Manual Writing Plan

Note

Items in blockquotes are what the chapter covers instead of chapters.

• Acknowledgements

• The Authors

• Introduction

  • How to Use This Manual

    • general layout of manual: Beginner Skills, Intermediate Skills, Advanced, Hands-On Study, Appendices…..

    • explain how keyboard shortcuts are displayed

    • give version info

    • explain how there are often more than one way to accomplish a task with Inkscape, and that users will develop their own personal preferences and workflow

  • Inkscape Terminology

• Overview

  • About Inkscape

    • Why Inkscape?

      • choose the best program (compare general use of other SVG editors, Krita, Blender, GIMP, etc.)

    • Inkscape History

    • The Inkscape Community

  • Resources to Learn Inkscape

    • Built-in Tutorials

    • Guides and Manuals

    • Inkscape Gallery

    • Books

  • Basic Concepts

    • Raster and Vector Graphics

    • SVG and XML

    • Keyboard Shortcuts

    • Retrieve System Information

    • Report a Bug / Request a Feature

• Installation (1)

  • Download

    • Download Sites

  • Windows

  • Mac

  • Linux

• Setting up Inkscape (2)

  • Welcome Dialog

  • Initial Settings

• Document Management (3)

  • Create and Open Documents

  • Import

    • Raster Images

    • PDF Documents

    • SVG Files

    • DXF Files

    • Other File Formats

  • Document Setup

    • Document Properties

      • Display

        • Inkscape Coordinates Units (should link to same name chapter in Position/Transform section)

      • Guides

      • Grids

      • Color

      • Scripting

      • Metadata

      • License

    • Multiple Pages

    • Margin and Bleed

  • Save Files

  • Export Files

    • Export Dialog

    • Batch Export Objects

    • Export Formats

  • Document Resources

    • Clean Up Document

    • Document Resources Dialog

  • Back Up and Recover

  • Print Documents

• Interface (4)

  • nice color-highlighted image of the interface

  • color-coded description of each area

  • Menu Bar

  • Commands Bar

  • Tool Controls Bar

    • Customize

  • Toolbox

    • show/hide tools

    • resize the toolbox

  • Tab bar

  • Rulers and Scrollbars

  • Canvas

    • pan

    • zoom

    • rotate

    • flip

    • Display Modes

      • Color Management

  • Dockable Dialogs

    • show/hide dialogs

  • Snap Controls

    • customize in different ways with different versions

  • Palette

    • choose different palettes

    • install new palettes

    • swatches and document swatches

  • Status Bar

  • Interface Preferences

  • Window Management

    • Introduction

    • The Tab Bar

    • Multiple Instances

• Create Objects (5)

  • Shapes

    • Rectangles

      • intro

      • control bar {image}

      • handles

      • round corner mode

      • demonstrate drawing – {animation}

    • Ellipses and Arcs

      • intro

      • control bar {image}

      • handles

      • ellipse mode / arc mode

      • demonstrate drawing – {animation}

    • Stars and Polygons

      • intro

      • control bar {image}

      • handles

      • star mode / polygon mode

      • demonstrate drawing – {animation}

    • 3D Boxes

      • intro

      • control bar {image}

      • handles

      • horizons

      • demonstrate drawing – {animation}

    • Spirals

      • intro

      • control bar {image}

      • handles

      • demonstrate drawing – {animation}

  • Paths

    • open, closed, compound

    • The Pen Tool

      • control bar {image}

      • demonstrate – {animation}

    • The Pencil Tool

      • control bar {image}

      • demonstrate – {animation}

    • The Calligraphy Tool

      • control bar {image}

      • demonstrate – {animation}

  • Symbols

  • Anchors

• Object Manipulation (6)

  • Undo and Redo

  • Select Objects

    • with mouse

      • Shift + click

      • “rubberband” or drag around

      • touch select

    • with keyboard

    • with Find dialog

  • Copy, Paste and Delete Objects

  • Duplicate Objects

  • Clones

    • Create and Manage Clones

    • Tiled Clones

  • Order Objects (Z - Order)

  • Groups and Layers

    ▪ Introduction (layer is a special group) ▪ Layers dialog, menu ▪ Status bar – I don’t think Layers menu in the status bar still works??

  • Lock, Show and Hide Objects

  • Clipping and Masking

    • Clipping

    • Masking

  • The Tweak Tool

  • The Eraser Tool

• Change Object Appearance (7)

  • The Object Properties Dialog

  • Color

    • The Color Palette

      (include link back to Interface > Customize the Palette)

    • Color Selectors

    • The Fill and Stroke Dialog

    • Flat Color

    • Gradients

      • Linear

      • Radial

    • Mesh Gradients

    • Patterns

      • Convert Objects to Patterns

    • Swatches

      (this item focuses on creating and managing swatches, while Interface > Customize the Palette > Swatches focusses on the Document Swatches document)

    • Fill Rules

    • The Dropper Tool

  • Stroke Style

    • Stroke Width

    • Join Style

    • Caps Style

    • Dashes

    • Markers

      • Convert Objects to Markers

• Object Positioning and Transformation (8)

