Draw a chessboard (checkerboard) in the background to know when alpha < 100%

[Yann Papouin]

A chessboard (checkerboard) is commonly used in drawing applications to show the "real" canvas background.
Inkscape should allow this in per document settings.

See attached mockup

[jazzynico (jazzynico)]

Yann, could you take a look at bug #169623 and see if it's what you wish?

[Yann Papouin (yann-papouin)]

No it seems that this bug is a proposal to replace canvas transparency color, my wish is a checked board replacement of the current white canvas when transparency < 100%.

[jazzynico (jazzynico)]

https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/169623/comments/12
"In a perfect world, the canvas color would actually be a checkerboard of two colors, like the GIMP or any other program has."
The original report may not be about checker board, but it's author fully agrees with you :)

[Adrian Hungate (a-adrian)]

We have a reasonably common sense request here that is almost 5 years old, and it appears there has been no progress, nor and explanation of why it will not be done. Does anyone have an update?

[jazzynico (jazzynico)]

@Adrian - I agree with you it's an interesting feature to have, but unfortunately the Inkscape contributors are already pretty busy fixing bugs and other wishlist items they estimate have an higher priority. Don't forget that Inkscape development relies on enthusiasts developing on their spare time.
Of course, it would be great if someone (maybe you?) could share a patch...

[Kevin Cox (kevincox)]

I would also like to suggest that there is an option for solid colors as well. For example sometimes is is useful to draw on a dark background but have the exported image have a transparent background.

[Derek (bugs-m8y)]

WRT comment #8 by Kevin - suv pointed out that you can now do that with background colour in the latest beta. He gave me a bug # in launchpad which I regrettably didn't note down. Perhaps he can add it.

Also, obviously, if you set the checkerboard colours to the same colour, you would then have a solid background 😉.

If the sliders had a lock option, could even adjust both smoothly over a range of brightnesses for checkerboard/solid.

[Derei (derei.uk)]

Any updates on this?

Will Inkscape have checker pattern for transparent background? Is something that is a really big issue, as is impossible to tell the level of transparency of the objects, can't see any white object.

And the workaround with "colored" background it just doesn't work. One has to make it transparent back prior export. Should be fixed properly.
Especially because the opacity sliders in inkscape use that checkerboard to show the transparency level.

[su_v (suv-lp)]

Option for checkerboard background added in rev 14539.

[Victor Westmann (victor.westmann)]

2016-10-08 VictorWestmann: Is this feature implemented in Inkscape?

[DELETED (thisaccountnolongerexists-deactivatedaccount)]

I would like to know this to, because I didn't find the option anywhere.

[Alvin Penner (apenner)]

I think you will need to visit the menu item File->Document Properties and check the item called "Background", as in the attached figure

[su_v (suv-lp)]

@all - please note the milestone of this bug report (0.92), as well as the bug status ('Fix Committed', which is not the same as 'Fix Released'): this feature will be available in the _next_ version (Inkscape 0.92, soon to be released, but not yet out). Current stable Inkscape 0.91 does _not_ include this feature yet.

[Liran Barsisa (ad-lb)]

Any news about this?
For some reason it's marked as fixed, but I still can't find any global setting to set transparent background to be shown as checkerboard.
Instead I only see a per-project setting for changing it.
Am I missing anything ?