How to Edit an SVG in Inkscape: A Beginner’s Step-by-Step Guide

Want to change a label colour, resize a decoration or add your own wording to an SVG? You can make those first edits with Inkscape, a free, open-source vector editor for Windows, macOS and Linux. If you already have access to Adobe Illustrator, you can use that too.

This guide follows one simple label from its original green design to a purple version with new wording. Start with one small change, save your work and build from there.

Follow along with your own SVG: use an SVG included in your purchased digital pack. The label shown below is our worked example; your artwork may look different, but you can use the same tools and steps.

These are real Inkscape 1.4.4 screenshots on Windows, with larger interface text and icons to make the controls easier to see. Yellow outlines show where to click. Select a picture to view it at full size.

Before you begin: check your file

SVG means Scalable Vector Graphics. Vector shapes can be resized without becoming pixelated. An SVG can also contain embedded photographs or flattened images, so the file extension alone does not guarantee that every detail can be edited separately.

You will need a computer, an SVG file from your download and Inkscape or another compatible vector editor. Check the product's file list first. PNG and JPG files are flattened images; renaming one to end in .svg will not turn it into editable vector artwork.

If your download includes fonts or a readme, look through those before editing. Font files may need installing on your computer, and commercial projects should follow the included artwork and font licences.

1. Download and install Inkscape

1. Visit the official Inkscape download page.
2. Choose the current stable release for your computer: Windows, macOS or Linux. On a Mac, choose the version that matches your processor if prompted.
3. Follow the installation instructions, then open Inkscape.

There is no subscription needed for Inkscape. Prefer the program you already know? Skip to the Adobe Illustrator instructions near the end of this guide.

2. Extract your download and find the SVG

1. Find your purchased download on your computer. If it is a ZIP archive, extract it first. On Windows, right-click and choose Extract All; on macOS, double-click the ZIP.
2. Open the extracted folder and look for the design with a filename ending in .svg. Turn on filename extensions in your file manager if you cannot see them.
3. Keep the original folder as your backup. Work from a copy of the design.

Want a practical project for this first edit? Our potion-bottle tutorial shows how a finished label can become a decorative object once you have tested its size.

3. Open the SVG and save a working copy

1. In Inkscape, choose File > Open and select your SVG. This also works if double-clicking the SVG normally opens it in a web browser.
2. Choose File > Save As. Give it a new name, such as my-label-working.svg, and choose Inkscape SVG as the format.
3. Zoom in until you can comfortably see the design. Save again after each useful change.

4. Select the part you want to change

1. Choose the Selector tool, shown as an arrow, and click the artwork. A selection box appears around what you have selected.
2. If the whole design selects together, it may be grouped. Choose Object > Ungroup when you need to separate its parts. Nested groups may need another ungroup.
3. Click a blank area to clear the selection, then click just the shape or wording you want to change.

You can also double-click a group to work inside it while keeping the group together. If an edit changes more than intended, choose Edit > Undo and check the selection before trying again.

5. Change a colour

1. Select the shape you want to recolour.
2. For a quick change, click a colour swatch in the palette along the bottom of Inkscape.
3. For more control, open Object > Fill and Stroke. Use Fill for the inside colour or Stroke paint for the outline.

Try changing one background or accent first. In our example, the label's background changes from green to purple while the gold details stay the same. To copy this purple, enter 65466eff in the RGBA box near the bottom of Fill and Stroke; the final ff keeps the colour fully opaque. If everything changes colour, undo and select a smaller part of the design.

For wall-art sizing and frame planning, see the dark botanical gallery-wall guide or the arrangements in our gothic gallery-wall project. Choose the intended print size before exporting.

6. Resize the design without stretching it

1. Select every part of the design you want to resize together. You can drag a selection box around it with the Selector tool. Use Object > Group if that makes the selection easier to manage.
2. In the Selector tool controls, find W for width and H for height. Set the units to mm or in for a physical craft, or px for screen artwork.
3. Close the little padlock between width and height to keep the proportions. Enter one dimension and press Enter; the other should update with it.

For a bottle label, measure the flat usable area first. In the screenshots, the original 80 × 120 mm label is resized to 60 × 90 mm. These are example dimensions; choose a size that fits your own project. Make a plain-paper test print at 100% or Actual size before using your final paper.