  • Positioning

    • Inkscape Coordinates system

    • Guides

      • Inkscape Preferences > Guides

      • Object to Guides

    • Grids

      • Rectangular

      • Axonometric

      • Modular

      • Document Properties > Grids

      • Inkscape Preferences

    • Snapping

      • bounding boxes

      • paths

      • nodes

      • object midpoint / rotation center

      • text

      • mask path

      • clip path

      • alignment snapping

      • guides

      • grids

      • page border/center

      • Set up Snap Controls bar {image}

    • Alignment and Distribution

      • Align/Distr dialog

      • Align

      • Distr: Uniform

      • Distr: Non-Uniform

      • Distri: Remove Overlaps

      • Distr: Rows, Columns

  • Transformations

    • Rotate

      • (90deg) Selection tool control bar

      • (90deg) Object menu

      • with mouse

      • with keyboard

    • Flip

      (horizontal, vertical) - Selection tool control bar - Object menu

    • Move (Translate)

      • with mouse

      • with keyboard

    • Scale

      • with mouse

      • with keyboard

    • Skew

      • with mouse

      • with keyboard

    • The Transform dialog

    • Paste Size

    • Transform with the XML Editor

    • Transform Multiple Objects

• Node and Path Manipulation (9)

  • Convert Objects to Paths

  • The Node Tool

    control bar {image}

  • Node Types

    ▪ Corner/Cusp ▪ Smooth ▪ Symmetric ▪ Auto-Smooth ▪ Change Node Type

  • Node Handles

    ▪ remove ▪ create ▪ demonstrate {animation}

  • Node and Segment Manipulation

    • Select Nodes

      • Selection techniques

      • Select nodes that are hard to access

    • Move Nodes

      • Move individually

      • Move 2 or more nodes at once

      • Transform multiple nodes

    • Align and Distribute Nodes

    • Add, Delete, Join and Break Nodes

    • Manipulate Path Segments

    • Edit XML Path Data

  • Path Commands

    • Boolean Operations

      • Union

      • Difference

      • Intersection

      • Exclusion

      • Division

      • Cut Path

    • Shape Builder Tool

      • Union

      • Difference

      • Other features

    • Combine, Break Apart and Split Path

    • Fracture and Flatten

    • Path Offsets

      • Inset

      • Outset

      • Dynamic Offset

      • Linked Offset

    • Simplify

    • Reverse

  • The Measurement Tool

• Text (10)

  • Typing Text

    ▪ Regular Text ▪ Flowed Text

  • Selecting Text

  • Font Family, Style and Size

  • Line Height

  • Text Alignment, Position and Direction

  • Word and Letter Spacing, Kerning and Rotation

  • The Text and Font Dialog

  • Font Collections

  • Variable Font Axes

  • Opentype Features

  • Reset Text Styling

  • Find and Replace Text

  • Check Spelling

  • Convert Text to Glyphs

  • Text Positioning and Wrapping

    • Put Text on a Path

    • Flow Text into a Frame

  • SVG Font Editor

  • Unicode Characters

• Effects (11)

  • Filters

    • Apply Preset Filters

    • Add and Edit Custom Filters

      • Filter Primitives

      • Examples

  • Live Path Effects

    • Apply, Consolidate and Remove Path Effects

    • The LPE Tool

    • Path Effects

      • Edit/Tools

      • Distort

      • Generate

      • Convert

• Extensions (12)

  • Add, Manage and Remove Extensions

  • Create and Modify Extensions

  • Built-In Extensions

• Parameter Editing (13)

  • Selectors and CSS

  • XML Editor

• Workflows (14)

  • Printing

    • Print Colors Accurately

    • Soft Proofing

    • Prepare for Print Service Providers

    • Preflight Checking

  • Graphics for the Web

    • SVG Attributes

    • Create and Link Style Sheets

    • Set Interactivity

    • Create Animations

  • Character Creation

  • Logo and Brandmark Creation

  • Illustration

  • Laser Cutting

  • Pen Plotting

  • Embroidery

  • Computer-Aided Design and Manufacturing

  • Integration in a 3D Pipeline

  • Integration in a 2D Animation Pipeline

• Inkscape Preferences (16)

  • Backup, Restore and Reset Preferences

  • Preference Categories

• Automation (17)

  • Inkscape on the Command Line

  • Examples

• References (18)

  • For Illustrator Converts

  • For CorelDRAW Converts

  • For Affinity Designer Converts

  • Glossary

  • Index

• Annex (19)

  • About This Manual

  • Development-Specific Features

    • Cursor Hotspots

• Tutorials (20)

  • Quickstart

    • (Basic drawing)

    • (Shape builder)

    • (Path manipulation)

    • (Gradients and Patterns)

    • (Clips and masks)

    • (Clones and Tiling)

    • (Text)

    • (Image tracing)

    • (Live Path Effects)

    • (Filters)

    • (Connectors and measurement)

    • (Extensions: interpolate, extrude)

  • Challenges

    • (Knot)

    • (Pine Cone)

    • (… brainstorm)

  • Index