Re: [Inkscape-user] Inkscape and Uniconvertor
On 8/28/14 9:44 AM, Mark Crutch wrote:
> It's trivial to flatten a transparent PNG to produce a JPEG or
> other format using another application, if necessary. As such I
> see no particular reason why Inkscape needs a JPEG export option.
> These days if an application that is supposed to handle raster
> images can't load a PNG directly I would consider it to be
> broken. That goes doubly for a DTP program - what happens when
> you want a vector logo, exported as a bitmap, to be placed over
> another image? Good luck sorting that one out with a format that
> doesn't support transparency.
No, Inkscape doesn't have to. But, if the user is like me, and
wants to maximize their time to be efficient, a program that does
the same thing (vector drawing) but does export JPG, that program
saves me time. That time savings seems to be something that is
eluding some people.
You want JPEG export. I know others that would like Photoshop PSD
files. Yet others will want TIFF, or BMP or other esoteric formats.
Should Inkscape support them all, or would it be better to export one
or two formats and allow the user to use another application to
convert to whatever they want?
You missed my point, Mark. Moving to another
application to do the
conversion takes time. I want to minimize the time I spend, not spend
the extra time.
But don't forget to consider, the users at the other end may be
using older systems and older software. Not everyone can afford,
or sees any need, to have the latest and greatest of everything.
When talking about any computer related topic, you should always
consider the possibility someone in the group simply may not have
the newer versions of X. And you have to work to that level.
Where do you draw the line, though? How old should we cater for. What
if someone's still using software that pre-dates JPEG? Hmmm... perhaps
Inkscape should just export in one or two open formats that can easily
be converted to others - even pre-JPEG ones - using other software.
Drawing the
line is always a tough question? If it were my call, I'd
look at what's being used in the way of hardware/operating systems.
With the plethora of XP users that are still out there, and seemingly in
no hurry to upgrade, if the file format was available when XP came out,
that's where I'd draw the line. Nothing directly supported for older
systems.
But now you risk pi$$ing off your users who have an unknown number of
files they've created, may want to use again, but can't? I think a
classy organization would provide a separate program to convert the
older files to a newer file so the user still has access to his/her
older files. This may be easier for word processors than graphics software.
But, if the program isn't supposed to support PNG, the program
isn't broken, it simply doesn't have the feature you want. Just
like I want Inkscape to export to JPG. That doesn't make Inkscape
broken, it just doesn't do what I want/look for. Like a car that
only has AM radio, but you want FM also.
If a DTP program doesn't support a bitmap format with alpha channels
then I *do* consider it broken as it prevents you from doing a lot of
basic things, like putting a logo over an image. It doesn't have to be
PNG, but in practice that's pretty much the only widespread open
format that does the job.
We sure define the word "broken" differently.
<G>
Bedda define the "basics" then. Because, before there was transparency,
"basics" wouldn't include that ability.
Inkscape not exporting JPEG doesn't prevent you doing anything,
it
just adds an extra external step if you absolutely must have a JPEG.
Therefore I consider one case to be broken, and the other not. One
stops you performing the basic tasks the program is there for, the
other doesn't. Inkscape exports in the only widely used open raster
format that supports alpha transparency and saves losslessly; from
that high-fidelity original it's down to the user to accept the
trade-offs of converting to something else, and to pick their
preferred tool for doing so.
And if the option to export to JPG or other format
were in Inkscape,
it's still the user's option to accept something less.
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