Inkscape.org
Beginners' Questions Can You Figure Out What I Did?
  1. #1
    drlarrye drlarrye @drlarrye

    The image was originally a jpg converted to an svg that I want to trace manually.  The images size is the issue.  It was originally very large when opened in Inkscape (794 inches when viewed at the top of the window but 7 inches when measured with the ruler tool).  After I scaled it so the size at the top reads 7 inches the ruler measures 0.6 inches

    Puzzle2
    Puzzle1
  2. #2
    brynn brynn @brynn

    Welcome drlarrye!  😀

    (I think I might recall your name from the InkscapeForum (which has been down for over a week now).)

    The discrepancy between what the Selection tool indicates and the Measurement tool indicates is because when you measured with Measurement tool, you didn't measure from exactly the edge of the image.  It looks like you measured it at 700 inches, rather than 794, but I think you just didn't hit the edge of the image.  I mean, it's impossible to see the white against white.

    One way you could see the exact edge of the image would be to either change the background color for the document (some non-white, non-transparent color) or draw a larger rectangle behind it.  Then you could see the white edge of the image and be able to measure better.  Another way would be to enable snapping (to bounding box), and then Measurement tool would snap to the edge of the image, for measuring.

    Another part of the problem might be because you have the Scale set wrongly in Document Properties.  In the file Puzzle1, the scale is set for 90.00, and it should be 96.00.  The file Puzzle2 is set properly.

     

  3. #3
    drlarrye drlarrye @drlarrye

    Yeah, I'm back....I start woodworking in the fall/winter

    I think I'm not making myself clear.  The difference in the 2 different ways of measuring is 2 orders of magnitude.  The ruler (measurement tool?) reads 7 point something inches and the selection tool (at the top) reads 700 and something inches.

  4. #4
    brynn brynn @brynn

    I see that in the file where you scaled the image to 7 inches, the Measurement tool reads 7 inches.  And in the file with the original large image, I see 794 inches.  I cannot reproduce where the 794 inch object is measured at 7.94 inches.

    But there is a Scale setting for the Measurement tool.  On the control bar, you can make sure it's set for 100,00, and that units are correct.  And also, make sure precision isn't too high.

    This might be a case where a video would help, if you know how and can make one?

  5. #5
    drlarrye drlarrye @drlarrye

    OK, I see what you mean and changed the scale and everything is fine now.  Since I didn't realize there was a way to change the scale I'm wondering how it happened.  Would it change automatically if the initial image I was copying was very large and I didn't realize it?

  6. #6
    brynn brynn @brynn
    *

    Uumm, I'm not aware of any way the user could accidentally change it.  But I'm not very familiar with that tool.  Perhaps it is possible? 

    And I only know one tutorial which explains it....  And sadly, the site where that series of tutorials is indexed, has been down for almost 2 weeks now. Oh, you might know it, since you're an InkscapeForum user!  You know Xav's tutorials in Full Circle magazine?  It's in that series.  But it would take either one of us a good bit of time to try and find the exact issue it's in, just by clicking around.

    Let me see if I can contact him.  Maybe he will re-post that message in this forum?  Ok, I sent him a PM.

    Edit

    Oops, I forgot (embarassed emoji here, can't find one)   We have an archive of that forum.  Here's that link:

    http://fullcirclemagazine.org/issue-121/

  7. #7
    Xav Xav @Xav👹

     I've just picked up Brynn's PM and came here to post the link to my article on the measurement tool, but see she's already beaten me to it.

     

    Unfortunately (and extremely foolishly) I haven't actually maintained an index of my tutorials outside the list that was on the old forum. @brynn can you point me in the direction of the archive of the old forum so I can use it as the basis for creating a new index.

  8. #8
    brynn brynn @brynn

    Yes, in the top-right area of the forum, click on "Learn".  In the drop-down menu it's "Old InkscapeForum Archive".

    For some reason, when I click on the Tricks and Tutorials board, I get an error.  I'm not sure why.  But I also found a direct link to your topic, which does work:  https://alpha.inkscape.org/vectors/www.inkscapeforum.com/viewtopic8488.html?f=6&t=11981

  9. #9
    Xav Xav @Xav👹
    😀

    That's great Brynn, thanks. I knew there was a link somewhere, but was looking on the main Inkscape site, not this forum. Hopefully I'll be able to get an index page added to my own site during the Christmas break.