Inkscape

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Multiple issues Template:Infobox software Inkscape is a free and open-source software vector graphics editor released under a GNU General Public License (GPL) 2.0 or later. It is used for both artistic and technical illustrations such as cartoons, clip art, logos, typography, diagrams, and flowcharts. It uses vector graphics to allow for sharp printouts and renderings at unlimited resolution and is not bound to a fixed number of pixels like raster graphics.

Inkscape uses Scalable Vector Graphics (SVGs) as its main file format. It can import and export various file formats, including Adobe Illustrator (AI), Encapsulated PostScript (EPS), PDF, PostScript (PS) and PNG.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Inkscape can render primitive vector shapes (e.g. rectangles, ellipses, polygons, arcs, spirals, stars and 3D boxes) and text. These objects may be filled with solid colors, patterns, and radial or linear color gradients, and their borders may be stroked, both with adjustable transparency. Embedding and optional tracing of raster graphics is also supported, enabling the editor to create vector graphics from photos and other raster sources. Created shapes can be further manipulated with geometric transformations, such as moving, rotating, scaling, and skewing.

History

Inkscape began in 2003 as a code fork of the Sodipodi project.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> Sodipodi, developed since 1999, was based on Raph Levien's GNOME Illustration Application (Gill).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> One of the main priorities of the Inkscape project was interface consistency and usability by following the GNOME Human Interface Guidelines.<ref name=":0"/>

Four former Sodipodi Template:Nowrap‌Ted Gould, Bryce Harrington, Nathan Hurst, and MenTaLguYTemplate:Px2 Template:Mdash Template:Px2‌led the fork, citing differences over project objectives, openness to third-party contributions, and technical disagreements. They said that Inkscape would focus development on implementing the complete SVG standard, whereas Sodipodi development emphasized developing a general-purpose vector graphics editor, possibly at the expense of SVG.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Following the fork, Inkscape's developers changed the programming language from C to C++; adopted the GTK toolkit C++ bindings (gtkmm); redesigned its user interface, and added a number of new features.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Inkscape fully implemented<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> SVG 1.1 standard in version 0.91. And it continues with implementation of still unfinished SVG 1.2 and SVG 2.0 standard features like Mesh Gradients. It also supports the Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) standard and extends the format with its own features like node-types and live path effects.

Since 2005, Inkscape has participated in the Google Summer of Code program.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Up until the end of November 2007, Inkscape's source code repository was hosted by SourceForge. Thereafter it moved to Launchpad.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In June 2017, it moved to GitLab.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Features

Object creation

Inkscape workflow is based on vector objects. Tools allow manipulating primitive vector shapes: simple ones like rectangles, ellipses, and arcs, and more complex ones like 3D boxes with adjustable perspectives, stars, polygons, and spirals. Rendering feature that can create objects like barcodes, calendars, grids, gears, and roulette curves (using the spirograph tool). These objects may be filled with solid colors, patterns, radial or linear color gradients and their borders may be stroked, both with adjustable transparency. All of those can be further edited by transformations, such as moving, rotating, scaling, and skewing, or by editing paths.

Other tools allow creating Bézier curves, freehand drawing of lines (pencil), or calligraphic (brush-like) strokes which support a graphics tablet.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Inkscape can write and edit text with tools available for changing font, spacing, kerning, rotation, flowing along the path or into a shape. Text can be converted to paths for further editing. The program also has layers (and objects) feature that allows organizing objects in a preferred stacking order in the canvas. Objects can be made visible or invisible, and locked or unlocked, via these features.

Symbol libraries enable Inkscape to use existing symbols like logic-gate symbols or DOT pictograms. More libraries can be added as needed.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Inkscape supports image tracing, the process of extracting vector graphics from raster sources.

Clones are child objects of an original parent object. Different transformations can be applied to them, such as: size, position, rotation, blur, opacity, color, and symmetry. Clones are updated live whenever the parent object changes.

Object manipulation

Every object in the drawing can be subjected to arbitrary affine transformations: moving, rotating, scaling, skewing, and a configurable matrix.Template:Clarify Transformation parameters can be specified numerically. Transformations can snap to angles, grids, guidelines and nodes of other objects, or be aligned in specified direction, spaced equally, scattered at random.

Objects can be grouped. Groups of objects behave similarly to objects. Objects in a group can be edited without having to ungroup them first.

The Z-order determines the order in which objects are drawn on the canvas. Objects with a high Z-order are drawn on top of objects lower in the Z-order. Order of objects can be managed either using layers, or by manually moving the object up and down in the Z-order. Layers can be locked or hidden, preventing modification and accidental selection.

