How do you change stroke width along a path so it looks like the stroke is fading? For example make the width of a path change from 5 to 4 between two nodes, and then 4 and 3 between the next two nodes, etc.

There is a way of doing this, however the controls are not as fine grained as you may like.

Basically, the method is to use the "pattern along path" live path effect.

First, using the rectangle tool, create a long and thin rectangle, do object->object to path, and add nodes along the long sides. Copy this to the clipboard

Next, using either or tools, Under "Use Shape"; select "from clipboard" and then draw your path.

This will give you your path with a uniform width. To edit the width, open the path effect editor (path->path effect editor). This should bring up a panel. Under "Current Effect", select Edit on canvas. Now you can edit the rectangle you created and change its width by selecting it's nodes and using the mouse or select pares of nodes and use shift+< or shift+> to change the distance between them...

Yeah, that is a little different than what I was looking for. It takes too much work to achieve the amount of control I want.

You can also try playing with the Tweak tool as suggested in one of the feature requests:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/170683
https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/171973

Welcome to the forum, 4Tens!

If it's a straight line, it would be pretty easy to use Stroke to Path. This would essentially create a very long, very thin rectangle. Then you could adjust the nodes as needed (overlap 2 of the nodes to create a point, if needed)(use Snap and/or a grid for precision). If it's a curved path, this would be much trickier.

But if it's a curved path, and similar to tomh's suggestion, a spiro spline (with "triangle in") might work, and be pretty quick to draw. Although it's quite hard to control or adjust spiro splines. You might have to try several times to get close to the right curve, then use Object to Path to be able to sort of "fine tune" it. In the "fine-tuning" stage, you could use node sculpting (Alt + drag selected nodes)(select all the nodes, but drag by the pointed tip) to keep the curve smooth.

I'm speaking in generalities, but if you need instructions, or step-by-step, just let me know. (Although if I'm not available, because we're about to finish painting my apartment, anyone who knows about these things, please feel free to share the instructions )

All of the suggestions here are good but i think the problem is the requirement that any solution should not involve much work.

It takes too much work to achieve the amount of control I want.

This is always the "dealbreaker" and I just can't come up with answers that give the user a lot of control but don't require a lot of work. The control part and the work part seem to be the same thing when I try to come up with a solution.

All of the suggestions here are good but i think the problem is the requirement that any solution should not involve much work.

It takes too much work to achieve the amount of control I want.

This is always the "dealbreaker" and I just can't come up with answers that give the user a lot of control but don't require a lot of work. The control part and the work part seem to be the same thing when I try to come up with a solution.

Well yes, if you're looking for a new feature, because there does not currently exist, a way to do this automatically. But for a one-time project, some of the steps mentioned might work.

The calligraphy tool with a tablet would do what you want.

-Rob A>

RobA wrote:The calligraphy tool with a tablet would do what you want.

-Rob A>

There are two problems with that.

1: I don't have a tablet.
2: I want to use simple paths that are only constructed from a few nodes / Bezier curves, I like that style.

But yes, that is essentially what I want, to be able to have tapered lines as if they were hand drawn.

Well yes, if you're looking for a new feature, because there does not currently exist, a way to do this automatically.

I was just being ironic.

Oh, sorry druban. I missed your tone on that one

No update on this subject? No custom extension for the program were made that allows to do such kind of trick? Or may be there is some custom stroke styles available somewhere, like in Illustrator?

No, nothing new, that hasn't already been mentioned in this topic. Calligraphy tool, or pattern along path LPE would be your best options

Get yourself a dev. version (R11359) and try the unstable powerstroke LPE.

https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=09706D11 ... A52A%21128

I notice that noone, including my own self suggested to the OP that the triangle in and triangle out options on the control bar might work for him/her. This is still the pattern on path LPE (except in my recent build, where it has now become the Powerstroke LPE, very cool, and quite stable!) but it's a lot less work to use.
Of course now that the Powerstroke LPE is automatically applied, well, you have the best of both worlds - automatically applied, and afterward editable!
This was done without ever opening the Path effects dialog.

