Inkscape

There is a really neat alternative to Corel Draw on Ubuntu. Its called Inkscape. I have been using it for quite some time now and have found it to be very useful. If you are into image editing/model creations/vector graphics you must have this application.

Screenshot:

Installation:

Its simple. Go to Ubuntu Software Center, search for Inkscape and install. Thats it!

GIMP tutorials

Just wanted to let you know of a really cool site which has some awesome GIMP tutorials. And for once, its comprehensible! Check it out here: Tankedup-Imaging and browse through the 'Gimp Tutorials' category there.

Goodbye GIMP

Image via Wikipedia

Yes, weird as it might sound, Ubuntu 10.04 (Lucid Lynx) might not have GIMP, the awesome image editing software, on its Release CD. For many of us GIMP is the open-source answer to Adobe Photoshop. As expected this has had mixed responses from various Ubuntu users.

Many feel this will help Ubuntu come out of its "nerdy" image and proclaim itself as a more user friendly OS. They feel F-Spot (another image editing software which is also on Ubuntu 9.10, but is very light weight and much easier to use for basic image editing tasks) is more than enough to satisfy the needs of most.

Then there's the other group which feels that GIMP is integral to Ubuntu's success and removing it from the CD edition will do nothing in popularising the OS.

I have mixed feelings about this. GIMP is without a doubt one of my favourite softwares on Ubuntu. And to be frank, if you're into at least into a little bit of blogging or image editing, it is an absolutely essential piece of software. But again, its not that GIMP wont be available to users, its just that one has to download it from the repositories. And on the positive side of it, Ubuntu is indeed going mainstream with the CD now having some of the most user-friendly softwares. (Lets face it, GIMP really isnt for beginners, is it?)

Well everything has its pros and cons. Lets see how things turn out! :)

Wikipedia: GIMP

Official Website of GIMP

Shutter - Screenshot Tool

The default Ubuntu screenshot software isnt really something spectacular. Also, it really doesnt have many options. For example, if you want the screenshot of just a window and not of the entire desktop, you'd be pretty much stuck if you were using the default screenshot app, as you would have to use some image editing software like GIMP to modify the screenshot to suit your needs.

No more... Say hello to Shutter! The perfect screenshot tool. Lets you take screenshots of windows, notifications (and even panels!). Has loads of options and is really useful.

This is how you install it:

Go to Ubuntu Software Center from your GNOME menu and search for 'Shutter', follow the links and install it! Like so:



Alternate method for users who prefer to use the terminal:

Type the following in the terminal:

sudo apt-get install shutter

And after the installation, you'll find Shutter installed in the 'Accessories' section of the GNOME menu.

Screenshots taken by Shutter can be found here.

Thats it! :)