Inkscape Shortcuts

[petej]

Here are some quick ways to adjust stroke and fill color in Inkscape.

Select an object you want to change. Click on any color in the color palette at the bottom of the window to set fill color of the selection. Hold down the shift key and click on any color to set its stroke color.

Yeah, I knew that already, you say.

But did you know about the controls in the left corner of the status bar?

Click on the Stroke swatch, hold down the button and move the mouse around the window to select a stroke color.

Better yet, right click (or Command/Control click) to the right of the stroke swatch to summon a pop-up menu where you can choose stroke properties including units of measurement and stroke width.

Bonus Prize: While you’re down there, notice the Layer menu. This is a zippy way to select the current layer, with locking and visibility controls just to the left.

[Jules]

Nice demo! I’m going to shift it to the Tips and Tutorials Section.

[markevans36301]

I’ve been using Inkscape for a while now but for me, it is not the easiest to learn so I very much appreciate every hint and tip.

[petej]

Thanks. As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, the interface throws so many options at you that you’re inclined to go selectively blind . I’ve been trying at least once a week to focus on some aspect of Inkscape that I don’t understand. I search YouTube and endure thick accents and bad microphones to watch people with more proficiency and I browse the Inkscape Keyboard and Mouse Reference and Tavmjong Bah’s Inkscape Guide. (Both links supplied by evansd2, who is perpetually helpful.)

I can only absorb a teaspoon at a time, though. The race is between learning new things and forgetting what I used to know.

[ptodd]

A great write-up! Thank you for taking the time. Great stuff!

[ChristyM]

Thanks! Super helpful. I actually knew your tip, but not the thing I was already supposed to know, or at least the part about the stroke color. There are certainly a lot of paths to the same result…