Am I missing something? I`ve just tried r11359 and r11550... and all I got was additional "node" at the end of the Triangle in/out!? ?That node helped me change the width of that stroke but other nodes along that stroke/path were not editable.

@ druban
Am I misinterpreting your example or you have more that 3 strokes in it?

Maestral wrote:Am I missing something? I`ve just tried r11359 and r11550... and all I got was additional "node" at the end of the Triangle in/out!? ?That node helped me change the width of that stroke but other nodes along that stroke/path were not editable.

Ctrl-click the purple node to create a new node on top. you can then drag one of them to any location. ctrl-alt-click to remove extra ones. You can keep doing this for as many times as it takes to get your path outline the way you like it. Hint:You don't have to drag it along the path, just pull it right to where you want it. The interpolation method and smoothness determines the shape of the path between the nodes.
Hint:Try the spiro path for extra fun, everything still editable on canvas with

Maestral wrote:Am I misinterpreting your example or you have more that 3 strokes in it?

Yes and No! I duplicated the path three times and adjusted the powerstroke nodes to different widths! Then I blurred one fill. I did duplicate the bottom path one more time to clip the others, so that's why it's yes and no.... Took just seconds BTW.

Whole `nother ball game ,)

heathenx wrote:try the unstable powerstroke LPE.

Latest revision compiled for Windows here - can't find it. Am I missing something?

The feature has to be specifically switced on at the time of compilation AFAIK, and not all compilers (bless their hearts) do it. The windows builds at this location https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=09706D11303FA52A&id=9706D11303FA52A%21128seem to have all the LPEs enabled, even the ones that are completely buggy, so watch out. Powerstroke and clone original seem to be fairly smoothed out. Read about them in the link from Inkscape's menu 'new in this version'.

Whole `nother ball game ,)

Is that approval, M? I agree! A great piece of coding!

... also, Powerstroke is available only for and while having Triangle in/out shape activated. I`ll be more happier if Ellipse shape is included, but for now it`s fine. I have not tried yet with shape from clipboard but I believe it would work as well.

Maestral wrote:... also, Powerstroke is available only for and while having Triangle in/out shape activated. I`ll be more happier if Ellipse shape is included, but for now it`s fine. I have not tried yet with shape from clipboard but I believe it would work as well.

I see what you mean but of course you saw that Powerstroke can be applied to ANY path using the LPE dialog, right? You also get more control points right away if you apply it to a regular stroked path, and then the round ends option gets you pretty close to the ellipse pattern... But when I tried applying to a path that had some other pattern on path besides triangle in/out already applied it froze. So some parts are still buggy .

Khm, khm... how shall I put it? Well, no I didn`t

Mostly cause I missed Powerstroke while drawing with Pen or Path tools (by pen and tablet), but now after I went trough the LPE dialog - it`s not just nother ball game, it`s a whole nother sport ,) I made just a swift look with these two tools, and another one now trough LPE dialog, but soon I`ll give it a try in some new drawings. After all, perhaps there`s someone else not so careful, like me, and these few posts could point out Powerstroke`s capabilities.

Many thanks to developers, I`ve waited for this to work.

Maestral wrote:After all, perhaps there`s someone else not so careful, like me, and these few posts could point out Powerstroke`s capabilities.

I had posted links to currently available documentation for Powerstroke LPE earlier (1, 2):

• usage details in the preliminary release notes for 0.49 (WIP)
  
  Additional reading:
• the related wiki page tracks earlier discussions and implementation ideas: Powerstroke
• the slides of Johan's recent presentation at the LGM in Vienna: LGM2012 - Powerstroke.pdf
• for additional details (also with regard to missing features, mostly for the UI), consider searching the mailing list archives of inkscape-devel for recent discussions: gmane search results
  
  … and since this feature is still under development (unstable):
• related items in the bug tracker (may include duplicates):
  reports tagged with livepatheffects containing "powerstroke"