Inkscape 1.4 is out
The Inkscape team has released Inkscape 1.4, the latest version of the open-source vector design tool.
The update makes it easier to browse filters, fonts and color swatches, and extends the Shape Builder tool added in Inkscape 1.3 to work with bitmap as well as vector images.
It is also now possible to import files in Affinity Designer’s native .afdesign format, and color palettes in Adobe’s .ase and .acb formats.
An increasingly powerful open-source vector drawing package
Inkscape is an open-source vector design app, with a good range of freehand and path-based drawing tools.
It has a layer system; includes toolsets for grouping, transforming and simplifying paths; supports on-canvas text editing; and exports to a range of standard file formats, including PNG, SVG, EPS, PDF and DXF.
Although the software was first released in 2003, the pace of development has increased in recent years, as has uptake among professional artists, leading to the milestone Inkscape 1.0 release in 2020.
As well as graphic design, the software is used to create vector shapes for motion graphics or 3D modelling.
Improvements to working with filters, fonts and color palettes
Inkscape 1.4 improves workflow in a number of the software’s key toolsets.
Key changes include a new Filter Gallery dialog (shown above) for quickly previewing and filters within the software.
An experimental new unified font browser does a similar thing for fonts, providing a sortable, filterable list of font previews, replacing the Text and Font dialog.
The Swatches dialog has also been reworked, again to make it easier to preview and filter color swatches.
Shape Builder tool now works with raster as well as vector sources
The Shape Builder tool introduced in Inkscape 1.3 has been updated.
Initially a way to build up complex vector forms by performing Boolean operations on simpler shapes, it now supports raster as well as vector images, making it possible to clip selections from imported images, as shown above.
The update also adds support for modular grids, making it possible to create more complex layout guides for vector designs.
Support for Affinity Designer files and Adobe formats for color palettes
Changes to file import and export include support for Affinity Designer‘s native .afdesign file format, making it easier to import designs from the commercial vector design app.
The update also makes it easier to import color palettes from other applications, with support for Adobe Swatch Exchange (.ase) and Adobe Color Book (.acb) files.
Support for .acb files is primarily for the CIELAB color space: support for CMYK is “limited for now”.
There is also a long list of smaller feature and performance updates: you can find a full list of changes via the links at the foot of the story.
License and system requirements
Inkscape 1.4 is available free for 32-bit and 64-bit Windows, Linux and macOS. The source code is available under a GPL licence
Read an overview of the new features in Inkscape 1.4 on the Inkscape blog
Read a full list of new features in Inkscape 1.4 in the online release notes
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