The scarcity of screenshot submissions is an alarming sign. Inkscape must be (1) fun to use and (2) fit to do professional work. If it is, users will be motivated to show off their Inkscape fun and/or their professional Inkscape work. If we don't get enough submissions, this might mean we are failing at (1) and/or (2).
For a user, screenshots are perhaps the most important resource at inkscape.org. It's what most people look at first. New users don't like to read descriptions; they want pretty pictures. Existing users considering upgrade don't like to read release notes; they want pretty pictures. Besides, our screenshots are borrowed by a lot of other sites and thus end up all over the web. All this means that screenshots must be as good as Inkscape itself, if not better. The lack or poor quality of screenshots means the entire project's bad health.
A few notes:
* The best screenshots are made by the author of the corresponding feature. Nobody knows the feature better than him. In fact, if you contribute a major feature, you are pretty much supposed to submit a screenshot of it in action, much as you are supposed to describe it in release notes.
* However, we also in badly need of high quality screenshots showing professional Inkscape work. If you are doing something complex and/or artistic and it turns out well, please take a moment to shoot the Inkscape window with your work.
* The screenshot should be dense and informative. 1280x1024 (the preferred screenshot size) is a lot of space, so don't waste it on just one or two bits. When doing a feature screenshot, combine the various aspects of the feature, add captions and descriptions, demonstrate all relevant tricks and nontrivial things that you can think of. When doing a work screenshot, find the best zoom/view of the document, and consider doing a double view of the same or different documents (as here: [http://inkscape.org/screenshots/gallery/inkscape-0.41-CVS-linux-davinci.png]). In both cases, open the relevant dialogs, switch to relevant tools, and do a selection so that the statusbar message adds more useful info to the picture.
* When submitting a screenshot, please also submit a blurb that will accompany it in the gallery. Briefly describe the feature you are demonstrating and the most nontrivial aspects of the screenshot. Try to be witty but comprehensive.
All of the above also applies to the head graphic on the new site design. I also vote for #5, and I like the idea of the head graphic being a rotated image (at least once per release). We'll need to make an SVG template for this image and elicit submissions of impressive graphics to be put into the template, probably in a cut-out/zoom-in/composite form (similar to the way the flag is displayed in the draft). I'm willing to do this at first, but I need your help. So this is a call to all Inkscape artists: please send me your work that you would like to see used on the front page of inkscape.org.
I also created a wiki page with the above: http://wiki.inkscape.org/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?MakingScreenshots
-- bulia byak Inkscape. Draw Freely. http://www.inkscape.org
bulia byak wrote:
The scarcity of screenshot submissions is an alarming sign. Inkscape must be (1) fun to use and (2) fit to do professional work. If it is, users will be motivated to show off their Inkscape fun and/or their professional Inkscape work. If we don't get enough submissions, this might mean we are failing at (1) and/or (2).
I think you should not be alarmed by this, Inkscape is fun and fit and this is proved for example by the increased number of images made with it at deviantART. A reason to worry would be why those people don't contribute back at least screenshots and here are various reasons. For example my personal reason is the lack of RPMs for "pre" releases.
On Monday 07 November 2005 07:40, Nicu Buculei wrote:
A reason to worry would be why those people don't contribute back at least screenshots and here are various reasons. For example my personal reason is the lack of RPMs for "pre" releases.
I think the most effective thing that could be done to fix that would be to create a screenshot upload page on the site, and maybe to link it under a menu/menuitem: "Community/Upload Screenshot" or something like that. I'm surprised more Free Software apps don't include something like a menu that shows off ways to get involved in the community around the program.
On Mon, Nov 07, 2005 at 08:11:49AM +0000, Lee Braiden wrote:
On Monday 07 November 2005 07:40, Nicu Buculei wrote:
A reason to worry would be why those people don't contribute back at least screenshots and here are various reasons. For example my personal reason is the lack of RPMs for "pre" releases.
