Hi, I am new here, I have been doing vector images on GIMP, I now realise I should have been doing them on inkscape.

I have created many images in gimp using paths. I saved these as .png so I could open them in inkscape.

I have coloured the first few of these using vector/ paths in inkscape.

Is it possible to lock the gimp created background image to the inkscape created one so I can scale them both as one?

I bet it is easy but I have not managed to nut it out.

I am usning a mac 0xs10.4.11
I am working with inkscape 0.46 (which is the most recent version I could get to work on my mac).

Thanks for any advice, off to browse the forum some more, hopefully will learn some new tricks.

Diamondhack

Welcome to the forum, Diamondhack!

I'm not entirely sure what you mean by "lock" the image, but you can indeed lock it if you want. Just import into Inkscape. Then look at the Layers indicator at the bottom of the page, and click on the tiny padlock button. Now the layer is locked, and you can't do anything to it (until you unlock it).

However, I see that the next thing you want to do is scale it. So don't bother locking the layer, or you won't be able to select the PNG. After you import it, you may have to move it to the lowest layer, if there is more than one. And/or maybe move it to the bottom of the z-order (button on Selection tool control bar, or Object menu > Lower to Bottom). Then do Ctrl + A, which selects everything that's not locked or hidden. Then scale everything at once. Or, if you want to make sure they stay together, Ctrl + A, then Object menu > Group, then scale.

PS -- info on using Inkscape with a Mac -- maybe you can get a current version running http://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/index.php ... fic_issues

Thanks Brynn

I just had a go at following your instructions. I didn't quite understand but it did help me find the solution I was after (though I am sure your way is better once I suss it out).

I did not really mean lock, as you worked out, I meant link to be one image.

I selected everything I had done, and grouped it. This raised everything above the png (so I lowered it again), I then selected the png and the inkscape stuff and grouped that. It worked, scaleable image.

The only down side is that I should not have selected a couple of the items that where originally above the png, I will re create these. Next time I won't select them in the first group.

Thanks!

Oh, no worries! You can undo (or scale back down, if you've already closed the file). Then ungroup, and regroup as you need. Then scale again

If you still have the paths in your xcf file, you can save them in svg format and open them in inkscape, or you might even prefer to copy in GIMP and paste into Inkscape.

I do need to go back to my paths, I have found some faults, over lapping lines in my image that I have almost completed. Very happy with the inkscape stuff but the gimp paths need a tidy. Will try to save as svg, but from memory svg is not an option in the drop down save menu on the version of gimp I am using (older Mac).

Also, When I view it on screen in inkscape or as a pdf the gimp lines appear with squared edges, they are vector lines so I assume this is just on the computer screen, fingers crossed that they will look smooth when printed (I don't have ink to check).

diamondhack wrote:Will try to save as svg, but from memory svg is not an option in the drop down save menu on the version of gimp I am using

Please note that the option to save a vector file from GIMP is AFAIK only available from the paths dialog. Select the path you wish to save as svg and open the paths menu by clicking the little arrow at the top of the dialog and then choosing export path. I don't believe your GIMP is so old (less than v. 2.2?) as to not have this, but of course it's possible.

Thanks, I understand now, I have gimp 2.6

I am pretty happy going back to gimp to adjust paths, But if I where t start again I would save paths as svg as I go.

When I save my entire file (not paths) as png, alot of options come up, I just choose, compression zero, merge visible layers and leave the rest as defalt as I don't know what they are. Seems to work.

Dan