Program Overview

Introduction to Inkscape

Inkscape is a program dedicated to vector manipulation, making it a generic tool to create all sorts of figures, from logos to diagrams. It is different from GIMP, as the latter is mostly designed to manipulate raster images.

Practical Example

The tutorial provides a practical example of creating a schematic of an embryo image using Inkscape. The goal is to explain the main structures of the embryo.

Basic Shapes

To create a circle in Inkscape, use the "circle" tool found in the toolbox to the left side of the window. Once the tool is selected, click and drag onto the screen to create the circle. While dragging, keep the Ctrl key pressed to create a circle instead of an ellipse. By holding Shift, the circle will be centered on the point you first clicked, instead of this point being the corner of the bounding box.

Aligning Objects

To align objects in Inkscape, use the "Align and distribute objects" tool found in the top part of the window. With the two circles selected, make sure the "Relative to" option is set to "Last selected" and then click on the options "Center on vertical axis" and "Center on horizontal axis".

Creating a Custom Shape

To create a custom shape in Inkscape, start with a standard shape and modify it. For example, start with a circle and use the "Edit path by nodes" tool to edit each node of the circle individually.

Scaling and Rotating

To move an object in Inkscape, use the "Select and transform objects" tool. To scale an object, use the black arrows on the bounding box that surrounds it. To rotate an object, use the curvy arrow on the corner of the bounding box.

Creating Text

To create text in Inkscape, use the "Text" tool found on the left side of the window. Click on a blank space and create text objects with the names of the structures.

Creating Lines

To create lines in Inkscape, use the "Draw bezier curves and straight lines" tool. Once this tool is selected, left-click where you want the line to start, then click on the next node (or nodes if you want). After the last desired node is added, right-click to stop and finish the line.

Saving and Exporting

To save work as a vector file in Inkscape, go to "File > Save as" and select "Inkscape SVG" as the file type. To export the file as a raster PNG image, select all objects and go to "File > Export Bitmap".