I think the most effective thing that could be done to fix that would be to create a screenshot upload page on the site, and maybe to link it under a menu/menuitem: "Community/Upload Screenshot" or something like that. I'm surprised more Free Software apps don't include something like a menu that shows off ways to get involved in the community around the program.
Fwiw, we set up a screenshot upload tool on Open Clip Art but find it attracts a lot of abuse. We get more invalid screenshot submissions than valid ones, so it takes a lot of administrative work to review and reject screenshots.
Bryce
Hi,
While Effects are not new in 0.43, they are turned on by default for the first time so I think a "screen shot" is appropriate for the release. I have prepared an svg drawing that contains samples of what I think are some of the most interesting effects. The drawings are taken from the Effects chapter of my book (shameless plug). png and svg files can be found at:
http://tavmjong.free.fr/INKSCAPE/DRAWINGS/Effects.png http://tavmjong.free.fr/INKSCAPE/DRAWINGS/Effects.svg
Blurb:
Inkscape supports the use of external programs or script (e.g. Python, Perl, and Ruby) to extend Inkscape's drawing capabilities. While available in the previous release of Inkscape, they are enabled by default (under the Effects menu) for the first time in 0.43.
The effects included with Inkscape are documented in the manual <a href="http://tavmjong.free.fr/INKSCAPE/MANUAL/index.php">A Guide to Inkscape</a> by Tavmjong Bah. Additional documentation and information on writing scripts can be found on the website of <a href="http://www.ekips.org/comp/inkscape/">Aaron Spike</a>, the author of many of the scripts.
Tav
On 11/7/05, Tavmjong Bah <tavmjong@...8...> wrote:
While Effects are not new in 0.43, they are turned on by default forthe first time
Hmm... Are they really? I must have missed that. (They are always on in my installation.) If they are, we need to mention that in the Release Notes!
http://tavmjong.free.fr/INKSCAPE/DRAWINGS/Effects.png http://tavmjong.free.fr/INKSCAPE/DRAWINGS/Effects.svg
Excellent, thanks. I will add this one. Your blurb is nice too.
-- bulia byak Inkscape. Draw Freely. http://www.inkscape.org
Tavmjong Bah <tavmjong@...8...> writes:
Nice. I made a screenshot with a German interface and uploaded it to
http://oerks.net/~colin/Inkscape-0.43_Effects_de.png
When magazines print screenshots, it's nice to have them show at least one in their native language.
Cheers, Colin
On 11/7/05, Colin Marquardt <colin@...384...> wrote:
Tavmjong Bah <tavmjong@...8...> writes:
http://tavmjong.free.fr/INKSCAPE/DRAWINGS/Effects.svgNice. I made a screenshot with a German interface and uploaded it to
Thanks, I'll use this one with Tavmjong's blurb.
-- bulia byak Inkscape. Draw Freely. http://www.inkscape.org
bulia byak wrote:
On 11/7/05, Colin Marquardt <colin@...384...> wrote:
Tavmjong Bah <tavmjong@...8...> writes:
http://tavmjong.free.fr/INKSCAPE/DRAWINGS/Effects.svgNice. I made a screenshot with a German interface and uploaded it to
Thanks, I'll use this one with Tavmjong's blurb.
-- bulia byak Inkscape. Draw Freely. http://www.inkscape.org
Here is a simple trace on a winxp laptop with gtk-wimp, made with last night's cvs. If it might be useful, it is at: http://inkscape.org/win32/trace-dump-43.png
bob
Thanks to everyone for your submissions today. I've uploaded everything. We now have a wonderful 0.43 screenshots page :)
Scislac: if you update your screenshot, send it to me and I'll replace.
Now, if the tutorials will go in today, we're good to go with the final release, for example tomorrow. How does that sound?
-- bulia byak Inkscape. Draw Freely. http://www.inkscape.org
On Mon, 2005-11-07 at 22:21 -0600, aaron@...749... wrote:
Tavmjong Bah wrote:
While available in the previous release of Inkscape, they are enabled by default (under the Effects menu) for the first time in 0.43.
Really? Who did that?
Looking at the source code, it doesn't appear that it is turned on by default.
