Inkscape Tutorial

This is a brief tutorial I created for how to use Inkscape to create an Australian Flag in vector graphics.

1. Download Inkscape from http://inkscape.org/download/?lang=en . I am using the Windows Installer version in this demo.

2. Install Inkscape and start the application.

3. The default page size is A4, I like to change the resolution to 720px x 360px. (A 2 x 1 flag)

Select File, Properties and set the Custom Size to width 720 Height 360 and make sure the Units are set to px (pixels).

4. Adding a rectangular shape.

• • Select the rectangle shape (above) or press F4 to go into rectangle mode.

  • Click and drag the cursor to create a rectangle of the approximate size you want. You do not need to be too accurate at this point.

  • You can also create circles in the same way by selecting the circle/elipses/arcs tool.

5. Selecting and correcting the rectangle created.

• • Select the select and transform button (above) or press F1 to go into select mode.

  • Click on the rectangle or shape you want to modify.

  • Note that the item has stretch marks around it. You can manually grab these and manipulate the image if you want.

  • However I want to be precise in this case so I will manually enter the values I want in the X-Y-W-H fields. (Starting X, Starting Y, Width and Height)

  • In my case I want the rectangle to be 1/2 the height, which is 180 px so I enter the values 0, 180, 720 and 180.

  • Note you can use this process to resize any element.

• • Make sure the rectangle is selected and you are in select mode (F1).

  • To set the colour you can simply select the desired colour from the colour ribbon on the bottom.

  • But again I want to be precise, so I can also double click on the Fill colour in the botton left corner.

  • This will bring up the Fill and Stroke panel below, into which you can enter exact colour values.

  • You can also set the stroke or outline colour and stroke style or outline width with the other tabs.

  • You can use the same process to colour any element, but you must ungroup elements before colourising.

  • Click the X in the top right to close the Fill and Stroke window when you are done.

6. Adding a graphic

• • Graphic elements can be found all over the web. Look for files in SVG format. I have included some at the bottom of this page. Also most flags on wikipedia are stored in the SVG format and can be easily downloaded.

  • To import an existing SVG file select File, Import from the menu and open the file on your PC in SVG format

7. Removing unrequired elements from your graphic

• • If you do not require all of the elements from your imported image, you can ungroup and remove.

  • Select the element, select Object, Ungroup - or right click and select Ungroup.

  • You should be able to see the outline of each of the elements once ungrouped.

  • Now individually select the unrequired components and press the Delete key - or right click and select Delete

  • Some elements may be grouped within groups, so you may need to use the ungroup function more than once.

8. Resizing and centering graphic elements

• • If you have a complex graphic element, such as a kangaroo, I would suggest using the lock symbol before resizing.

  • The lock symbol will ensure that any resizing is equal vertically and horzontally

  • Click on the element you want to resize. Click on the Lock symbol between the H and W values.

  • Either manually enter the required size, or drag the resize arrows around the object.

  • To center a graphic element you can use the Align and Distribute object icon.

  • Select the element, click the Align and Distribute object icon

  • Select the desired alignment (normally centered on vertical and horizonal axis)

9. Other important commands

• • When you select an element, you can rotate or flip the element with the first four icons listed above

  • You can also select which elements are displayed above other elements with the next four icons.

  • You can also manually manipulate an element with Object Transform from the menu for fine control.

10. Saving your flag.

• • I like to save my flag designs as both SVG and PNG format.

  • The SVG format is good for making changes, while the PNG format is better for posting on a web page.