Wikipedia:Graphics tutorials

Various Wikipedians have put together graphics tutorials. Some of these are still works in progress. It is preferred to work with open formats (such as PNG or SVG) and free licenses (such as public domain or GFDL) when possible. There are many free software programs available for creating and editing images.

Application

 * SVG with Inkscape - Fully featured SVG drawing program, also capable of PNG output
 * Using Dia - page not maintained - Well suited to technical diagrams & flowsheets - PNG output, limited SVG support
 * Using Microsoft Word - page not maintained - Familiar to many users, easy to use - PNG only, no SVG support

Specific tasks

 * How to create graphs for Wikipedia articles
 * Displaying a formula with commutative diagrams in TeX, in mathematics
 * How to draw SVG circuits using Xcircuit, in electronics

Bitmap graphics tutorials

 * Basic bitmap image editing
 * Graphic Lab/Optimizing relief - map-making tutorial using 3DEM or GRASS GIS editors and GIMP bitmap editor (all free programs)

Photo editing tutorials

 * How to improve image quality

Combination tutorials

 * Picture tutorial: The best way to add your pictures to articles
 * Maps and images for Wikipedia
 * Coloring cartographic maps
 * Keep in mind that images can contain hidden data and that you might want to remove the hidden data before publishing the images.
 * Text can be overlaid onto images using Template:Annotated image or Template:Annotated image 4.

Filesize optimisation tutorials

 * Preparing images for upload - Describes how to keep image file sizes as small as possible.
 * How to reduce colors for saving a JPEG as PNG (using The GIMP)

Open source programs

 * pngquant - program that reduces PNG size by automatically reducing the number of colors. Visually lossless most of the time.
 * PNGCrush - Old tried and true program that reduces PNG sizes using multiple zlib compression trials on disk.
 * OptiPNG - Essentially a newer version of PNGCrush, it economizes the trial (reducing from 100s of short ones to a maximum of 7 longer ones) and does everything in memory. Usually produces identical results, and is much faster.
 * AdvanceCOMP - A group of programs designed to reduce ZIP compression in many contexts, including PNGs (using AdvPNG).
 * Jhead - A program for viewing, altering, or removing Exif data of JPEGs. Amongst other things, this allows for reducing file sizes.
 * FileOptimizer - A Windows GUI program (recommended for beginners) that uses multiple open source and freeware tools (including most of those listed here) to optimize a large number of media filetypes. Achieves better compression than any of the others used by themselves. Released under the LGPL.

Freeware programs

 * PNGOUT - A program that optimizes PNGs by eschewing the usual zlib compression for a slower but more complete algorithm.
 * PNG Gauntlet - GUI for OptiPNG, PNGOUT, and DeflOpt (similar to AdvPNG in AdvanceCOMP)
 * Image Analyzer - Amongst other things, allows for lossy compression of PNG files. (Often, however, merely posterizing the image at a level that does not produce color banding results in smaller files of the same or higher quality.)
 * JPG Cleaner - Removes Exif data from JPEGs, making the files smaller.
 * JPGExtra and PNGExtra - Programs that losslessly optimize JPEGs and PNGs by cleanly removing all non-image data.

Vector graphics software

 * Adobe Illustrator (Non-free)
 * CorelDraw (Non-free)
 * Dia (Free)
 * DrawPlus (Non-free)
 * Inkscape (Free)
 * MetaPost (Free)
 * Sodipodi (Free)
 * Xara Xtreme (Non-free and Free versions)
 * xfig (Free)
 * and many more...

3D software

 * Autodesk 3ds Max (non-free)
 * Autodesk Maya (non-free)
 * Autodesk Softimage (non-free)
 * Blender (Free)
 * LightWave 3D (non-free)
 * OpenFX (Free)
 * POV-Ray (Free for non-commercial distribution)
 * and many more...

Raster graphics (bitmap) software

 * Adobe Photoshop (Non-free)
 * CodedColor
 * GIMP (Free)
 * Paint.NET (Free)
 * Paint Shop Pro (Non-free)
 * and many more...

Word processors with vector-graphics facilities

 * Microsoft Word (Non-free)
 * OpenOffice.org Writer (Free)
 * LibreOffice Writer (Free)
 * and many more...

Panorama software

 * Hugin (Open source)
 * Autostitch (Non-free; full demo available)
 * PTAssembler (Shareware, based on the open source Panorama Tools)
 * PTGui (Shareware, based on the open source Panorama Tools)

Related topics

 * Vector graphics, Raster graphics, 3D graphics, Word processors, Graphics, Computer graphics, Page layout, Image editing
 * Images for cleanup: images that need improvements
 * Image use policy: general information on using images on Wikipedia
 * Public domain image resources: sources for public domain images, organized topically
 * Prokudin-Gorskii photographs (scroll down)
 * SVG Help Technical help for problems with uploaded SVGs