7. Edit existing text or add your own

1. Choose the Text tool, shown with a letter A, and click the wording.
2. If a typing cursor appears, select the words and type your replacement. Choose a font and size from the text controls or Text > Text and Font.
3. If the lettering selects as shapes and never gives you a typing cursor, it may have been converted to paths. Use the Selector tool to select only that lettering and delete it, then use the Text tool to click and type new wording.

In our example, we changed MOON to NIGHT and ELIXIR to BLOOM. Each line is a separate live text object. For your own design, select one line at a time and enter the wording you want.

Outlined letters cannot be retyped like ordinary text. An SVG can still be editable even when its wording is outlined. If the wording is part of a flattened image, deleting individual letters will not be possible. Check the file's structure before removing anything.

If a supplied font looks wrong, install it according to the included instructions, close and reopen Inkscape, then check the text again. Keep your wording short enough to fit and check its readability at the finished size.

8. Move, duplicate or remove an element

1. Move: select an element with the arrow tool and drag it to a new position, or use the arrow keys for small nudges. Hold Shift with an arrow key for a larger move.
2. Duplicate: select it and choose Edit > Duplicate. The copy starts directly on top of the original, so drag it away to see both.
3. Remove: select the unwanted element and press Delete. Use Edit > Undo if you remove the wrong piece.

In the screenshot, we double-clicked the label group to work inside it, selected the botanical sprig, duplicated it, then moved the copy left with the arrow keys. If you are only practising, use Edit > Undo to return to one sprig before exporting. When a layout feels right, select its parts and choose Object > Group to keep them together.

9. Save your editable SVG and export an image

Keep an editable master: use File > Save for your working Inkscape SVG. To make a separate version for another application, use File > Save As, choose Plain SVG if needed, and give it another name. Reopen that copy to check the result.

Need a PNG for an overlay or another image-based project?

1. Open File > Export (called Export PNG Image in some older versions) and choose PNG.
2. For this example, choose Document to fit the artwork (called Drawing in some older versions). Page uses the whole page area, including extra margins. Selection uses the bounds of selected objects; turn on Export Selected Only if you also need to exclude other objects within those bounds. Check that nothing is clipped or included accidentally.
3. Set the pixel size needed for a screen project. For print, set the intended physical size and an appropriate resolution; 300 dpi is a common starting point.
4. Choose the filename and location, export, then open the PNG to check its size, edges, text and background.

PNG supports transparency. A transparent page background will stay transparent unless you add a background shape or choose an opaque export background. For a white version, set a white, fully opaque background and check the exported file.

Already have Adobe Illustrator?

You can follow the same basic workflow in Illustrator if you have access to it. The pictures above follow Inkscape; Illustrator's controls look different.

1. Choose File > Open and open the SVG. Save a separate working copy before editing.
2. Select the artwork. Use Object > Ungroup when needed, or the Direct Selection tool for individual paths.
3. Change Fill or Stroke colours, resize with proportions constrained, and use the Type tool for live text. Outlined lettering needs replacing with new text here too.
4. Keep an .ai working master if you want Illustrator's editing data. Use File > Save a Copy and choose SVG for a separate SVG version, then reopen it to check the result.

Adobe's official saving guide explains its SVG options.

Quick fixes if something looks wrong

• The SVG opens in a browser: open Inkscape first, then use File > Open.
• Everything moves or changes colour together: check whether you selected a group. Ungroup it or enter the group and select one element.
• The font changed: check the supplied fonts and restart Inkscape after installing them.
• You cannot edit the words: check for outlined text or a flattened image, then follow step 7.
• The export is cropped or has too much empty space: check Document (or Drawing), Page or Selection in the export panel.
• The print is the wrong size: recheck your units, intended dimensions and printer scaling, then make another plain-paper test.

To use your exported artwork on screen, our witchy stream-layout tutorial explains how to place transparent graphics in a scene and keep text readable.

Try your first SVG edit

A colour change is an easy first project. Then try one short line of text or a new size. Where the download includes SVG files, you can use these skills with Thornvella Potion Labels or Witches Study Stream Overlays. Check each product's included formats before choosing an editing workflow.

For a craft project, follow our printable potion bottle label tutorial, or use the witchy stream layout guide to put your exported artwork to work.

More help: download Inkscape · selecting and resizing · grouping · colours · text · saving · PNG export.