Inkscape 0.48 Illustrator’s Cookbook

eBook Details:

• Paperback: 340 pages
• Publisher: WOW! eBook (April 26, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1849512663
• ISBN-13: 978-1849512664

eBook Description:

109 recipes to create scalable vector graphics with Inkscape

• Create interesting illustrations and common web design elements that can be used in real-life projects
• Gain a thorough understanding of all common Inkscape tools and advanced features of Inkscape 0.48
• Tips and tricks to speed up your drawing workflow
• Part of Packt’s Cookbook series: Each recipe is a carefully organized sequence of instructions to complete the task as efficiently as possible

In Detail

Inkscape is an open source vector graphics editor with an intuitive user interface that has enough depth to make quality graphic designs with an attractive layout comparable to what you would make using Illustrator or CorelDraw. But choosing the right tool and the best approach to creating the desired effect can be challenging. Inkscape 0.48 Illustrator’s Cookbook makes it super-easy for you to make your own vector-based graphics with the powerful Inkscape editor.

Inkscape 0.48 Illustrator’s Cookbook provides you with the latest recipes to quickly create scalable vector graphics. Recipes in this book teach you about some of the most useful time-saving features in Inkscape accompanied by a list of keyboard shortcuts that you can easily memorize. In addition to covering use of Inkscape tools and their advanced features, examples from the recipes uncover solutions to common graphics problems.

The book starts off with familiarizing you with the tools and techniques in Inkscape that you can use to draw 2D shapes, calligraphic shapes, and 3D boxes easily. It then guides you through the most common color-changing steps performed in Inkscape along with some convenient procedures that can save your time when dealing with colors. It explains drawing using linear and radial gradients, which are irreplaceable, usage of clones to create interesting effects in illustrations, and live-path effects that can help you speed up constructing a shape and make the process more natural. You will learn how to make those tweaks on some of the ready-made filters, and in the final recipe we will create a filter from scratch. This practical book also contains recipes showing how to use Inkscape as a raster editor and how to achieve photo-realistic effects in Inkscape. For each important technique and skill, you’ll see some simple recipes, then some more advanced recipes followed by an explanation of how Inkscape works to produce the desired effects in your illustrations.

By the end of this book you will be confident enough to create your own vector-based graphics with Inkscape.

Get solutions to common graphic problems to achieve photo-realistic effects with Inkscape.

What you will learn from this book :

• Introduce you to the fascinating world of two-dimensional, calligraphic, and three-dimensional objects, using the Inkscape’s powerful tools
• Assist you in adjusting color using hue, brightness, saturation, and stroke width, until you find the perfect look and feel
• Guide you in recreating iconic images from cult movies, with the help of gradient colors and complex vector shapes
• Leverage Inkscape 0.48’s advanced path editing tools and techniques, producing great looking text and beautiful drawings
• Help you produce professional looking posters, calendars, and wallpapers, packaging them so you can print or share them on the Internet
• Illustrate the spectacular, and often surprising, effects of the many extensions and image filters found in version 0.48
• Teach you to develop a standards-compliant and gorgeous looking Web 2.0 site layout, complete with widgets and buttons
• Help you design and build your very own HTML5 and AJAX powered web games, presentations, and business applications, using JQuery powered SVG animation
• Aid you in extending Inkscape by writing your own plugins in the Python programming language

Approach

Each recipe comprises step-by-step instructions followed by an analysis of what was done in each task and other useful information. The book is designed so that you can read it chapter by chapter, or look at the list of recipes and refer to them in no particular order. It is packed with useful screenshots to make your learning even easier.

Who this book is written for

This book is written for both beginners and developers who have a basic knowledge of Inkscape. With this book illustrators who have just started using Inkscape can quickly dive into the world of Inkscape and graphics editing. Software developers and web designers can learn how to create graphics for their software on their own or build SVG and other web-based interfaces. Users of other graphics editing applications can find out how Inkscape can be used as an alternative to solve common graphics problems.

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