Inkscape 1.1.2, 1.2 alpha released, About Screen Contest and Other Exciting News!

Banner from Inkscape 1.1 About Screen, CC-By-SA 4.0 Ozant Liuky

 

Bugfix Release of Inkscape 1.1.2 Available Now

You’ll be pleased to hear that we are releasing a bugfix version which solves nearly 60 issues and improves translations for 15 languages!

This release includes many crash fixes and resolves issues with a number of broken extensions. Download Inkscape 1.1.2 now for a smoother experience.

Download Inkscape 1.1.2 for Linux, Windows or macOS!

 

Inkscape 1.2 alpha Available Now (for those who love adventure)

The upcoming Inkscape 1.2 will deliver much desired stability and bug fixes, but more excitingly, the fast development pace over the last few months has provided some long awaited features and major UX changes. With too many new features to mention, below is a brief overview of some of the changes.

1.2 Alpha Banner
1.2 Alpha Banner (CC-By-SA 4.0 Ray Oliveira)

 

Multiple Page Documents

Arguably one of the most exciting new changes is the multi-page feature. It is now possible to have multiple pages in one document. This new function allows the importing of multi-page PDF documents and is integrated with the new and improved export dialog.

 

Multi-page example
Multiple Pages Example

 

Color Palette Refactored

Play around with the new palette configuration and you will wonder where it has been all your life. Never again will you scroll endlessly while selecting colors only to find you are using the wrong palette. The new menu provides palette previews, multi-line palette views and enhanced scrolling through rows.

color palette example
Color Palette Example

 

New Snapping Guides

The snapping guides provide a streamlined way to align objects directly on the canvas, potentially reducing dependence on the Align & Distribute panel. These new guides are expected to be a time saver to many Inkscape users.

Alignment and Distribution Snapping Example
Alignment and Distribution Snapping Example

 

Dithering

Long-awaited, this subtle feature promises to reduce banding of closely related colors, improving the quality of bitmap exports — subsequently enhancing Inkscape’s ability to create production-worthy graphics.

Note: This functionality requires a special version of Cairo, our rendering engine. As a result, it will only be available in the pre-packaged builds (for macOS, Windows and for the Linux AppImage).

Dithering Comparison
Dithering Comparison: top with subtle gradient banding, bottom with smooth dithered gradient

 

Gradient Panel Re-imagined

The new gradient panel allows for easier fine-tuning of gradients. The gradient panel includes a new stop color list for easier selection of ‘stops’, and — most importantly — control over gradients has been combined with the Fill & Stroke dialog, for convenience.

Gradient Dialog Example
Gradient Editor usage

 

Honorable Mentions

While it is not possible to cover all the advancements within this article, there are plenty more features to explore. For more details, see our Wiki.

Download Inkscape 1.2 Alpha for Linux, Windows or macOS!

 

In Other NEWS…

 

About Screen Contest

Would you like to see your artwork displayed on the Inkscape About Screen for the full release of Inkscape 1.2 (May 2022)? The Inkscape About Screen Contest submissions will be accepted between Sunday, February 6, 2022, and Sunday, March 6, 2022. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, March 22, 2022.

About Screen Previous Winners
Previous Winners of About Screen Contest

For further details on how to enter, see About Screen Contest.

 

Chemnitzer Linux-Tage 2022

Inkscape will be presenting at Chemnitzer Linux-Tage on March 12-13, 2022, a virtual event for German and English speakers who are interested in open source and all things Linux. If you would like to meet us there, see further details here: Chemnitzer Linux-Tage 2022.

 

Forum Challenges

If you would like to improve your artwork, we post monthly challenges on our forum where you can speak to other Inkscape users and receive supportive feedback on your creations. All are welcome to join in. You can find our challenges posted here: Drawing Challenges, Contests, Competitions.

Last Month and This Month's Challenges
Last Month's and This Month's Challenges

Go to this month's challenge!

 

About Inkscape

Built with the power of a team of mostly volunteers, this open source vector graphics editor represents the work of many hearts and hands from around the world, ensuring that Inkscape remains available free for everyone to download and enjoy.

Draw Freely.

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