Trying to find out if I can do this solely within Inkscape without going back and forth between GIMP and Inkscape.

Because of past issues with text inside of gimp, I know that I will already need to use Inkscape to make the good quality text overlays. If I can figure out how to do the border/fade masks within Inkscape, it would be great, as I could avoid bringing it back into GIMP altogether.

What I'm trying to figure out is how to generate a gradient border mask -- around all 4 sides of image. No, I don't want it to look like a picture frame. I want a border around the entire image fading outwards.

I want to achieve a gradual fading of image along all four sides from opaque to 100% transparent along outside edge -- final image to be a png.

Is this easier to achieve in inkscape, or gimp, or combination? I am probably using the wrong search terms, as I don't know what to call this within either program now.

We'll be using several different client-provided pictures and I want to be able to replicate this reliably.

I've been doing a lot of things in GIMP, then bringing into Inkscape for what I know how to do there, and then importing SVG file into GIMP for what I know how to do there.

Unfortunately, I've been waiting for several hours for my GIMP forum registration email, so I can't really ask there. I'm sure there are tutorials targeting this; however, my search terms keep getting all the wrong things -- especially things that look like actual picture frames.

I'm sure that I'm making this harder than it should be. I used to do this same type of thing using psp using alpha mask frames -- before they were bought/merged into other product then ruined.

I'm also pretty sure that a couple of years ago I was able to do this pretty easily on a couple of pix I was fiddling with.

Now, I'm in a crunch, and trying to work on something to put into a website (not a "graphic's" person, but the guy that the client has used for years, is never able to give us what we need and if I'm gonna have to keep tweaking stuff, I might as well learn this too.)

Fade to trans using white rectangle with glow filter as mask on imported bitmap.


You might prefer to feather the edges of the bitmap in Gimp and finish with text in Inkscape. Not sure why you'd need to return to Gimp after.