| Inkscape » Effects |    |
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| Inkscape » Effects | |
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Table of Contents
Updated for v0.46
Inkscape can be enhanced by Effects. These are scripts or programs that can be run from inside Inkscape. Most Effects require external programs, usually written in Perl or Python.
Many of the included Effects might be of
marginal use to the average user. However, much can be learned by
examining the code in order to write your own scripts. Look in the
share/inkscape/extensions directory for the
code.
Note that on Windows, Effects written with
Python
will pop open an empty console window. This window will disappear
when the Effect is finished.
A few Effects are built into Inkscape;
they are located in the source directory
src/extensions/internal.
Often, an Effect can be used to
quickly prototype a feature that may be included natively
in a future version of Inkscape. Effects
are also a good way to add a feature that may have limited
use by the general Inkscape community and thus not
warrant the long-term commitment of adding the
feature to the main code base.
If an effect doesn't work, it may be that you are missing some external
dependency. You can check if this is the case by looking at the
log file extensions-errors.log in your
Inkscape preferences directory (.inkscape on
Linux, Documents and Settings\USER\Application Data\Inkscape
on Windows).
As of v0.46, Effects can be run live, that is, the script code can be run automatically in the background, responding immediately to changes in parameters. This can both be good (see results of parameter changes immediately) or bad (updating before a parameter is fully modified). Each Effect dialog has a button to toggle on and off this Live Preview.
It is possible to assign keyboard shortcuts to effects. See the section called “Custom Keyboard Shortcuts” in Chapter 20, Customization.
Effects are grouped under several broad categories:
Color: Modify the colors of an object or a Group of objects.
Removed in v0.46. Export: Export groups to PNG files. Use batch export option in Export Bitmap dialog instead.
Removed in v0.46. Fretboard Designer: Create custom guitar or other stringed instrument fret boards.
Generate from Path: Utilize a path object to create a new object.
New in v0.46. Generate Template: One effect at the moment to generate a template for a “Perfectly-Bound Cover,” as one would need for “Print On Demand” publishing.
Images: Extract or embed images in an Inkscape file.
Modify Path: Modify an existing path.
Render: Create a new object.
Text: Manipulate text.
Visualize Path: Extract information about a path.
Two entries under the Effects menu allow one quick access to the previously used effect. The first, → , will run the effect with the same parameters. The second, → , will pop up the parameters dialog.
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