Using the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format you can manipulate shapes, paths, text, markers, clones, alpha blending, transforms, gradients, patterns, and grouping. Inkscape also supports Creative Commons meta-data, node editing, layers, complex path operations, bitmap tracing, text-on-path, flowed text, direct XML editing, and more. It imports formats such as JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and others and exports PNG as well as multiple vector-based formats.
Inkscape's main goal is to create a powerful and convenient drawing tool fully compliant with XML, SVG, and CSS standards. We also aim to maintain a thriving user and developer community by using open, community-oriented development process, and by making sure Inkcape is easy to learn, to use, and to extend.
Smoother performance, HiDPI support, new & improved Live Path Effects & native macOS app
After a little over three years in development, the team is excited to launch the long awaited Inkscape 1.0 into the world.
Built with the power of a team of volunteers, this open source vector editor represents the work of many hearts and hands from around the world, ensuring that Inkscape remains available free for everyone to download and enjoy.
In fact, translations for over 20 out of all 88 languages were updated for version 1.0, making the software more accessible to people from all over the world.
A major milestone was achieved in enabling Inkscape to use a more recent version of the software used to build the editor's user interface (namely GTK+3). Users with HiDPI (high resolution) screens can thank teamwork that took place during the 2018 Boston Hackfest for setting the updated-GTK wheels in motion.
Smoother performance & first native macOS application
This latest version is available for Linux, Windows and macOS. All macOS users will notice that this latest version is labelled as 'preview', which means that additional improvements are scheduled for the next versions. Overall, 1.0 delivers a smoother, higher performance experience on Linux and Windows, and a better system integration (no more XQuartz!) on macOS.
So many new bells and whistles
One of the first things users will notice is a reorganized tool box, with a more logical order. There are many new and improved Live Path Effect (LPE) features. The new searchable LPE selection dialog now features a very polished interface, descriptions and even the possibility of marking favorite LPEs. Performance improvements are most noticeable when editing node-heavy objects, using the Objects dialog, and when grouping/ungrouping.
Color-managed PDF export using Scribus
An experimental Scribus PDF export extension has been added. It is available as one of the many export formats in the 'Save as' and 'Save a Copy' dialogs.
To be able to get a correct and color-managed CMYK PDF file with text converted to curves that corresponds to your drawing in Inkscape, you must:
- have Scribus 1.5.x installed (the Scribus executable must not be called scribus-ng)
- have enabled color management for your document
- have selected one color profile to use for the colors in your file
- assign all colors in the document with the color managed color selector in the Fill and Stroke dialog
- not use filters in your drawing (this includes blur)
- not use any transparency if you're exporting to PDF/X-1, PDF/X-3 or PDF 1.3
- not include any bitmap images
- not use markers
- not use any other SVG features that are not supported by Scribus
The page size corresponds to the document size in Scribus. When you add a bleed, an area of the given width outside the page area in Inkscape will be included in the PDF file.
Please test the extension, and always carefully check the result before you send it to a print service. You can leave your feedback about what works / doesn't work at https://inkscape.org/inbox.
Selectors and CSS dialog unhidden
The Selectors and CSS dialog that had been hidden and labelled as 'experimental' in Inkscape 1.0 is now available from the Object menu.
The dialog makes it possible to add, remove and edit CSS properties that are saved within an element's 'style' attribute, as well as styling objects in the document using CSS classes and other CSS selectors. These additional styles are written into a style tag in the SVG document.
It can also be used to select all objects that belong to a specific class, so users will again be able to create collections of objects that are independend of the document structure (e.g. they belong to different groups in the drawing).
This dialog replaces the Selection Sets dialog that had been removed for Inkscape 1.0.
What's New:
New Features
- Zooming by middle mouse button click (pressing scroll wheel) can now be deactivated in Edit → Preferences → Behavior → Steps: Zoom with middle mouse click (Commit 186736)
- Canvas rotation by Ctrl + middle mouse drag / Ctrl + Shift + Scroll can be prevented in two ways:
- temporarily for the current document from View → Canvas Orientation → Lock Rotation (Commit 5eb7c5)
- for all new Inkscape windows in Edit → Preferences → Interface: Lock canvas rotation by default (Commit e8c10d)
- Zoom with middle mouse click option in the Preferences Zoom with middle mouse click option in the PreferencesOption to lock the rotation for new documents in the Preferences Option to lock the rotation for new documents in the Preferences
Bug fixes
Copy-Paste:
- A long-standing, very annoying bug where, when copying an object to the clipboard while also running certain other programs on Linux desktops (mainly clipboard managers), caused multiple export extension dialogs to open, has been fixed, so you can now again use your favorite clipboard manager while also using Inkscape (Commit fe7c68, Bug #575)
- When copy-pasting some items along with their originals/frames/paths (clones, text-on-path, text-in-a-shape, linked offsets), they are no longer displaced in relation to the pasted original (Commit b93f21, Bug #853)
Stroke to Path: Converting an object's stroke to a path no longer makes its clones vanish (Bug #1120)
Performance: Improved rendering performance when zooming through multiple zoom levels (Commit 28e21e)
CSS: CSS classes that start with a letter that isn't part of the ASCII set are no longer ignored (Bug #1094)
Cleanup: An outdated link that pointed to a potentially offensive website now has been removed from a branding document (Commit 88efa4)
User interface: Random actions should no longer cause sudden scaling of the canvas (Commit 49fc36)
Markers: When adding a marker to a line, it can now be removed with a single Undo action again (not two) (Commit 179fe9, Bug #2130)
macOS
- Performance: Packaging has been updated for macOS, which removes a performance regression in Inkscape 1.0.1 (Commit 643286)
- Icons: File system icons look correct again now (Commit 643286, Bug #1893)
- Export: PDF export no longer produces unprintable PDF files (Bug #827, Commit 643286)
Circle Tool
- Arcs from Inkscape files created with versions older than 1.0 are no longer rendered as slices (Bug #1900)
- When dragging on an ellipse's handles inside the ellipse to create an arc, Inkscape no longer renders it as a closed slice (Commit def938)
Eraser Tool
- A long-standing issue with the Eraser tool painting red lines instead of erasing as soon as the user has interacted with a menu or dialog or another user interface element has been fixed (Bug #2068, Commit 2057bf)
Live Path Effects
- Fixed some issues with linked LPE item transforms (Commit 546b64, Commit e3cad6)
Mesh Gradient tool
- Objects with a mesh gradient now keep their fill when copied to a different document (Bug #579)
Filter Editor dialog
- The dialog elements are readable now when using a dark theme (Bug #885)
Objects dialog
- The search function in the 'Objects' dialog shows results again (Bug #1736)
Selectors and CSS dialog
- In addition to multiple crash fixes (see below), the dialog now correctly recognizes style tags inside the documents defs section (Commit 12f4d6, Bug #905)
Text
- A series of related bugs with text objects was fixed (MR #2434).
- All of the affected actions required a text object to behave like a path, but it behaved like a group, and the action failed. This series of bugs mostly affected new users who were following tutorials which did not work as expected.
- Specifically, the following actions now work again:
- A text object unioned with itself results in a single path again.
- Text objects can again be used with other objects in all Boolean operations.
- Text objects can again be inset and outset.
- Text objects can again be used to create a Dynamic Offset or a Linked Offset.
- The font preview sample now contains the correct currency symbols €¢ (instead of \342\202\254\302\242). One needs to reset the preferences to see the updated font sample text (MR #2547).
- Custom font folders are found now and taken into account, even when the installed Pango version is newer than 1.44.7 (Bug #1977, Commit 1771fa)
