I downloaded Inkscape last night so I am very new to using it. I know some basics of vector editing, but I can't seem to figure out how to select multiple items in a vector image in this program. I've tried using shift + click + drag to select everything but it doesn't seem to work.
Alt + click + drag does work; however I have to "draw" over the image and don't always capture every element in the image.
I am using the current OS for Mac (Safari) and downloaded the current version of Inkscape from your website last night.
I am sure it's a simple solution but I can't seem to find the answer or figure it out!! Thanks for your help and input! I look forward to using Inkscape!
If you're trying to select just a few reasonably-sized objects, I just use a click and then shift+click to select each item one-by-one. Make sure you're in the regular selection tool (the hotkey should be S) and not the node selection tool (hotkey N) unless you're trying to select specific nodes.
For shift+click+drag, one thing that's different in Inkscape than, say, Illustrator (what I learned vectors on) is that you have to get the entire object, not just part of it. (In Illustrator, or at least the version I knew, you only had to touch the item to select it that way, not surround it)
I don't know if that was helpful at all but I hope it was! Good luck!
Shift+click+drag needs a rectangle larger than the objects you want to select. There's another not so well-known feature with holding alt-key down while drawing with LM-button a red line; everything touched will be selected by releasing alt key. Not sure if or how this work on Windows or Linux though.
Thanks all for your input. After much playing around and using what I somewhat knew from the last program I used (EazyDraw), I tried ungrouping the file and was then able to draw the box around the specific image and select all that was within the box. I'm not sure if this was a given in order to do what I was attempting but I'm happy that it worked out, lol. All of the other tips work just fine without having to ungroup.
I download much of my vectors from Freepik and they normally consist of a group of several different images which I like to pick and choose to use in things.
I am really enjoying using Inkscape so far and look forward to learning from the wealth of tutorials on Youtube and the community here!!
Not sure if or how this work on Windows or Linux though.
It does, but for Linux the window manager often uses Alt-drag to move the whole window around. If that's the case, I know of two options that usually work:
Disable Alt-drag in your window manager settings (not great, as it affects all programs)
Hold down the Super key ('Windows' key) as well as Alt. Hold both keys while drawing the selection line. I'm not sure if this is an OS/Window Manager level workaround, or if Inkscape just handles Super-Alt in the same way as Alt, but it has worked on every Linux box I've tried it on.
I tried ungrouping the file and was then able to draw the box around the specific image and select all that was within the box. I'm not sure if this was a given in order to do
If objects are in a group you can generally only select the entire group (there are exceptions, but not worth going into here). However it you can 'enter' the group by double-clicking on it, in order to work with the individual items inside it. This is a common approach when you don't want to ungroup the contents. To exit the group you can double-click on the background canvas. There's also a pop-up menu in the status bar at the bottom of the screen which shows when you're in a group, and offers another way to exit it.
Note that groups can contain other groups, so you may need to enter several levels to get to specific objects.
Beginners' Questions Mac User- Need Help w/Selecting Multiple Items
Inkscape.org
Hi!
I downloaded Inkscape last night so I am very new to using it. I know some basics of vector editing, but I can't seem to figure out how to select multiple items in a vector image in this program. I've tried using shift + click + drag to select everything but it doesn't seem to work.
Alt + click + drag does work; however I have to "draw" over the image and don't always capture every element in the image.
I am using the current OS for Mac (Safari) and downloaded the current version of Inkscape from your website last night.
I am sure it's a simple solution but I can't seem to find the answer or figure it out!! Thanks for your help and input! I look forward to using Inkscape!
If you're trying to select just a few reasonably-sized objects, I just use a click and then shift+click to select each item one-by-one. Make sure you're in the regular selection tool (the hotkey should be S) and not the node selection tool (hotkey N) unless you're trying to select specific nodes.
For shift+click+drag, one thing that's different in Inkscape than, say, Illustrator (what I learned vectors on) is that you have to get the entire object, not just part of it. (In Illustrator, or at least the version I knew, you only had to touch the item to select it that way, not surround it)
I don't know if that was helpful at all but I hope it was! Good luck!
Shift+click+drag needs a rectangle larger than the objects you want to select. There's another not so well-known feature with holding alt-key down while drawing with LM-button a red line; everything touched will be selected by releasing alt key. Not sure if or how this work on Windows or Linux though.
Hello!
Thanks all for your input. After much playing around and using what I somewhat knew from the last program I used (EazyDraw), I tried ungrouping the file and was then able to draw the box around the specific image and select all that was within the box. I'm not sure if this was a given in order to do what I was attempting but I'm happy that it worked out, lol. All of the other tips work just fine without having to ungroup.
I download much of my vectors from Freepik and they normally consist of a group of several different images which I like to pick and choose to use in things.
I am really enjoying using Inkscape so far and look forward to learning from the wealth of tutorials on Youtube and the community here!!
It does, but for Linux the window manager often uses Alt-drag to move the whole window around. If that's the case, I know of two options that usually work:
If objects are in a group you can generally only select the entire group (there are exceptions, but not worth going into here). However it you can 'enter' the group by double-clicking on it, in order to work with the individual items inside it. This is a common approach when you don't want to ungroup the contents. To exit the group you can double-click on the background canvas. There's also a pop-up menu in the status bar at the bottom of the screen which shows when you're in a group, and offers another way to exit it.
Note that groups can contain other groups, so you may need to enter several levels to get to specific objects.