--Ted
On Mon, 2005-11-07 at 23:31 -0800, Ted Gould wrote:
On Mon, 2005-11-07 at 22:21 -0600, aaron@...749... wrote:
Tavmjong Bah wrote:
While available in the previous release of Inkscape, they are enabled by default (under the Effects menu) for the first time in 0.43.
Really? Who did that?
Looking at the source code, it doesn't appear that it is turned on by default.
--Ted
Hmmm,
The Effects menu appears in my cvs and pre-release versions on Linux. I routinely delete the .inkscape directory to ensure that I have a clean set up and I just reinstalled the beta version in an empty directory; I still have an Effects menu.
I also just checked by friend's Windows pre-release installation (installed yesterday) and the Effects menu is on there too.
Tav
On Mon, 7 Nov 2005, Ted Gould wrote:
Date: Mon, 07 Nov 2005 23:31:06 -0800 From: Ted Gould <ted@...11...> To: aaron@...749... Cc: inkscape inkscape-devel@lists.sourceforge.net Subject: Re: [Inkscape-devel] On screenshots
On Mon, 2005-11-07 at 22:21 -0600, aaron@...749... wrote:
Tavmjong Bah wrote:
While available in the previous release of Inkscape, they are enabled by default (under the Effects menu) for the first time in 0.43.
Really? Who did that?
Looking at the source code, it doesn't appear that it is turned on by default.
I was hoping Effects would be renamed to Effect before we had a release with it showing but I hadn't got around to making the necessary patch yet. http://sourceforge.net/tracker/index.php?func=detail&aid=1253273&gro...
Sincerely
Alan Horkan http://advogato.org/person/AlanHorkan/
On Tue, 8 Nov 2005, Alan Horkan wrote:
Date: Tue, 8 Nov 2005 15:34:59 +0000 (GMT) From: Alan Horkan <horkana@...44...> Cc: inkscape inkscape-devel@lists.sourceforge.net Subject: Re: [Inkscape-devel] On screenshots
On Mon, 7 Nov 2005, Ted Gould wrote:
Date: Mon, 07 Nov 2005 23:31:06 -0800 From: Ted Gould <ted@...11...> To: aaron@...749... Cc: inkscape inkscape-devel@lists.sourceforge.net Subject: Re: [Inkscape-devel] On screenshots
On Mon, 2005-11-07 at 22:21 -0600, aaron@...749... wrote:
Tavmjong Bah wrote:
While available in the previous release of Inkscape, they are enabled by default (under the Effects menu) for the first time in 0.43.
Really? Who did that?
Looking at the source code, it doesn't appear that it is turned on by default.
I was hoping Effects would be renamed to Effect before we had a release with it showing but I hadn't got around to making the necessary patch yet. http://sourceforge.net/tracker/index.php?func=detail&aid=1253273&gro...
In the unlikely event anyone gets all enthusiastic and wants to fix this we will also need a mnemonic for the Effect menu and by process of elimination it would be _c resulting in Effe_ct. Adding a mnemonic to _W in _Whiteboard might also be a good idea. (I'll add these comments to the request later or maybe even try and get enough of developement enviroment setup to be able to provide a patch myself.)
Alan Horkan http://advogato.org/person/AlanHorkan/
On Nov 8, 2005, at 5:39 PM, Alan Horkan wrote:
Adding a mnemonic to _W in _Whiteboard might also be a good idea. (I'll add these comments to the request later or maybe even try and get enough of developement enviroment setup to be able to provide a patch myself.)
There could be some major problems with _W. That can collide with many other things. Depending on the layers/window managers involved, that can collide with "close window" on OS X.
On 11/9/05, Jon A. Cruz <jon@...18...> wrote:
On Nov 8, 2005, at 5:39 PM, Alan Horkan wrote:
Adding a mnemonic to _W in _Whiteboard might also be a good idea. (I'll add these comments to the request later or maybe even try and get enough of developement enviroment setup to be able to provide a patch myself.)
There could be some major problems with _W. That can collide with many other things. Depending on the layers/window managers involved, that can collide with "close window" on OS X.
