Linux for Designers

After creating a new splash for TORCS (using Blender and Gimp) i finished now a new Tango styled icon for TORCS. I enjoyed it again working with Inkscape:
How i did it:
* Set up the document (Shift+Ctrl+D) to 48x48px size
* Setup in the same dialogue the grid with 1px space
* Diplay the grid (View > Grid)
* Optional let the paths snap to the grid
* Now create/ design your icon but make sure everything used full pixel sizes/ positions
* Export the images as PNG (File > Bitmap export)

TORCS is available for Windows too and so i have to create a multiformat icon in the Windows ICO format too. Gimp make it possible to save images as the required format. The bad thing is that Gimp can't create multiformat icons (like Sibcodes plugin for Photoshop). Gimp didn't add resources it always replaces the full icon I created a bug report for Gimp 2.6.0.
Stupid me, GIMP can do!
Creating a multi-format Windows ICO with Gimp:
* Open the biggest icon PNG (in my case 48x48)
* drag all smaller resolutions into it
* If you like to create various color depths duplicate the layers often as needed (i duplicated them one time because i'd like to export 24bpp and 32bpp icons)
* Now save the layered image as an *.ico
* At save dialogue assign the color depth to any layer
* Save it, you will get an Ico file with various sizes and color depth

If the Inkscape project published a status of the Google Summer of Code interim results. All work of the GSoC projects are now in the main development branch of Inkscape or lib2geom. So most of the new features are likely to be seen in the upcoming 0.47 version .

If the Inkscape tutorials are too much to read for you than just watch and listen to the Inkscape screencasts

At my post about "Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy tips for design and web development" i mentioned UniConvertor for use with Inkscape to open various kind of vector graphics formats. Many people asked me where to get an up-to-date Deb package, very easy check out the Debian repositories
Attention: Create as root in /usr/bin a link "uniconv" to "uniconvertor" in the same directory to get it work on Ubuntu.

Andy Fitzsimon demonstrates the improved Path Effects of Inkscape 0.47. This is another good step go ahead to the goals of 0.47: improvements, cleanups and code refractoring.

Wasja (Vasiliy Kirilichev) have posted screenies and a summery of his GSOC F-Spot project progress.
Lars-Peter Clausen has posted an interesting status report of the GSOC PyGimp which sounds great too.
GSOC projects for Scribus have their own mailing list, it seems their a little bit on hold.
The GSOC projects of Inkscape are still alive, take a look at their mailing list and watch out about posts from Maximilian Albert and Felipe Sanches.

In the evening of the 14th Juli i have a talk about open source graphic software and Ubuntu. The workshop is about web design, print, vector graphics, imageing & photos and 3D. It is organized by Ubuntu Berlin with support of the c-base. If you like we can meet us there!
Update: Here is the official appointment

The roadmap declares that Inkscape 0.47 is a refactoring/ code cleanup. After the last additions now the developers optimised various preferences dialogs taken now less space.

The Libre Graphics Meeting 2008 needs your help. 20.000 Euro are needed up the 18th of April in order to support the conference and to help developers with travel and accommodation costs.

Inkscape 0.46 reaches the final state and is now available for download.

If you using Ubuntu Linux you can use these reposotories:

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/inkscape.testers/ubuntu gutsy main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/inkscape.testers/ubuntu gutsy main

Read my older posts about the new features and the release notes of Inkscape 0.46. A bunch of screenhsots is available too.