While I am beginner both with Inkscape and graphics, I have a question that I feel is more for experts and that it will get more attention here than in the Basics forum section.
I am assembling an image out of image elements (it is a gaming map image cut up into 60x480 image elements, probably an export from a game editor of to me unknown origin). The problem is that most of the pieces refuse to be evenly vertically aligned. As you see in the attached image showing vertical alignment of two elements, they are aligned vertically off by one pixel. If I nudge one of the image strips up or down by one key press, it ends up either higher or lower than the other strip and cannot by aligned even.
I suspect it might have something to do with transparent background or some invisible image attribute or what. I mean, in my simple grasp of pixels and computer screen pixel raster, if both images have the same pixel size, they should be able to be perfectly vertically aligned (given that pixel is the smallest size and that nudging by arrow key pushed the image by one pixel at a time...).
What gives?
I have attached couple strips so you can try for yourself and maybe research what it is about the images that prevents them from being aligned. But perhaps you will know the answer off the bat. I tried googling the problem but can't get relevant search results.
OK, while posting on unrelated topic on this thread, among other advices, it was suggested that I can enable snapping feature to make aligning images easier and to my surprise and astonishment, it also solved this problem of alignment.
Somehow it aligns precisely when snapped together and even if I drag the snapped images apart and nudge them back together using arrows, they still align. But if I drag n drop new images and try to nudge them together by arrows, they again misalign even if the snapping feature is still ON. Then if I snap them together once, they can be pulled apart and nudged back together for precise alignment.
What is at play here?
-0-
Experimenting further, I found that if I align vertically using snapping function (you see in the attachment the black tops of the image strips are all even) then I am left with vertical lines marking the imprecise horizontal alignment. In the left part of the wall, where the top of the image strips is 'scattered' since they have been aligned manually, there are no vertical lines.
It seems something is weird with these tiles and there is no win win situation in assembling them. I can fix it in this case by overlapping the tiles horizontally one pixel and luckily in this image type, it comes out OK, it is fairly forgiving. Still I am curious what's going on here.
Can that nudging images by arrow keys be made more fine? Why can I (albeit painstakingly) move images by smaller distance when dragging them by hand than nudging them by arrows does it?
Beyond the Basics Images vertical alignment off by one pixel
Inkscape.org
While I am beginner both with Inkscape and graphics, I have a question that I feel is more for experts and that it will get more attention here than in the Basics forum section.
I am assembling an image out of image elements (it is a gaming map image cut up into 60x480 image elements, probably an export from a game editor of to me unknown origin). The problem is that most of the pieces refuse to be evenly vertically aligned. As you see in the attached image showing vertical alignment of two elements, they are aligned vertically off by one pixel. If I nudge one of the image strips up or down by one key press, it ends up either higher or lower than the other strip and cannot by aligned even.
I suspect it might have something to do with transparent background or some invisible image attribute or what. I mean, in my simple grasp of pixels and computer screen pixel raster, if both images have the same pixel size, they should be able to be perfectly vertically aligned (given that pixel is the smallest size and that nudging by arrow key pushed the image by one pixel at a time...).
What gives?
I have attached couple strips so you can try for yourself and maybe research what it is about the images that prevents them from being aligned. But perhaps you will know the answer off the bat. I tried googling the problem but can't get relevant search results.
OK, while posting on unrelated topic on this thread, among other advices, it was suggested that I can enable snapping feature to make aligning images easier and to my surprise and astonishment, it also solved this problem of alignment.
Somehow it aligns precisely when snapped together and even if I drag the snapped images apart and nudge them back together using arrows, they still align. But if I drag n drop new images and try to nudge them together by arrows, they again misalign even if the snapping feature is still ON. Then if I snap them together once, they can be pulled apart and nudged back together for precise alignment.
What is at play here?
-0-
Experimenting further, I found that if I align vertically using snapping function (you see in the attachment the black tops of the image strips are all even) then I am left with vertical lines marking the imprecise horizontal alignment. In the left part of the wall, where the top of the image strips is 'scattered' since they have been aligned manually, there are no vertical lines.
It seems something is weird with these tiles and there is no win win situation in assembling them. I can fix it in this case by overlapping the tiles horizontally one pixel and luckily in this image type, it comes out OK, it is fairly forgiving. Still I am curious what's going on here.
Can that nudging images by arrow keys be made more fine? Why can I (albeit painstakingly) move images by smaller distance when dragging them by hand than nudging them by arrows does it?
My answer in the original post. Sorry for the mess, dear moderators.
Here's a suggestion that might help you.
[File > Document Properties...]
[Grids] tab
[Grid units: px]
[Origin X: 0.00]
[Origin Y: 0.00]
[Spacing X: 1.00]
[Spacing Y: 1.00]
Turn on Snap to Grid.
(As of this message, the online manual by Tav Bah is still currently unavailable. )
My understanding is that the arrow keys nudge by the set value in the Preferences>Steps (default value is 2px). This refers to document pixels.
The SHIFT modifier on an arrow key will be 10X the value set in the preferences.
The ALT modifier on an arrow key will nudge 2 display pixels, so it is zoom dependent.
Sorry for the delay in replying. The above tip to "Turn on Snap to Grid" works, it aligns the images perfectly. Thank you @Paddy_CAD
And since it is also faster way to align the images to begin with, I won't bother with figuring why nudging using arrow keys doesn't quite work.