Review: Inkscape 0.48 Illustrator's Cookbook

Inkscape is new for me. I started download from their website and installed it. The interface is similar as Adobe Illustrator or Free Hand, but the feature has more functions.

I started follow step by step from the chapter 1. The author showed some samples of the tool bars, not all over interface. When I first started, it was a little bit hard to find where it was following the sample. I had to check it all of them, and had no idea how it would look like. Then I tried to open the sample codes, which was in "SVG file". I could not find how I open the “.SVG file.” The author did not give any information about it at all. I searched in Google, and found that I could open by using Inkscape, Firefox and Opera Browser. There is no information from the book, how one opens “SVG file in those browsers. (I tried using Firefox 5.0.1 and Opera 11.50.)

I could do the first sample and got an idea what it was and how to do it. The author showed in different ways and gave an idea more creative shape drawing in the book as well.

I stopped & got struck at the “Node Tool” in chapter1. The author did not give me the idea, what it was. It was hard to follow the step, until I opened the sample file. From that point on, I skipped reading the book and find that there was more wording that I have never heard them before. This book is not for beginner, who has no experiences of Vector Graphics at all.

Anyway, I still keeping reading without do the samples. I was curious to learn the wording and I found that there were powerful drawings in vector graphics, which was open source and FREE software.

Here are the lists:

· How to edit objects, colors, clones, live path effects etc

· SVG Filter - creating a water surface effect and creating a red wax seal etc

· How to putting on together – create wall paper and hatching effects etc.

· How to speeding up your workflow - creating geometric illusions using Grids and creating your own color palette etc.

· Raster - Exporting to PNG with different dpi, isolating part of a raster image and creating a photorealistic mobile phone etc.

· Web graphics preparing - creating a button to use with the CSS sliding doors technique and creating a 960 grid system template etc.

· SVG in website - creating an interactive map for a web game etc

This book is for who have experience in Vector Graphics only.