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Unlike rasterized images, vector graphics incorporate true lines, curves, etc. While rasterized images do not scale well since they are made of a finite quality of pixels (zooming in on a raster image will reveal jagged curves), Vector art may be resized or otherwise manipulated infinitely and still remain completely smooth. Linux has many programs that can create vector artwork.
Inkscape is in our opinion the best open source vector image editor that we have ever seen. We feel that Inkscape even gives proprietary tools a run for their money, based on the screenshots we have seen depicting what many talented artistic people have been able to do with Inkscape. Inkscape supports layers and has all the tools a program of its type should have, like freehand drawing, calligraphy brush, line/curve drawing, pen tool, path node management, circle/polygon drawing, gradients, color/stroke management, etc. All of these tools are logically placed and are easy to use. Inkscape also includes multiple color pallets and even some rudimentary flowcharting and 3d tools.
Additionally, Inkscape's native file format is Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG), so no further conversion is necessary. It can also import many file formats, both vector and raster. The only deficiencies that we found with Inkscape are the dialog windows that control fill and stroke; they could be more prominently placed than they are. Even if you just dabble in artwork, you should spend some time playing with Inkscape.
Xara is a formerly proprietary Windows vector drawing application that was later open sourced and ported to Linux. Unlike the other solutions mentioned here, Xara probably won't be found in standard distro repositories (although unofficial repositories may have it) and as such can be more difficult to install. The standard procedure to install the binary is to download the package file from the website, chmod it as executable, and then run it like a shell script. This will launch a graphical installation utility. We took a shortcut and installed the binary instead of compiling from source (which is what people are most likely to do) on Ubuntu 9.04. While the binary worked, it was very unstable and prone to crashing at random moments, especially when applying effects. Presumably, performance and stability would be better if the application were to be custom-built for each system.
Xara includes the standard tools and features of most vector graphics programs, but we noticed that the pen tool behaved differently than in other programs, which might put some people off. Xara included some nifty beveling, transparency, and contour tools in addition to the standard features, but the unstable nature of the program made us hesitant to experiment very much. (it was aggravating to repeatedly create something only to have the program crash without warning and take our work with it) Xara saves its native files in a proprietary format (.xara) but it can export to SVG and rasterized formats like PNG or JPEG. Like Inkscape, Xara can import many types of graphics. Xara shows promise, but for now, it would be best to stick with Inkscape unless you want to compile Xara yourself.
OpenOffice.org's Draw module is different from many of the other drawing tools we tested; while it can create simple line art in the right hands, it just doesn't have the flexibility of something like Inkscape or Xara. However, Draw appears to be a very promising tool for creating flowcharts as an alternative to Kivio (another flowchart utility). An added bonus to using it for this purpose is close integration with the rest of OpenOffice. We noticed that creating flowcharts with Draw is very straightforward and the various shapes fit the purpose nicely with pre-defined text areas.
Draw saves its native files in ODF Drawing format. While this is not a bad thing, it makes it difficult for other programs to work with it. While Draw can export SVG, it requires that a Java Runtime environment be installed. Draw's import functionality is adequate, but it can't handle as many formats as the alternatives we tested.
Comments are closed on this article
AudraMarcie
April 26, 2011 at 12:09pm
Photoshop has many options that could help you in complicated operations. I agree that most of them can also be done with Linux, but it's not the same. It's like when you buy a regcure software or run a free online app. I tried them both and I could tell that I prefer to buy one.
cwsnyder
October 07, 2009 at 7:01pm
Paint dot net, when translated to Linux, uses the mono libraries and is called paint dot mono or mono paint (see this article http://webupd8.blogspot.com/2009/09/paintnet-for-linux-paintmono.html for more information on installing on Ubuntu, with a reference for installing on Mac OS X).
The correct Ubuntu command line command is even 'paintdotnet'.
cwsnyder'When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on!'
fnordfnord
October 06, 2009 at 11:49pm
Paint.NET is being actively ported to Linux, so you can try it out, though it doesn't create a menu entry yet, and has some bugs.
I would try GNUPaint for a MS Paint replacement, but TuxPaint also has its adherents.
There are also several Image libraries that offer minor retouching/recoloring in them, but GIMP is the current ruler of the roost as far as Linux Image editing goes.
For the more adventurous you could sidle up to imagemagick, hehe
Xylogeist
October 06, 2009 at 8:34am
WTF? They didn't evenmention Paint.NET.... LAME. Out of these GIMP is the best, however, NONE of them even CLOSELY compare to the almighty photoshop, rock on windows.
kokoro90
October 06, 2009 at 9:57am
Evidently you don't have enough brain cells to understand the title - this is about graphics software for Linux. Paint.net, last time I checked, is an application that only runs on Microsoft Windows. Calling it "LAME" not to include a Windows-only application in an article about Linux apps is more than lame itself, it's just plain stupid.
1337Goose
October 05, 2009 at 7:00pm
Some of these Open Source programs are very refined and do an excellent job of editing photos. I recommend trying it out to anybody who is even mildly curious.
By the way, thanks for the article, it was a good one.
~Goose
arch-chancellor
October 05, 2009 at 5:38pm
I have yet to find that perfect program. One won't paste a color as transparent. Another brings up a separate dialog box for text. Some won't do a simple pixel by pixel dot. I've even run across some that required you buy a plugin to open and save PNG.
I have tried these programs out on both Linux and Windows, and they fail many of the simple tests I do.
Neo Paint and Paint Shop Pro come close, but are lacking the ease of use.
Xylogeist
October 06, 2009 at 8:36am
Get photoshop :P I'm not at liberty to discuss it, but there are free ways out there to get photoshop... just look around :P
GIMP is pretty much the best... "obviously" free program