Alt+W?!
Alexandre
On Tue, 8 Nov 2005, Jon A. Cruz wrote:
Date: Tue, 8 Nov 2005 18:20:34 -0800 From: Jon A. Cruz <jon@...18...> To: Alan Horkan <horkana@...44...> Cc: inkscape inkscape-devel@lists.sourceforge.net Subject: Re: Effect [was Re: [Inkscape-devel] On screenshots]
On Nov 8, 2005, at 5:39 PM, Alan Horkan wrote:
Adding a mnemonic to _W in _Whiteboard might also be a good idea. (I'll add these comments to the request later or maybe even try and get enough of developement enviroment setup to be able to provide a patch myself.)
There could be some major problems with _W. That can collide with many other things. Depending on the layers/window managers involved, that can collide with "close window" on OS X.
If nothing can be done to alleviate those collions my second choice whould be White_board. I was thinking we might eventually want to have a Windows menu (although I'm sure a few wouldn't like the idea). There is also the possibility things could be reorganise and the whiteboard functionality presented in some other way (perhaps more transparently) but that is a whole other more complicated puzzle to consider another day.
I hope these minor details can be tweaked before a release, just a little bit of polish to show Inkscape at its best. (And I haven't even mentioned the obvious failure to the HIG I was reminded of by Jimmacs Tango screenshots.)
- Alan
Hi, I could send in some screenshots, but my question is: do you want any special features visible in the drawing? These are a few links to sreenshots of how _I_ use Inkscape, primarily as an aid for webdesign, and also for some works that are destined for print. http://www.asixinformatica.com/files/inkscape_print1.jpg http://www.asixinformatica.com/files/inkscape_print2.jpg http://www.asixinformatica.com/files/inkscape_webdesign.jpg
El dom, 06-11-2005 a las 22:43 -0400, bulia byak escribió:
The scarcity of screenshot submissions is an alarming sign. Inkscape must be (1) fun to use and (2) fit to do professional work. If it is, users will be motivated to show off their Inkscape fun and/or their professional Inkscape work. If we don't get enough submissions, this might mean we are failing at (1) and/or (2).
For a user, screenshots are perhaps the most important resource at inkscape.org. It's what most people look at first. New users don't like to read descriptions; they want pretty pictures. Existing users considering upgrade don't like to read release notes; they want pretty pictures. Besides, our screenshots are borrowed by a lot of other sites and thus end up all over the web. All this means that screenshots must be as good as Inkscape itself, if not better. The lack or poor quality of screenshots means the entire project's bad health.
A few notes:
- The best screenshots are made by the author of the corresponding
feature. Nobody knows the feature better than him. In fact, if you contribute a major feature, you are pretty much supposed to submit a screenshot of it in action, much as you are supposed to describe it in release notes.
- However, we also in badly need of high quality screenshots showing
professional Inkscape work. If you are doing something complex and/or artistic and it turns out well, please take a moment to shoot the Inkscape window with your work.
- The screenshot should be dense and informative. 1280x1024 (the
preferred screenshot size) is a lot of space, so don't waste it on just one or two bits. When doing a feature screenshot, combine the various aspects of the feature, add captions and descriptions, demonstrate all relevant tricks and nontrivial things that you can think of. When doing a work screenshot, find the best zoom/view of the document, and consider doing a double view of the same or different documents (as here: [http://inkscape.org/screenshots/gallery/inkscape-0.41-CVS-linux-davinci.png]). In both cases, open the relevant dialogs, switch to relevant tools, and do a selection so that the statusbar message adds more useful info to the picture.
- When submitting a screenshot, please also submit a blurb that will
accompany it in the gallery. Briefly describe the feature you are demonstrating and the most nontrivial aspects of the screenshot. Try to be witty but comprehensive.
