Creating vector graphics using Inkscape
You may have taken a photo with a digital camera which, at first, seemed sharply printed, but when enlarged seemed blurry and "mushy" in places. If so, you have stumbled across a fundamental problem of digital graphic processing: Pixel graphics can be shrunk almost arbitrarily, but they can only be enlarged to a certain degree: Where no more material is available in the original photo, the software must "add" pixels, but this only works to a limited extent, and the result is not like the original photo.
This problem can be solved using vector graphics. In Linux, you can use the Inkscape program [1] to create vector graphics yourself. However, starting to use this rather complex application is not very easy. In this article, I explain the first steps of using Inkscape.
Digital Resolution
Digital photos and graphics are not just a specific resolution, the point density, which is specified as the number of dots per inch (dpi), is also important. The higher the dpi, the finer and sharper the graphic. The combination of resolution and density determines the context in which an image file can be scaled. The higher the resolution and dpi number, the less a graphics program has to "invent" when projecting and the more the graphic can be scaled; 300 dpi is the basic requirement for high-quality printing.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Ubuntu 25.04 Coming Soon
Ubuntu 25.04 (Plucky Puffin) has been given an April release date with many notable updates.
-
Gnome Developers Consider Dropping RPM Support
In a move that might shock a lot of users, the Gnome development team has proposed the idea of going straight up Flatpak.
-
openSUSE Tumbleweed Ditches AppArmor for SELinux
If you're an openSUSE Tumbleweed user, you can expect a major change to the distribution.
-
Plasma 6.3 Now Available
Plasma desktop v6.3 has a couple of pretty nifty tricks up its sleeve.
-
LibreOffice 25.2 Has Arrived
If you've been hoping for a release that offers more UI customizations, you're in for a treat.
-
TuxCare Has a Big AlmaLinux 9 Announcement in Store
TuxCare announced it has successfully completed a Security Technical Implementation Guide for AlmaLinux OS 9.
-
First Release Candidate for Linux Kernel 6.14 Now Available
Linus Torvalds has officially released the first release candidate for kernel 6.14 and it includes over 500,000 lines of modified code, making for a small release.
-
System76 Refreshes Meerkat Mini PC
If you're looking for a small form factor PC powered by Linux, System76 has exactly what you need in the Meerkat mini PC.
-
Gnome 48 Alpha Ready for Testing
The latest Gnome desktop alpha is now available with plenty of new features and improvements.
-
Wine 10 Includes Plenty to Excite Users
With its latest release, Wine has the usual crop of bug fixes and improvements, along with some exciting new features.