The Create Tiled Clones tool allows symmetrical or grid-like drawings using various plane symmetries.

Appearance of objects can be further changed by using masks and clipping paths, which can be created from arbitrary objects, including groups.

The style attributes are 'attached' to the source object, so after cutting/copying an object onto the clipboard, the style's attributes can be pasted to another object.

Objects can also be moved by manually entering the location coordinates in the top toolbar. Even additions and subtractions can be done this way.

Operations on paths

Template:Overly detailed Inkscape has a comprehensive tool set to edit paths (as they are the basic element of a vector file):

Edit Path by Node tool: allows for the editing of single or multiple paths and or their associated node(s). There are four types of path nodes; Cusp (corner), Smooth, Symmetric, and Auto-Smooth. Editing is available for the positioning of nodes and their associated handles (angle and length) for Linear and Bézier paths or Spiro curves. A path segment can also be adjusted. When multiple nodes are selected, they can be moved, scaled and rotated using keyboard shortcut or mouse controls.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> More nodes can be inserted into paths at arbitrary or even placements, and an effect can be used to insert nodes at predefined intervals. When nodes are deleted, the handles on remaining ones are adjusted to preserve the original shape as closely as possible.
Tweak tool (sculpting/painting): provides whole object(s) or node editing regions (parts) of an object. It can push, repel/attract, randomize positioning, shrink/enlarge, rotate, copy/delete selected whole objects. With parts of a path you can push, shrink/enlarge, repel/attract, roughen edges, blur and color. Nodes are dynamically created and deleted when needed while using this tool, so it can also be used on simple paths without pre-processing.
Path-Offsets; Outset, Inset, Linked or Dynamic: can create a Linked or Dynamic (unlinked) Inset and or an Outset of an existing path which can then be fine tuned using the given Shape or Node tool. Creating a Linked Offset of a path will update whenever the original is modified. Making symmetrical (i.e., picture frame) graphics easier to edit.
Path-Conversion; Object to Path: conversions of Objects; Shapes (square, circle, etc.) or Text into paths.
Path-Conversion; Stroke to Path: conversions of the Stroke of a shape to a path.
Path-Simplify: a given path's node count will reduce while preserving the shape.
Path-Operations (Boolean operations): use of multiple objects to Union, Difference, Intersection, Exclusion, Division, and Cut Path.

Inkscape includes a feature called Live Path Effects (LPE), which can apply various modifiers to a path. Envelope Deformation is available via the Path Effects and provides a perspective effect. There are more than a dozen of these live path effects. LPE can be stacked onto a single object and have interactive live on canvas and menu-based editing of the effects.

File formats

Template:Update Inkscape's primary format is SVG 1.1, meaning that it can create and edit with the abilities and within the constraints of this format. Any other format must either be imported (converted to SVG) or exported (converted from SVG). The SVG format is using the CSS standard internally. Inkscape's implementation of SVG and CSS standards is incomplete. Most notably, it does not support animation natively.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Inkscape has multilingual support, particularly for complex scripts. Formats that used the UniConvertor library are not supported beyond the 1.0 release. A workaround is to have a parallel installation of version 0.92.x.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Inkscape file format support<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Format name	Import	Export
Adobe Illustrator Artwork (AI)	Template:Yes
CorelDRAW (CDR, CDT, CCX, CMX)	Template:Yes
Microsoft Visio (VSD, VSDM, VSDX, VDX)	Template:Yes
Portable Document Format (PDF)	Template:Yes	Template:Yes
compressed SVG (SVGZ)	Template:Yes
JPEG	Template:Yes	Template:Partial
PNG	Template:Yes	Template:Yes
GIF	Template:Yes
BMP	Template:Yes
Computer Graphics Metafile (CGM)	Template:Partial
Encapsulated PostScript (EPS)	Template:Partial	Template:Yes
PostScript (PS)	Template:Partial	Template:Yes
SK1	Template:Partial
Affinity Designer (AFDESIGN)	Template:Partial
Linearity Curve (CURVE, VECTORNATOR)	Template:Partial
Sketch	Template:Partial
Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG)	Template:Yes	Template:Yes
Xfig (FIG)	Template:Partial
Flash XML Graphics (FXG)		Template:Yes
Hewlett-Packard Graphics Language (HPGL)		Template:Yes
HTML5 canvas element		Template:Yes
LaTeX (TeX)		Template:Yes
Synfig (SIF)		Template:Yes
Extensible Application Markup Language (XAML)		Template:Yes

