4400+ Dual Core CPU, to this laptop with some Intel processor(I don't know which because it's not mine and I'm only using it while I wait for new parts for my normal computer to arrive) to others.

Basically what happens is that it stops taking commands, the window can't be brought back up once moved away from, and the CPU registers 100% usage. It happens the same way on all of the computers I've run Inkscape on.

I save frequently so it's not usually a huge deal...it just can be if I accidentally forgot to save for a bit, or if I just did something very complex and wasn't saving in steps or what have you.

[MethosH]

ok...
1) You were using the blur effect?
2) How big is the inkscape file you were using?
3) Had more than 10 layers visibles?

[Kyronea]

ok...
1) You were using the blur effect?
2) How big is the inkscape file you were using?
3) Had more than 10 layers visibles?

1. No.

2. 2 megabytes. But I usually have several different files open at once, as I have several different template files I copy stuff from.

3. No.

[MethosH]

1. No.

2. 2 megabytes. But I usually have several different files open at once, as I have several different template files I copy stuff from.

3. No.

How many is "several" ?

[Elder Tsofu]

It might be a good idea to close down the files you copied from when your done with them. (I myself put all parts which I might use later in a "reference-file", it makes stuff faster to find)

[MethosH]

Ok... I was drawing just now and I'm having a strange problem with inkscape...

I can't copy anything anymore.. I mean... I can't paste it, or else the inkscape crashes...

Anybody knows why?

EDIT: Ok... It's not a file problem.. I'm trying restarting the PC know... maybe reinstalling InkScape

EDIT 2: Restarting the PC did the trick :P

[Elder Tsofu]

Sometimes a random thing get stuck for me too, it usually work out if you restart. :)

[Castaras]

Another tip: Export as a .PNG. Not a .GIF. Gif will make your anti-aliasing around the outline of your avatar end up to be filled with shades of grey, rather than differing opacity, meaning that it looks weird on dark coloured backgrounds.

[Kyronea]

How many is "several" ?

Two or three, or sometimes four depending on how scattered things are.

Elder Tsofu: Indeed. I've already got the most used stuff altogether in such a way that I don't have to open a separate session for it. It's just that I've got so much stuff that it's scattered across a lot of files, so I can't always avoid having multiple sessions open.

That said, I have been making sure not to keep as many open at one time anymore since reading up on how that can prompt more crashing.

Castaras: A good tip in general. For Inkscape it's not necessary however, as Inkscape can ONLY export in PNG. There's no GIF export functionality.

[Crimmy]

Kyronea:

Well, maybe you are one of those lazy artists who [like me] don't like to browse through the archives of a forum.

If you, indeed, had searched through them, you would have noticed that one "Anti-Inkscape-Freezing" warning is NOT to have more than one session running.

Meaning that's your problem, and not Inkscape's.

Maybe you should try making things out of nowhere, instead of using many sessions open.

[Kyronea]

Right then. I apologize for taking up unnecessary thread space, then.

[Crimmy]

Nah, don't worry.
Most of us artists [Including myself] are lazy.

I have found myself ridiculized because of it.
Yet, you go on, and endure. *Makes estoic face.*

[Elder Tsofu]

Enduring is the way of the lazy - taking action goes against the code.

[Babale]

How do you cut objects in Inkscape? Say, a line? Make it into 2? or take a sword and divide it into two separate objects?

[Gourtox]

How do you cut objects in Inkscape? Say, a line? Make it into 2? or take a sword and divide it into two separate objects?

I don't know a quick way, but you may be able to duplicate the object go to edit nodes and delete the half you don't need and if they are any curves place a node in the middle and adjust it so it fits.
For make it into two do the same thing just with the other half. Just make sure you keep the origanal object.

I hope that helps.

EDIT: Fixed

[The Dark Fiddler]

This may sound stupid, but is there an eraser? <.<

[Nameless]

This may sound stupid, but is there an eraser? <.<

I think the new Inkscape has one actually.

How can you create a drawing program and not have an rubber tool...

[Gourtox]

This may sound stupid, but is there an eraser? <.<

If it does I haven't seen it. I know I'm horrible with the eraser anyway. NODE EDITING IS THE WAY TO GO.

[Crimmy]

Gourtox has made one good point, actually.
It is better to do Node editing.

[Nameless]

Okay, so I've opened up my Inscape and I'm finally going to try and give it a proper go.

…

Oh for God’s sake this thing doesn’t even have layers!

[Keris]

Oh for God’s sake this thing doesn’t even have layers!

Yes it does. Did you even look for the "Layer" menu? And besides, those layers are more like layer groups. You can move each individual vector path up and down by using PgUp and PgDn.

[Nameless]

Yes it does. Did you even look for the "Layer" menu? And besides, those layers are more like layer groups. You can move each individual vector path up and down by using PgUp and PgDn.

I did jsut after I posted that actually.
But the Layers are still funny.

If I were to describe Inkscape it would be this;
"Inkscape is a lot like paint only with more unnecessary complications"

EDIT: A quick question: How do you change the thickness of line?