In the last 20 years, Inkscape has established itself as a prominent vector graphics software widely recognized as this domain’s leading free and open-source alternative. It provides a comprehensive suite of tools for creating and editing scalable vector graphics (SVG) files.
Today, the Inkscape team has announced the release of Inkscape 1.3.1, described as both ‘big’ and ‘small,’ and promises to enhance user experience with new features, improvements, and bug fixes.
Inkscape 1.3.1 Highlights
Inkscape 1.3.1 is not just a regular update; it’s one of the most comprehensive bug-fix packages ever released by the Inkscape community.
The 1.3.1 release focuses heavily on stability improvements, particularly addressing over 30 crash and freeze issues. Many of these issues were related to PDF import and the application’s Live Path Effects, which are now significantly more reliable.
A noteworthy addition is a new feature allowing users to disable snapping to grid lines while still enabling snapping to grid intersections. This feature enhances precision and flexibility in design work.
Another innovative feature is the ability to split text into individual characters, maintaining the original kerning. This enhancement opens new avenues for creative text manipulation in designs.
The update also brings refinements to the Shape Builder tool, ensuring it creates an appropriate number of nodes. Additionally, working with layers has become more intuitive.
Activating a layer in the Layers dialog no longer requires a double click, streamlining the workflow. The update has also addressed the issue of auto-expanding layers when activated and improved the behavior of deleting and moving layers.
Other improvements include right-click functionality applying changes directly to the selected object rather than the group it’s in and the ability to edit the size field in the Page tool. Users working with dark desk colors will appreciate improved handle visibility.
Inkscape 1.3.1 also enhances the conversion of text objects to a path and ensures PDF files incompatible with Inkscape 1.3 can now be opened or imported. Additionally, users can now search for English terms for Live Path Effects in any language setting, making it easier to follow tutorials.
For macOS and Linux users, gradient dithering, a technique used to create the illusion of a smoother gradient in images with a limited color palette, is now available. The update also provides a workaround for missing user interface fonts on macOS.
The release is rounded off with small updates to the included tutorials, the man page, and almost 40 more bug fixes, making Inkscape 1.3.1 a must-have for professionals and enthusiasts in the vector graphics community.
Users are encouraged to upgrade to the newest version to benefit from all the improvements. As usual, those using a rolling release will receive it first in the next few days through the repositories of their respective distributions.
Check out the release announcement for more details on specific updates in Inkscape 1.3.1.
