I'm totally new to Inkscape, so I downloaded the Kindle version of Inkscape: Guide to a Vector Drawing Program by Bah Tavmjong. I got through the first three exercises - Swedish Flag, EU Flag, and Hiking Club logo - and hit a stumbling block after importing the Northern Pacific graphic from his website.
All seemed to be going well until I started to trace with the Trace Bitmap dialog. I am stumped. Things are not working as I follow along. I've backed out and restarted at least 5 times. I must be doing something wrong or not understanding the instructions.
For anyone just starting out, I suggest using the Tutorials in the Help menu. They are very simple and will help with any further tutorials from other sources.
Thank you all! I started out with the book and will delve into it after I follow through on your advice. In fact, I finished the excellent Basic Tutorial from the Help menu last night and felt a lot better about the learning process.
I'm an airplane modeler seeking to make my own waterslide decals. I first did some in TurboCAD and they were simply OK. Then I turned to an old version of CorelDRAW and followed a tutorial published by a plastic scale modeler. This was more of what I was looking for but I didn't have the financial "firepower" to upgrade to the 2020 version. It was then that I discovered Inkscape and downloaded it last week.
Even at 74, I still love the learning/creative process.
Beginners' Questions Creating the Northern Pacific Logo
Inkscape.org
I'm totally new to Inkscape, so I downloaded the Kindle version of Inkscape: Guide to a Vector Drawing Program by Bah Tavmjong. I got through the first three exercises - Swedish Flag, EU Flag, and Hiking Club logo - and hit a stumbling block after importing the Northern Pacific graphic from his website.
All seemed to be going well until I started to trace with the Trace Bitmap dialog. I am stumped. Things are not working as I follow along. I've backed out and restarted at least 5 times. I must be doing something wrong or not understanding the instructions.
Can someone advise?
I haven't stepped through the tutorial, but it seems a bit in the tall grass for a beginner.
I presume you are using the latest version of Inkscape, so things may look a bit different than the tutorials.
Tavmjong's book is an excellent reference but it is still a 'guide' and as Tyler noted the manual does not have updates since Inkscape v0.48.5.
Two references that are current through 0.92.5 and actively updating for v1.0, are free to download, and are full of examples to try are:
1) Xav's tutorials (currently 100 of them) linked on this forum : https://inkscape.org/forums/tutorials/inkscape-tutorials-in-full-circle-magazine/
2) The Inkscape Beginner's Guide on the Inkscape home page: https://inkscape.org/learn/books/
Another good source of Tool or Effect specific information/tutorials is videos. Several hundred are referenced by BobSongs on this forum: https://inkscape.org/forums/tutorials/video-tutorials-courtesy-of-youtube/
Good Luck, and Welcome to Inkscape.
For anyone just starting out, I suggest using the Tutorials in the Help menu. They are very simple and will help with any further tutorials from other sources.
Thank you all! I started out with the book and will delve into it after I follow through on your advice. In fact, I finished the excellent Basic Tutorial from the Help menu last night and felt a lot better about the learning process.
I'm an airplane modeler seeking to make my own waterslide decals. I first did some in TurboCAD and they were simply OK. Then I turned to an old version of CorelDRAW and followed a tutorial published by a plastic scale modeler. This was more of what I was looking for but I didn't have the financial "firepower" to upgrade to the 2020 version. It was then that I discovered Inkscape and downloaded it last week.
Even at 74, I still love the learning/creative process.
Despite their titles, all the tutorials in the Help menu are quite basic and easy to step through.
The other tutorials mentioned above are a cornucopia of useful info.