Hi everyone,

I am a relative newcomer to Inkscape and would really appreciate some input on something.

I want to open an image (like a png image file) into Inkscape, make nice vector rounded corners on it, export back out as a GIMP xcf file and then reimport it into GIMP with the nice rounded corners. It's a pain to get nice rounded, non-pixelated, corners in GIMP (assuming that is even possible).

Can someone explain the overview of what I need to do to change the png image to have nice rounded corners in Inkscape? I mean in general?

Is what I am trying to do even advisable? Will the image saved back out as a xcf file for opening by GIMP have any kind of transparency to it? Or will I have to make sure that the corner cutouts in the image that result from rounding the corners in Inkscape have the color set as the color of my background image inside the GIMP?

Any suggestions or input would be very appreciated.

Thanks.

Carlos

I think if all I wanted to do was add rounded corners to a raster image then I would open the image in Gimp go to Select>Rounded Corners. Choose the size of the radius, invert the selection and cut away.

I can do that and do it well in GIMP. Problem is that the corners end up looking pixelated and such that they stand out because right behind a layer for example I have another layer that I use to put a thin white border around the first layer with. So against the backdrop of the white thin "border" layer the pixelated nature of the rounded corners in GIMP is...well...not good enough. In fact downright sloppy.

So I'd like to try using Inkscape to create the one layer (and others) that are contrasted against the thin white border in GIMP and to import them done into GIMP.

Inkscape seems so much easier and more intuitive to work with than GIMP. I just wish GIMP would pay attention and implement some of the ease of use to be found in Inkscape. Despite the ease of use in Inkscape though (well easier not easy) I just can't figure out how to round a rectangle over a layer in Inkscape, add a layer mask, apply the mask, and voila...rounded corners.

Anybody?

Carlos

Well, fair enough then. I suppose in that case you could import your image into Inkscape and draw an object on top of your image, equal in size with rounded corners. Use the alignment tool to properly place the vector object on your raster image. Select your vector object then your image and go to Object>Clip>Set.

That's what I needed! Someone to translate the Greek like, goobly gook (otherwise known as Inkscape terms that I am unfamiliar with) Object > Clip > Set into the GIMP gooblygook that I am familiar with (Layer > Add Layer Mask > Apply Layer Mask).

All this graphic design gooblygook gives me a headache sometimes though I notice that the more of it that I wade through and beat my head against the more it seems to stick (at some point).

Thanks again!

Carlos

I just thought of something before I start playing with this some more...

If I create a vector image in Inkscape with nice rounded corners and then save it in GIMP format for import into GIMP as a layer...won't GIMP ruin the nice vector, rounded corners such that I will end up with the pixelated affect all over again?

Carlos

Carlos wrote:won't GIMP ruin the nice vector, rounded corners such that I will end up with the pixelated affect all over again?

If you don't like GIMP's rounded corners, you'll find importing from Inkscape won't be any better. GIMP's rounded corners are anti-aliased as well as any export from Inkscape is going to be. A low radius round corner, black against white, is never going to look smooth.

Well, the corner will look OK in Inkscape with on-the-fly smoothing zoom levels, but will look just as pixellated when exported at the target resolution.