• Introduction
• Introduction
• Why use Inkscape?
• Professional software
• About this book
• Interface
• Managing the workspace
• Draw geometric shapes
• Drawing geometric shapes
• Select tool
• Shape tools
• Rectangle / square tool
• Ellipse / circle tool
• Star / polygon tool
• Spiral tool
• 3D Box tool
• Draw with free hand tool
• Drawing with freehand tools
• Pen tool
• Bézier / pen tool
• Pencil / freehand tool
• Boolean
• Nodes
• Editing paths
• Align and distribute
• Node tool
• Vectorize an image
• Sculpting paths
• Color
• Color
• Palette
• Fill & Stroke dialog
• Custom colors
• Copy color
• Gradients
• Use a pattern fill
• Edit a pattern fill
• Create a custom pattern fill
• Strokes
• Markers
• Customize markers
• Text
• Text
• Writing text
• Edit text style
• Edit text color
• Adjust character positions
• Text along a path
• Flowed text (text in a frame)
• Create your own font
• Advanced techniques
• Advanced techniques
• Saving your work
• Export to PDF
• Export to raster (PNG format)
• Import pictures in a document
• Copy/duplicate objects
• Clone objects
• Customize keyboard shortcuts
• Cut or apply a mask
• Filters
• Extensions

Ellipse tool

To draw a circle or an ellipse, click on the left mouse button and drag it on the canvas. Release the mouse to end the ellipse. Remember that Ctrl helps you draw a perfect circle, while Shift draws the circle from its center.

[F5 or E]

The Ellipse tool also allows you to draw circular arcs and pies. To draw circular arcs, grab a circular handle and slide the mouse while remaining inside the circle.

To draw a pie, first draw a circle, then grab a circular handle and slide the mouse while remaining outside the circle.

You should get it right after a few tries. If you're still lost, reset the shape using the last icon on the option bar.

To turn an ellipse into a perfect circle, click on one of the square-shaped handles while pressing Ctrl.

The square-shaped handle resizes the ellipse. Feel free to press Ctrl to force the resizing on the x-axis or the y-axis.

The options of the Circle tool allow you to enter data directly in cases in which the ellipse must have a specific size.

The square-shaped handles allow you to turn the circle into an ellipse, while the circular handles allow you to turn the circle into a circular arc or a pie depending on whether the cursor is placed inside or outside the shape. The Start and End Fields indicate the angles between which spreads the pie or the circular arc. The angles follow the mathematical convention by default ; it is possible to use the « Compass » mode by going to the Preferences, Behavior > Steps section.