[scribus] "Edit Image..." for vector graphics

[Christoph Schäfer]

On Monday 22 November 2010 15:23:08 Jan Bartsch wrote:
> Submitted on 11/22/2010
> Submitted by anonymous user: [10.1.5.224]
> 
> Submitted values are:
> 
>    Name: Jan Bartsch
>    Email Address: jan.bartsch at gmx.de
>    Subject: "Edit Image..." for vector graphics
>    Message:
> Hi Scribus team,
> 
> First of all, i'm working with Scribus for a few days. It's definitively
> the best free DTP!
> Keep it up!
> 
> My question: The function "Edit image..." is working with GIMP and Scribus
> very well.
> Is their any possibility, to implement a similar function for vector
> graphics?
> A connection to e. g. Inkscape would be very useful.
> 
> Greetz form Germany
> Jan

This is a bit complicated from a technical perspective. If you import a vector 
file, the vector data will be converted to native Scribus objects, losing 
every relation to the original file.

This approach, obviously, has some advantages, the major ones being 1) the 
ability to edit an imported drawing inside Scribus and 2) the import of all 
colours used in the original.

Of course there are also downsides, and you mentioned one of them: the 
impossiblity to synchronise a vector drawing with the original. Another 
disadvantage is that vector drawings are imported as groups of objects 
(because that's what they are), which means text flow around them won't work 
directly.

A solution might be to import vector drawings as images into image frames, 
i.e. rasterise them, as we already do with EPS and PDF files. Since 1.5svn can 
be compiled against GraphicsMagick, this might be an option for some vector 
formats in the future (SVG, WMF). Unfortunately, Scribus (especially 1.5svn) 
also provides import filters for many other formats, which are not supported 
by GraphicsMagick, so someone would have to write a rasteriser for these 
formats (e.g., AI, XAR, WPG, DRW). Any help would be welcome, but since there 
are so many other tasks with higher priorities, someone from outside the core 
development team would have to tackle this. Such a feature would also have to 
deal with various colour models, colour spaces and spot colours in a drawing, 
so this isn't really trivial.

HTH,

Christoph
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