Tools

2007-04-27T18:40:57Z

Acotte:

=== SVG Validator ===
A [http://jiggles.w3.org/svgvalidator/ validator service] (and downloadable tool) is provided by the [[W3C]]. It will complain about sodipodi or inkscape namespaced items in the document, unless you've exported to plain SVG.

=== SVG::Metadata ===
[http://search.cpan.org/CPAN/authors/id/B/BR/BRYCE/SVG-Metadata-0.10.tar.gz Perl module and set of scripts] to help in adding and processing metadata in SVG files.

=== Potrace ===
[[Potrace]] is now embedded into Inkscape. You don't need to run it separately.
*[[Potrace|Using Potrace through Inkscape]]
*[http://potrace.sourceforge.net/ Potrace page at Sourceforge]

=== Autotrace and Frontline (alternatives to Potrace) ===
'''Autotrace''' an open source vectorization program by Martin Weber. That means you can convert bitmap images (like scans) to vector graphics. While not optimal for photos, it does good job on line art and poster-like images. Doesn't do too well with color.

Autotrace has some features not available in the embedded [[Potrace]] dialog in Inkscape. For example, there is a ''centerline'' switch that is especially usefull for tracing roads (in maps) or font characters.

'''Frontline''' is GUI frontend to Autotrace by Masatake Yamato. Frontline can be run as standalone aplication, but it can also be directly accessed from Inkscape and GIMP.

If you want to have tracing option, you have to install both Autotrace and Frontline before compiling Inkscape. Inkscape automatically detects these programs, and adds inline raster to vector conversion option to image menu.

Both Autotrace and Frontline can be downloaded from [http://autotrace.sourceforge.net/ Sourceforge]. Binaries are available for windows and linux.

=== Delineate ===
Front end written in java that does interesting things with color images.
*[http://delineate.sourceforge.net/ Delineate at Sourceforge]

=== ill2svg ===
ill2svg (Illustrator to SVG) is a small script that helps turn Adobe
Illustrator .ai files into SVG. While it doesn't always do a perfect job,
it can sometimes be of great help.

To use the program, just type:

<pre>ill2svg.pl [-l "string" -h] infile > outfile.svg

options:
-l specify the file's line-ending convention: dos, mac,
or unix; the default is unix

-h print this message and exit
</pre>

=== ai2svg.py ===
ai2svg (Illustrator to SVG, recoded in python) is as well a small script that helps turn Adobe Illustrator .ai files into SVG. The Python recode aims to help developers more familiar to python than perl, as well fixing some lacks from ill2svg.pl - supports dashes, layers, textboxes (ascii-latin), and joined pathes.

To use the program, just type:

<pre>python ai2svg.py drawing.ai

the result will appear as neighbour, named drawing.ai.svg

options:
--help print this message and exit
</pre>

available at http://www15.brinkster.com/nitrofurano/python/ (that .zip file, in the tools folder)

=== gimp2sodipodi ===
Shandy Brown has assembled a somewhat obscure but useful set of tools to get from GIMP to Sodipodi (and thus to Inkscape). That is, convert raster to vector.
*[http://sjbrown.users.geeky.net/gimp2sodi/HOWTO.html gimp2sodipodi instructions.]

=== GIMP ===
GIMP is a bitmap graphics tool in the first place, but:
* it imports SVG (with help of librsvg) into bitmap or vector path, exports SVG.
* GIMP's selection can be converted to a vector path, and paths can be exported/imported as SVG.

GIMP can be used to create nice textures to use in Inkscape or shapes that can be vectorized in Inkscape. Importing SVG drawings from Inkscape to GIMP allows you to do several effects by filling and stroking shapes.

There is a limited support for drag'n'drop between GIMP and Inkscape:
* path, can be drag'n'droped from Gimp path dialog to Inkscape
* pictures can be drag'n'droped from Gimp document history to Inkscape if it's in a file format that Inkscape understands.

*[http://www.gimp.org gimp.org]

=== Linux Video Editing System ===
LIVES is the Linux Video Editing System that permits editing and
making video without worries about formats, frame sizes, or frame
rates. It doesn't support SVG directly yet, but you can create animated
works by moving your shapes in Inkscape and exporting as numbered
png's.

*[http://www.xs4all.nl/%7Esalsaman/lives/ LIVES]

[[Category:About Inkscape]]

=== slides ===

Slides is a utility to create a multi-page PDF file from a sequence of SVG files. This is helpful for creating slide presentations.

*[http://volition.wustl.edu/slides/ Slides]

=== ConversionSVG ===

ConversionSVG is a GUI that send command line to Inkscape to export in batch SVG to PNG, PS, PDF or EPS. It features a Wizard to help novice to use it. You can choose a size in pixels for your export and give some others parameters.

*http://sourceforge.net/projects/conversionsvg/

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