How to Make a Photo Page Using Inkscape

Step-by-Step Guide

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   Step 1: Open Inkscape and create a new A4 page.

   You can do this by going to the menu item "File >> New >> A4".
   
   You could also create a different size according to the way you want to use your photo page.
   
   However, A4 is a very common page size especially in printers.
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   Step 2: Make sure that the page guides are selected.

   To do this, click on "Edit >> Guides Around Page".
   
   Be sure that the "Snap To Guides" option is also selected.
   
   You can do both by making sure the two buttons shown to the left are pressed in the toolbar.
   
   If you can't see these buttons, go to the menu item "View >> Show/Hide >> Snap Controls Bar" and make sure it is selected (there will be a tick to its left). , You can do this by one of:
   Pressing "Shift+Ctrl+D" on your keyboard.
   
   Clicking the "Edit Properties of this document" button (pictured to the left".
   
   If you can't see the button, make sure that the menu item "View >> Show/Hide >> Commands Bar" is selected.
   
   Choosing the menu item "File >> Document Properties"
   
   ,,,, Again, if you can't see the toolbar, go to "View >> Show/Hide >> Toolbox" and make sure it is selected. , Leave some empty space between the rectangle and edges of the page. , This can be done by one of:
   Clicking the "Align and distribute objects" button.
   
   Pressing the keyboard shortcut:
   Shift+Control+A Choosing the menu Item: "Object >> Align and distribute ..". , Click the "Center Objects Horizontally" button.
   
   Click the "Center on horizontal access" button. ,, This is done by one of:
   Pressing the keyboard shortcut:
   Shift+G Choosing the menu item: "Object >> Object to Guide". , This is mainly done by drawing rectangles that form a layout.
   
   An example is shown to the right, but you can choose the layout of your liking. , Drag the mouse starting from a bit outside the page borders so the selection rectangle engulfs all rectangles.
   
   You can also use the keyboard shortcut: "Ctrl+A"
   
   assuming you added nothing other than the layout placeholder shapes , This can be done by one of:
   Clicking the "Edit objects colors ,..." button (in the toolbar image above, designated as "Fill & Stroke").
   
   Pressing the keyboard shortcut:
   Shift+Ctrl+F Choosing the menu item: "Object >> Fill and Stroke". ,, You can do this simply by:
   Choose the menu item: "File >> Import" or use the shortcut "Ctrl+I" Choose the path and file name of your photo in the import dialog box.
   
   Re-size the photos you add by grabbing the size handles.
   
   Place the photos under the rectangle that represents the place holder they will be displayed in.
   
   You can send the photos under the rectangles by first placing them in top of the rectangle, then pressing the "Page Down" key repeatedly until the image appears to be under the placeholder (clipping) rectangle Make sure that all the photo-content that you want to appear in the final page is within the rectangle.
   
   Don't worry if some of the picture is outside the rectangle as long as it is not necessary for the final product.
   
   Select both the placeholder rectangle and change its opacity back to 100% (or whatever opacity you want the final photo to be in) Select both the placeholder and its photo.
   
   Right click the selection and choose "Set Clip"
   
   Change the properties of the text using the "Text and Font" dialog.
   
   This dialog can be shown by clicking the button designated "Text tools" in the image depicting the toolbar above or by choosing the menu item: "Text >> Text and Font". ,,,
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   Step 3: Open the "Document Properties" dialog.

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   Step 4: Make sure that the "Default units" option is set to "px" and that the page is a the size and orientation you desire.

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   Step 5: Select the "Background" option.

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   Step 6: Set the alpha channel in the background to 255 and press enter.

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   Step 7: Close the background dialog and the document properties dialog

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   Step 8: Choose the "Create rectangles and squares" tool from the "Toolbox" toolbar.

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   Step 9: Draw a rectangle within the page and try to re-size it to take most of the page.

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    Step 10: Show the "Align and Distribute" pane.

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    Step 11: Center the rectangle you created in the page by: Set the "Relative to" option to "Page".

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    Step 12: Close the "Align and Distribute" pane.

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    Step 13: Convert the rectangle that is now in the center to guidelines.

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    Step 14: Start creating place holders for the photos you'll add later to the page.

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    Step 15: Select all the rectangles you've created.

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    Step 16: Show the "Fill and stroke" pane.

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    Step 17: Set the "Opacity" option to something low (50% or lower

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    Step 18: as long as you can still see the rectangles).

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    Step 19: Repeat the following steps for each photo you want to be in the final photo page and its respective rectangle placeholder: Start adding your photos to the page.

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    Step 20: Add any text by using the "Create and edit text objects" button in the toolbox.

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    Step 21: Save the final product.

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    Step 22: Export the page to the format most suitable for your intended use.

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    Step 23: email and share in your blog or website.

Detailed Guide

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