Chapter 11. Working with Images

We talked a lot in the first chapter about rasterized versus vectorized images and how Inkscape is best used for vector graphics. But what if you only have rasterized images? Can you import them into Inkscape, manipulate them, or even save them as vector images? Of course you can. There are some minor limitations on how you export rasterized images, but this feature is often used to import the image and then manipulate it a bit for the vector use you need.

This chapter will focus on:

• Rendering a bitmap image
• Working with photographs and filters

Importing from the Open Clip Art Library (Linux and Mac users)

The Open Clip Art Library is an open source, free clip art image library that you can search directly from Inkscape.

Note

Unfortunately, the Open Clip Art Library menu options do not exist for Windows users. However, you can always go to www.openclipart.org in a web browser to view all available clip art, download, and then import into your projects.

This clip art library is searchable and most of its graphics can be used in your designs as needed (and as seen throughout this book). Let's see how we can use it.

Time for action — using the Open Clip Art Library (Mac users only)

Here's how it works:

1. In an open Inkscape project, from the main menu, choose File and then Import From Open Clip Art Library.
2. In the Import From Open Clip Art Library dialog box, in the Search for: field, enter a keyword to describe the clip art you want to place in the document and click Search, as shown in the following screenshot:
   

   Inkscape then connects to the Open Clip Art Library website. Previews of files are shown in a window on the right-hand side of the dialog.

3. Try other keyword searches until you find one you like and then double-click the name of the image to place it in the document.

What just happened?

You opened the Open Clip Art Library via Inkscape, searched for a clip art image, and placed it on an Inkscape canvas.

The clip art library can be useful in a number of ways:

• It allows for free use of a number of images that you may like to use in a web design mockup, for placement or for end use.
• You can...

Basics about photo manipulation

Inkscape doesn't allow for extensive photo manipulation, but these filters will work with photographs or non-vector based images. These are basic and fun effects for your photographic images. Filters that are photo (and bitmap) friendly are:

• Blurs
• Bumps
• Color
• Distort
• Image Effects
• Image Effects, Transparent
• Transparency Utilities
• Overlay

For some fun, try Scatter and Texture filters and Clip with photographs as well.

Let's walk through using one of these filters in a practical example.

Time for action — blurring the background of a photograph

We will take the same photograph we used from a previous exercise and manipulate it differently here. We will select the foreground that we want to keep crisp, and clear and then blur the background. Here are the steps on how this is done:

1. Open a new Inkscape document and import a bitmap/photograph you want to use for this exercise. From the main menu, select File and then Import.
2. Select the correct bitmap file and click Open. Make sure your imported bitmap is selected, and then select File and then Document Properties. In the Custom Size section, click Resize page to content, as shown in the following screenshot:
   
3. Click Resize page to drawing or selection.

   Your document page size will now be adjusted to match that of your imported bitmap image, as shown in the following screenshot.

4. Select your photograph objects in the window and now choose Edit and Duplicate as follows:
   
5. Select and then drag the top duplicate photograph off to...

Converting raster logos to vector-based logos

Many clients might only have their logo images in raster or bitmap formats—JPG, GIF, PNG, or BMP, which as we defined in Chapter 1, Getting Started with Vector Graphics, are a grid of pixels that are set to certain colors. When these logos are made larger, there's a loss of quality (remember the boxey, pixelated look?). Often, you might need to scale a logo larger so it fits in your new design and want to maintain smooth edges. You do this by converting it to a vector-based image.

Time for action — converting a logo to a vector-based image

Here's how you use Inkscape to convert a raster image logo into an SVG image in vector graphic format (that will be scalable!):

1. Open the logo you want to convert in Inkscape. Whenever possible use an image that is of as high resolution as possible. This will ensure the best possible recreation of the logo. You can see from the enlarged screenshot that the edges are not smooth, as shown in the following image:
   
2. Select the entire image (Edit and then Select All) and then perform a trace by choosing Path and then Trace Bitmap.
3. In the Trace Bitmap dialog box, select Multiscan Colors as the mode and be sure that Smooth is unchecked. The Scans can be set to 15.
4. Click OK to start the conversion.
5. (Optional step) As needed, adjust the new vector conversion of the image. Add, move, and adjust the nodes to match the original raster more closely.
6. Next you need to delete your original image. From the main menu, select Object and then...

Summary

In this chapter, we learned a lot about working with images—raster and vector—in Inkscape. We looked at importing bitmap images, embedding images, rendering bitmap images, working a bit with photographs and filters, importing clip art, and all the tips and tricks for "tracing" bitmap images to convert them into full vector graphics for both photographs and logos. Now we can recreate all of those non-editable images and make them resizable and thus enhance our current design projects.