Inkscape

[KRC]

Hey,

Anybody have any experience with using this program,

Pro's and Con's compared to GIMP ?

I know the basics of what inkscape does but needed an opinion or 2

[Draco1962]

I think that nullPointer and possibly ehuounder are more frequent users. I have only lightly dabbled in it but hope to do more. Inkscape is more for creating and working with vector graphics which can be saved to .svg (Scalable Vector Graphics) format among others. Kinda hard to compare to GIMP. The are both open source and, while some features are quite similar, one is for vector graphics while the other is more for raster.

[KRC]

Thanks for your input Draco,

One of the main reason's I asked was because I was reading up on cutting out dodgy backgrounds on some images and people say Inkscape is better because it has a better cutting/tracing tools?

[Draco1962]

That is my understanding as well, although I cannot speak from experience.

[fRequEnCy]

I would compare Inkscape more to Adobe Illustrator and Gimp with Adobe Photoshop. So they are different in ways that Draco suggests. I have used Inkscape before I got Illustrator. It really depends on what you're trying to accomplish. As far as tracing tools, I wouldn't know if they were better but if that's what you heard, then you may as well give it a try.

[nullPointer]

I use both GIMP and Inkscape fairly regularly. Draco and fReq have pretty much nailed the differences between the programs. Here’s the basic approach I take when deciding which application to use for a project (or even a component of a project). In all honesty I often end up using both apps in a single project and importing layers from one to the other.

Starting at square one, there’s one key distinction upon which the subsequent choice will be based (you may know all this, so feel free to gloss over - my suggestion is in the final paragraph).

A raster image is an image which is completely composed of pixels. The resolution of the image is determined at the time the image is created. This means that if you start upscaling the image, you will eventually reach a point where the pixels become exceedingly visible, and everything looks ‘blocky.’ That’s where ‘jaggies’ come from.

A vector image is an image where all the lines, gradients, and what-have-you are derived from mathematical formulas. This means that there’s no absolute limit as to how far you can upscale the image. As you upscale the image the formulas insure that each line stays true, (at least insomuch as the rendering device is capable). That’s why this format is well tailored to the graphic design and print industries (draw your layout on a computer screen, print it for a billboard)

So here’s how I make my decision in regards to the proper tool for the job. If I’m creating brand new artwork (the kind which requires drawing tools), I’ll use Inkscape. Due to the advantages described above, it just makes sense that new artwork should be created in a vector format to preserve scalability. Also vector gradients are a beautiful sight to behold!

If I’m working with any sort of raster graphics I use GIMP every time. I love Inkscape, but GIMP is the more robust tool (and its way more equipped to work with raster graphics).

So to take an exceedingly long time to answer a simple question, I use GIMP to clean up edges on raster graphics. You can’t put a ‘vector edge’ on a raster image. Once it’s a raster image it will always be a raster image and the edges will always be composed of pixels. But GIMP is very good at handling this, and the line tool in GIMP is just as good as the line tool in Inkscape for this purpose (probably better IMHO). You can trace an image with the line tool. Convert that path to a selection. Feather the edge of the selection (which will have the effect of ‘aliasing’ the image and smoothing out the edges – in this case it’s the anti-aliasing you’re trying to fix), and then float the selection to its own layer. Everyone seems to have their own method for this, but that’s what works for me.

Edit: I was just rereading this and realized that I misspoke earlier. I meant to say the Paths Tool in GIMP is just as good as the Paths Tool (aka Pen Tool) in Inkscape (for the purposes of tracing raster images).

Edited July 27, 2012 by nullPointer

[KRC]

@fRequEnCy,

Yep im gonna download it now and give it a shot.

@nullPointer,

Thankyou for that wonderful insight into your thoughts, im exhausted after reading it

I will report back here after my review of inkscape and share my thoughts.

[nullPointer]

Yeah sorry about that. Most of my posts should be prefaced with

Warning! Wall of Text Ahead!

Any hoo, I was rereading the post and realized that I misspoke about the comparison of line tools in these applications. The comparison I meant to make was between the Paths Tool in GIMP and the Bezier Tool in Inkscape. These tools are very similar in execution, but I like the GIMP tool for working with raster images. (In addition, GIMP is quite a bit better about handling layers, which is also a key component of the method I describe above)

[ehuonder]

I'd have to say that nullPointer is more experienced with Inkscape, and did a great job describing the differences. I much prefer GIMP to touch up the raster images that form the bulk of the work supported by GameEx. Although, I don't use the path tool to clean up images... There are multiple ways to accomplish it. I prefer to use the basic drawing tools with the Quick Mask enabled to create selections, and then delete or copy/paste the selection depending on my goal.

I love vector image creation, but most of my experience there comes from an old version of Corel Draw I bought forever ago... It's so old that I've started using Inkscape. I have only used Inkscape to generate new content.