Have read the information about the difference of .png .jpg .bmp graphics to vector graphics and yet have found a site that claims that gimp can convert graphics to vector?
https://www.educba.com/gimp-vector-graphics/

Gimp can open a vector svg file, but it is converted to a raster (bitmap) format. Gimp can also open and export svg files as paths, but these are the outline and there is no fill.

I disagree with this from the article: So we have successfully created a vector graphic in GIMP
It is a vector-look-alike bitmap. An easy way for vector look is the g'mic plugin and the vector painting filter.


To convert and export from Gimp some intervention is needed. This plugin using Autotrace viewtopic.php?f=9&t=17485 can give a half-decent vector svg file, all depends on the image.

Other none-Gimp ways: Inkscape will import a png and trace it or an on-line conversion such as https://www.pngtosvg.com/

Came in with Gimp 2.8



Attempts to convert the operative phrase. Never known that to happen.

Embedding fonts equally screwed up, The font metrics are not embedded, so not guaranteed in a PDF viewer.

For a better PDF use Inkscape. For a best PDF use Scribus

Thanks, I was wondering about those programs. I think I have them, if I do I don't remember because I do not use them often.

Actually, I have Microsoft Publisher now. Only got the one program not the whole office suite as I have it in Open Office. I needed publisher because it was compatable with my work program. - Bought it when Covid was first out and we all had to stay home to work. You are able to save to pdfs in there now. What are they like, can a picture created in Gimp be saved as a pdf in there and would it be better?

I think the newest MS Publisher I have is in a MS Office 2005 archive Guessing your version is the latest edition. Nice acquisition.

It should be able to use a variety of image formats according to this: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/off ... 0c38970c8b Any of those that Gimp can create, PNG / JPEG / TIF

Give MS their due, there is usually a help page somewhere. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/off ... 0c38970c8b The bit showing text wrapping looks a lot like Scribus

My niggle with Gimp and PDF is when a font is only available to Gimp, ie. in the Gimp user profile fonts folder. Make a PDF using the font and it is not embedded, the font has to be installed system-wide ( linux is a bit better, put the font in ~/.fonts)

Inkscape works the way Gimp should work. Font goes in Inkscape user profile, font gets embedded in PDF.

PDF is a finished format, meant for distribution not editing and Gimp makes big file sizes due to the internal compression format. Best stick with your MS Publisher.

Do yourself a favor and switch over to LibreOffice. It is more up to date and better supported.

https://www.libreoffice.org/

It does depend what you want to do and how familiar you are with the applications. I have friends at a university and MS / Adobe rules. If you want to publish a paper, the graphics are made with Illustrator and the document with annotations in Word.

However I do agree LibreOffice makes quite good PDF's Scribus maybe better when it comes to wrapping text.

Attached a very quick one page PDF, made between evening meal and setting down with a glass of Oz wine ie. not much time spent on it. A mix of text / raster graphics / vector & That is me done for the day.

In the future (not near) it is not unreasonable to believe that GEGL will one day be able to read vector and do vector layers.

Thanks I actually upgraded to Libre Office ages ago. I don't have the latest vs though. Open Office was the first open source office suite I had.

@Rich thanks, At work I use Publisher to do newsletters and the pdf does come out great. - I'll remember Libre Office more often at home.

I have tried to edit some PDFs made using Adobe. Libre Office Draw fails miserably. I use the latest version of Libre Office.

A PDF is a finished document not really meant for editing, only viewing, although you can get PDF forms that you fill in. Editing a PDF from some other application in LO and all sorts of things get in the way, extra transparent layers, fonts in the PDF that are not available on your computer, selecting text is limited....goes on.

However, if you start with a blank page, make everything in LO, keep an original as a LO .odt file (for editing later) and export as a PDF then LO makes a good PDF, plenty options in the export section.

If the PDF is for sending to a publisher for printing, then the best freeware tool for that is Scribus.

I mean no disrespect to Libre Office. I use it daily.

But if we use the same PDF with Master PDF editor ( now watermark in free version ), it is 100% editable.

Just repeating myself, depends where the PDF originated. Might not be so good with an Adobe file, but I sometimes dump a webpage to PDF for future reference and clean that up with LO, take out ad's , logo's ...

MasterPDF editor, mixed feelings about them, there was a lot of input from the linux community while it was being developed. Then ...lo...It becomes either crippled or paid for. Strangely, I have a version 3 (not registered/no watermark) that just about works in kubuntu 20.04 https://i.imgur.com/dWZu8s6.jpg

I actually dumped Microsoft's Publisher and replaced it with Affinity Publisher. I realize everyone likes FREE best, sometimes FREE doesn't cut it. Affinity has a bit of a learning curve but so does most everything new.

Does Serif still pester you if you buy anything from them ? A friend got emails every other day for years Affinity Publisher looks like a good buy at the moment, big discount. For MacOS only ? and I use linux
Since meetdilip mentioned MasterPDF editor I fired up my old version 3 and ...curses...some functions put a small text "made with masterpdf" top and bottom page corners. Not a problem, edit those out with...you guessed it, LibreOffice.

They (Serif) have never bothered me. I bought their Designer and Publisher at 50% off, and the Designer book to test it out, not having ever used it before. I have them both working on Windows 11 at the moment. I can't say the same for Corel, I buy ONE program 10 years ago and they still nag me.