Tools
SVG Validator
A validator service (and downloadable tool) is provided by the W3C. It will complain about sodipodi or inkscape namespaced items in the document, unless you've exported to plain SVG.
SVG::Metadata
A Perl module and set of scripts to help in adding and processing metadata in SVG files.
Autotrace and Frontline
Autotrace is vectorization program by Martin Weber. That means you can convert bitmap images (like scans) to vector graphics. While not optimal for photos, it does good job on line art and poster-like images. Doesn't do too well with color.
Frontline is GUI frontend to Autotrace by Masatake Yamato. Frontline can be run as standalone aplication, but it can also be directly accessed from Inkscape and GIMP.
If you want to have tracing option, yo have to install both Autotrace and Frontline before compiling Inkscape. Inkscape automatically detects these programs, and adds inline raster to vector conversion option to image menu.
Both autotrace and frontline can be downloaded from http://autotrace.sourceforge.net/.
potrace
Doesn't handle color too well...
http://potrace.sourceforge.net/
Delineate
Front end written in java that does interesting things with color images.
http://delineate.sourceforge.net/
ill2svg
ill2svg (Illustrator to SVG) is a small script that helps turn Adobe Illustrator .ai files into SVG. While it doesn't always do a perfect job, it can sometimes be of great help.
To use the program, just type:
ill2svg.pl [-l "string" -h] infile > outfile.svg
options:
-l specify the file's line-ending convention: dos, mac,
or unix; the default is unix
-h print this message and exit
gimp2sodipodi
Shandy Brown has assembled a somewhat obscure but useful set of tools to get from GIMP to Sodipodi (and thus to Inkscape). That is, convert raster to vector.
LIVES
LIVES is the Linux Video Editing System that permits editing and making video without worries about formats, frame sizes, or frame rates. It doesn't support SVG directly yet, but you can create animated works by moving your shapes in Inkscape and exporting as numbered png's.