Other features

XML Editor for direct manipulation of the SVG XML structure
Support for SVG filter effects
Editing of Resource Description Framework (RDF), a World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) metadata information model
Command-line interface, exposes format conversion functions and full-featured GUI scripting
More than sixty interface languages
Extensible to new file formats, effects and other features
Mathematical diagramming, with various uses of LaTeX<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Experimental support for scripting
lib2Geom is now also external usable. 2Geom is a computational geometry library, originally developed for Inkscape. While developed for Inkscape, it is a library that can be used from any application. It provides support for basic geometric algebra, paths, distortions, Boolean operations, plotting implicit functions, non-uniform rational B-spline (NURBS) and more. 2Geom is free software released under LGPL 2.1 or MPL 1.1.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Extensions

Ink/Stich

Ink/Stitch is an addon designed to add stitching tools for machine embroidery into Inkscape. Its available as an installable extension, but also as a custom Inkscape package.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>

Ray Optics

Ray Optics is an extension adding optics design and analyzing features to Inkscape.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> Template:See also

Platform support

The latest version of Inkscape 1.0.x (and older line 0.92.x) is available for Linux, Windows 7+, and macOS 10.11–10.15 platforms.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Inkscape is packaged with AppImage, Flatpak, PPA, Snap and source by all major Linux distributions (including Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, OpenSUSE) with GTK+ 3.24+ (0.92.x with GTK+ 2.20+ for older Linux).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Inkscape can also be installed via FreeBSD ports and pkgsrc, the latter being native to NetBSD, but well-supported on most POSIX platforms, including GNU/Linux, Illumos, and macOS.

Template:As of, Wacom tablet support for GTK 3 is in a reviving project. Version 1.0.x includes GTK 3 and Wacom support depending on the necessary Wacom Linux or Unix driver.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Update inline

macOS

An issue had affected all GTK3-based apps on macOS Ventura (macOS 13), making the app unresponsive to certain mouse events. GTK is used by many different programs. GTK is a free and open-source cross-platform software widget toolkit for creating graphical user interfaces (GUIs).<ref name="GTK">Template:Cite web</ref> Inkscape 1.2.2 was also affected and the web site of Inkscape recommended not to install it on Ventura as long as a stable solution was not available.<ref name="VenturaBug">Template:Cite web</ref> These issues were fixed from version 1.3.

Most of the compatibility issues with Apple silicon processors (M1, M2 and M3 families) appear to have also been resolved from version 1.3 and the macOS download site for Inkscape offers two options: the Intel version and the arm64 corresponding to the Apple Silicon M family.<ref name="GitLab">Template:Cite web</ref>

