Inkscape 1.3.1

Inkscape

Inkscape is an open-source vector graphics editor similar to Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw, Freehand, or Xara X. What sets Inkscape apart is its use of Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG), an open XML-based W3C standard, as the native format.

In contrast to raster (bitmap) graphics editors such as Photoshop or Gimp, Inkscape stores its graphics in a vector format. Vector graphics is a resolution-independent description of the actual shapes and objects that you see in the image. A rasterization engine uses this information to determine how to plot each line and curve at any resolution or zoom level.

Contrast that to bitmap (raster) graphics which is always bound to a specific resolution and stores an image as a grid of pixels.

Inkscape can import and display bitmap images, too. An imported bitmap becomes yet another object in your vector graphics, and you can do with it everything you can do to other kinds of objects (move, transform, clip, etc.)

While Inkscape does not have all the features of the leading vector editors, the latest versions provide for a large portion of basic vector graphics editing capabilities. People report successfully using Inkscape in a lot of very different projects (web graphics, technical diagrams, icons, creative art, logos, maps).

Inkscape 1.3.1 release highlights:

The highlights of this major Inkscape version are:

more than 30 crash/freeze fixes, many of which affected PDF import and Live Path Effects
a new feature to disable snapping to grid lines, while still snapping to grid intersections
a new feature to split text into its letters (characters), while keeping the kerning (letter distances) intact
the Shape Builder tool now creates an appropriate number of nodes
activating a layer in the Layers dialog no longer requires you to double-click to enter the layer on the canvas to be able to work in it
no more auto-expanding layers in the Layers dialog when only activating them, and improved behavior on deleting and moving layers
right-clicking now applies the change to the selected object, not to whatever group it is in
the Page tool's size field no longer refuses to be edited
improved handle visibility with dark desk colors
multiple improvements for converting text objects to a path
PDF files that could not be opened with Inkscape 1.3 can now be opened / imported again
the English terms for Live Path Effects can now be searched for even if you use Inkscape in another language, so you can better follow tutorials
on macOS, and many current Linux distributions, gradient dithering is now available
there exists a workaround that users can apply when they are experiencing missing user interface fonts on macOS ('tofu')
3 fixes for extension bugs
16 improved user interface translations
some small updates for the included tutorials and the man page
and almost 40 more bug fixes!