Hi, this is Jeff Schiller and I'll be describing the new features in the latest release of SVG-edit, version 2.3.

For those of you who didn't watch the first screencast, SVG-edit is an open source vector graphics editor that works in any modern browser that natively supports SVG.  This includes Firefox, Opera, Safari, and Chrome.

The latest release of SVG-edit sports more than just a new logo, this release brings some powerful new features.  Features that you would expect of a first-class vector editor on your desktop.  So let's launch the 2.3 Demo [click]

Probably the most significant new capability that SVG-edit brings is the ability to actually save and reload your work.  SVG-edit now comes with a source editor [click on editor], which means you can save your SVG files to your hard disk and then copy and paste them back into SVG-edit and continue your work.  You can also fine-tune the source of your drawing if there's something you want to do that isn't yet supported by the editor [add Jeff Schiller to comment and delete -->, show dialog].

Another important addition in 2.3 is the ability to construct arbitrary polygons or connected line segments.  Once the shape is complete, click on the first point to close the shape or any other point if you want to leave it open.  Polys can be dragged and resized just like any other shape.  Click the shape again to edit the position of the points. [draw an arrow and position the points]

Rotation is now supported on shapes.  There are a variety of ways to do this:  by drag-rotating the handle, by holding shift and pressing the left/right arrow keys or by adjusting the spinner control at the top. [rotate the arrow]

The final major feature in SVG-edit 2.3 is the ability to pick linear gradients as fill/stroke paints instead of just solid colors.  The color picker now has two tabs, one for solid colors and one for gradients.  You choose the position of the begin and end stops and the color/opacity of each stop. [set fill on the black ellipse to a vert gradient from white to transparent]

There are also several minor features worthy of note:

Elements can now be copy-pasted using the Clone Tool.  Select any number of elements and click Clone (or press C) to get the copied elements.

If you want fine-grained element navigation, you can use the keyboard shortcuts Shift-O and Shift-P to cycle forward or backward through elements on the canvas.

Compared to desktop vector graphics editors, SVG-edit still has a long ways to go, but already pretty sophisticated artwork can be achieved [open mickey.svg].  It's also important to remember that SVG-edit runs directly in the browser, with no plugins required.  This means zero install hassle for users.  You don't even need a bleeding edge browser, any SVG-capable browser released for the last few years will just work.

Thanks for watching.