Release history

Version	Release date	Notable features, changes
Template:Version	11 November 2003	Initial release of Inkscape based on Sodipodi 0.32, new keyboard shortcuts<ref>Template:Cite mailing list</ref>
Template:Version	11 December 2003	GUI redesign and improved usability<ref>Template:Cite mailing list</ref>
Template:Version	16 February 2004<ref>Template:Cite mailing list</ref>	Boolean path operations and path inset/outset, major code refactoring<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Version	12 April 2004<ref>Template:Cite mailing list</ref>	Text kerning and letter spacing, multi-stage gradients<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Version	20 July 2004<ref>Template:Cite mailing list</ref>	Markers, clones, and pattern fills<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Version	30 November 2004<ref>Template:Cite mailing list</ref>	Multi-layer support, bitmap tracing (only greyscale), and text on path<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Version	10 February 2005	Clone tiler tool and color bitmap tracing<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Version	26 July 2005	Flowing text support, styling text spans, enhanced effects support, and the new gradient tool<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Version	19 November 2005	Connector tool, collaborative editing, tablet pressure/angle sensitivity<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Version	24 June 2006	Layers panel, support for clipping and masking, PDF export with transparency<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Version	5 February 2007	Gaussian blur, pattern along path, new Undo History panel, improved bitmap tracing using simple interactive object extraction, color effects<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Version	24 March 2008	Docking user interface, Paint Bucket, Tweak and 3D Box tools, Live Path Effects, support for most SVG filters, the ability to open PDF files, import from the Open Clip Art Library, and OpenType/PostScript and Type1 font support<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Version	24 November 2009	Eraser tool (can slice paths), timed autosave, spiro splines interface for paths, auto-smooth nodes for paths, spellchecker for the text tool, new path effects like "sketch" and "hatches", new Python extensions like "alphabet soup" and "convert to Braille", basic support for SVG fonts<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Version	23 August 2010; July 2014	Multipath node editing, improved text tool: subscript, superscript, numerical and preset inputs for text kerning, tracking and more text enhancements, new Airbrush (Spray) tool, LaTeX export with PDF, PS, EPS, JessyInk extension for creating presentations viewable in SVG-enabled web browsers<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Version	30 January 2015<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Switched from libnr to Cairo rendering library, which significantly improved rendering speed.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Refactoring; Measure tool, new import/export formats, grayscale mode, alignment modes, Symbol library and support for Visio stencils, Guides can have labels, variable width strokes (PowerStroke).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Version	4 January 2017<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Infrastructure Focus; Mesh gradients, new path effects, default resolution changed from 90 dpi to 96 dpi to match the CSS standard, options for switching OpenType font features,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> last release 0.92.5, windows 7 Minimum for Windows since 0.92.4, 0.92.3 Vista and XP last version
Template:Version	4 May 2020<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Transition to GTK3 and Python 3, customizable themes, better HiDPI screen support, controllable width of PowerStroke with pressure sensitive graphics tablet, new PNG export options, variable font support.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web, no uniconverter support with less Import filters</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Native support for MacOS 10.10–10.15 Catalina.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Experimental color-managed PDF export,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> last release 1.0.2
Template:Version	24 May 2021	Significant changes in core and GUI, only Python 3 extensions supported, improved live path effects (LPE),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> last release 1.1.2
Template:Version	16 May 2022	New Page tool for multiple pages, Layers and Objects dialog merged, improved gradient editor, ability to export to multiple formats, improved SVG Font Editor, new 'Tiling' Live Path effect, improved performance, bugfix and some changes in GUI, improved macOS integration.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Version	14 July 2022	Critical bugfix<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Version	5 December 2022	Maintenance and critical bug fix.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Last version to support Windows 7 and 8.
Template:Version	23 July 2023	New tools for shape building, pattern editor, document resources, page margin and bleed; return of Search, opacity & blend modes in Layers & Objects dialog and of an optional persistent snap bar; improved canvas editing, XML Editor, welcome dialog, LPE, PDF import,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> public beta available<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Version	18 November 2023	Maintenance and bugfix to dedicate to its 20th anniversary<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Version	26 November 2023	Fix data loss bugs from previous release, which affect saving stars, polygons, spirals and 3D boxes in SVG<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Version	13 October 2024	Filter gallery, modular grids, improvements to swatches dialog and palette file handling, unified font browser preview<ref name="Inkscape_1.4">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Inkscape_1.4_ReleaseNotes">Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Version	Planned but not released due to significant lateTemplate:Nbhyphbreaking bug with new features later folded into versionTemplate:Nbsp1.4.2Template:Nnbsp<ref name="Inkscape_1.4.2"/><ref name="Inkscape_1.4.1_ReleaseNotes"> Template:Cite web </ref>
Template:Version	12 May 2025	Maintenance and bugfix release with some new minor featuresTemplate:Nnbsp<ref name="Inkscape_1.4.2"> Template:Cite web </ref><ref name="Inkscape_1.4.2_ReleaseNotes"> Template:Cite web </ref>
Template:Version	Template:TBA	Development snapshot available from Inkscape, release schedule not announced Template:As of
Template:Version

Reception

In its 2012 Best of Open Source Software Awards, InfoWorld gave Inkscape an award for being one of the best open-source desktop applications, commending its typographic controls and ability to directly edit the XML text of its documents.<ref name="IW-award">Template:Cite web</ref>

PC MagazineTemplate:'s February 2019 review gave the application three out of five stars; criticizing the interface graphics, the lack of optimization for stylus support, the application's poor interoperability with other graphics editors, unwieldy text formatting controls, and the quality of the MacOS version. However, the review did praise the ability to add custom filters, extensions, and the Inkscape community's passion for creating and sharing them. Further, the precision of both the path and placement tools was regarded positively. The review concluded that while Inkscape "boasts outstanding features and a passionate user base for a free program ... it's not suitable for busy professionals."<ref name="PCMag-review">Template:Cite web</ref>

In January 2020, TechRadar gave Inkscape a positive rating of four stars out of five. It lauded the wide range of editing tools and support for many file formats, but noted that the application's processing can be slow. It considered Inkscape to be a good free alternative to proprietary graphics editors such as Adobe Illustrator.<ref name="TR-review">Template:Cite web</ref> Similarly in July 2023, the Linux weekly newsletter It's FOSS stated Inkscape has become a direct competitor to Adobe Illustrator after the 1.3 version release of Inkscape, which sought to improve efficiency through overhauled user workflows.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>