How to Crop a PNG in Inkscape

When it comes to sharing custom parts with the Fritzing community, using a vector graphic editor is highly recommended. Although JPEG and PNG images are quick and easy to work with, they may pixelate when zoomed. SVG, PNG, and JPEG formats are supported by Fritzing (except for PCB graphics, which must be in SVG format for Gerber files export). The instructions on creating graphics outside of Fritzing remain the same, but the specifics of using Fritzing's parts editor have changed significantly.

To create a custom part in Fritzing, you need to provide three different graphics for each view (Breadboard, Schematic, and PCB) as well as an icon for the parts bin. Inkscape is one of the vector graphic editors that can be used to create these graphics.

Using Inkscape to Crop a PNG

If you have created a custom part using JPEG or PNG images but want to crop it in Inkscape, you can follow these steps:

1. Open your Inkscape program and select 'File' > 'Open' to open the PNG image you want to crop.

2. Use the 'Selection Tool' to select the area of the image that you want to keep and crop out the rest.

3. Go to 'Edit' > 'Crop to Selection' or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+C (Windows) or Command+Shift+C (Mac) to crop the image.

4. Save your cropped PNG image by going to 'File' > 'Save As' and selecting a location on your computer.

Tips for Using Inkscape with Fritzing

When using Inkscape with Fritzing, it's important to remember that all part graphics must be in SVG format. Additionally, every Fritzing Part needs three different graphics for each view (Breadboard, Schematic, and PCB) as well as an icon for the parts bin.

By following these steps and tips, you can effectively use Inkscape to crop your PNG images and create custom parts for the Fritzing community.

Inkscape crop a png