Inkscape/Introduction

Vector graphics

Scaling a bitmap and a SVG drawings makes the differences appear.

A vector object is an image composed of edit enabled path and geometrical elements based on vector (x/y) coordinate values. This is very different from raster (or bitmap) images, which are created from a grid (map) of colored squares. Bitmaps are inherently "pixellated" when scaled larger, while vectors can be scaled to any size, and won't display any pixelized objects.

Some graphic editor programs, such as the GIMP, are known as bitmap or raster editors. With Inkscape, you can create and edit vector graphics, and save them as SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) files or export them as .eps (another vector based format). SVG is an open standard designed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), that uses XML to create graphic based objects.

The Layout

When you load Inkscape you will see the following:

Inkscape's User Interface

Here are some quick explanations of what each button does:

Select and Transform Objects (F1):

From this option, you can, select, move, scale, rotate, and skew objects

Edit Path nodes or control handles (F2)

This tool is designed for manipulating the geometry of objects

Zoom in or Out(F3)

Allows you to access a wide set of zoom operations

Create Rectangles or Squares(F4)

A tool for creating and manipulating rectangles, squares, circles, and ellipses