All of the above also applies to the head graphic on the new site design. I also vote for #5, and I like the idea of the head graphic being a rotated image (at least once per release). We'll need to make an SVG template for this image and elicit submissions of impressive graphics to be put into the template, probably in a cut-out/zoom-in/composite form (similar to the way the flag is displayed in the draft). I'm willing to do this at first, but I need your help. So this is a call to all Inkscape artists: please send me your work that you would like to see used on the front page of inkscape.org.
I also created a wiki page with the above: http://wiki.inkscape.org/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?MakingScreenshots
-- bulia byak Inkscape. Draw Freely. http://www.inkscape.org
SF.Net email is sponsored by: Tame your development challenges with Apache's Geronimo App Server. Download it for free - -and be entered to win a 42" plasma tv or your very own Sony(tm)PSP. Click here to play: http://sourceforge.net/geronimo.php _______________________________________________ Inkscape-devel mailing list Inkscape-devel@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/inkscape-devel
On 11/7/05, Lucas Vieites <lucas@...212...> wrote:
Hi, I could send in some screenshots, but my question is: do you want any special features visible in the drawing? These are a few links to sreenshots of how _I_ use Inkscape, primarily as an aid for webdesign, and also for some works that are destined for print. http://www.asixinformatica.com/files/inkscape_print1.jpg http://www.asixinformatica.com/files/inkscape_print2.jpg http://www.asixinformatica.com/files/inkscape_webdesign.jpg
Thanks, these are nice. I think I would choose the last one for the gallery if you don't mind. Could you please do two things:
- provide it in PNG, not in lossy JPG
- provide a one-paragraph desription (what is this project, how you used Inkscape in it, etc)
-- bulia byak Inkscape. Draw Freely. http://www.inkscape.org
On 11/7/05, Lucas Vieites <lucas@...212...> wrote:
Hi, I could send in some screenshots, but my question is: do you want any special features visible in the drawing? These are a few links to sreenshots of how _I_ use Inkscape, primarily as an aid for webdesign, and also for some works that are destined for print. http://www.asixinformatica.com/files/inkscape_print1.jpg http://www.asixinformatica.com/files/inkscape_print2.jpg http://www.asixinformatica.com/files/inkscape_webdesign.jpg
Thanks, these are nice. I think I would choose the last one for the gallery if you don't mind. Could you please do two things:
provide it in PNG, not in lossy JPG
provide a one-paragraph desription (what is this project, how you
used Inkscape in it, etc)
Also indicate what the usage terms are for the screenshot (in case magazine writers wish to use the screenshot in their articles).
Hopefully not too late for this. The tango project artists are using Inkscape in their workflows extensively and I can say it wouldn't be possible without it.
Screenshot: http://jimmac.musichall.cz/stuff/inkscape-tango-workflow.png Blurb: http://jimmac.musichall.cz/stuff/inkscape-tango-workflow.txt
cheers
On Tue, Nov 08, 2005 at 04:49:02PM +0100, Jakub Steiner wrote:
Hopefully not too late for this. The tango project artists are using Inkscape in their workflows extensively and I can say it wouldn't be possible without it.
Screenshot: http://jimmac.musichall.cz/stuff/inkscape-tango-workflow.png Blurb: http://jimmac.musichall.cz/stuff/inkscape-tango-workflow.txt
It's cool seeing all the different ways Inkscape is being put to use. :-)
Thanks, Bryce
On 11/8/05, Jakub Steiner <jimmac@...659...> wrote:
Hopefully not too late for this. The tango project artists are using Inkscape in their workflows extensively and I can say it wouldn't be possible without it.
Screenshot: http://jimmac.musichall.cz/stuff/inkscape-tango-workflow.png Blurb: http://jimmac.musichall.cz/stuff/inkscape-tango-workflow.txt
Thanks! Added.
-- bulia byak Inkscape. Draw Freely. http://www.inkscape.org
participants (14)
-
unknown＠example.com -
Alan Horkan -
Alexandre Prokoudine -
Bob Jamison -
Bryce Harrington -
bulia byak -
Colin Marquardt -
Jakub Steiner -
Jon A. Cruz -
Lee Braiden -
Lucas Vieites -
Nicu Buculei -
Tavmjong Bah -
Ted Gould