Inkscape & GIMP
For graphics and images I mostly use Inkscape and GIMP. The first is a vector graphics editor, with capabilities similar to Illustrator, CorelDraw, or Xara X, using the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format. The GIMP is a very powerful Image Manipulation Program, similar to Photoshop. Below some tips and tricks I have come across or have been looking for when working with these programs.
- The Inkscape tutorial weblog
- From the GIMP official website, tutorials ranging from beginner level to expert level
- How to make a table in Inkscape
- From the Inkscape webpage, lots of links to tutorials and other documentations, for beginners and advanced users.
- 35 Tutorials to create amazing Vector Graphics using Inkscape
Linux
OpenOffice
Although much of the work I used to do in Open/LibreOffice Calc can be done easier and better in R, Calc remains a extremely handy tool. Below I’ll collect tips and tricks I have come across or have been looking for when working with these programs
- An alternative concatenate function for OpenOffice calc that ignores empty cells and which allows to easily define delimiters.
- Filling in empty cells in your Calc spreadsheet
- Splitting text using formulas in Calc, see this and this blog post and this forum post
- Macro to remove all filters in a Calc sheet
Firefox
- Google Maps + Firefox Smart Keywords, also useful when you are using e.g., Google scholar
QGIS
Beside the links below, filter my blog using the QGIS category for more notes and short tutorials on the use of QGIS.
- QGIS: Making labels (almost) fit in polygons
- Check http://underdark.wordpress.com for many tutorials and tips on the use of QGIS
- From the QGIS webpage, posts on QGIS by various authors
- Speeding up handling of GDAL VirtualCatalog files in QGIS
