Legacy filter editor vs Filter Effects dialog for cross-version SVG fidelity

To preserve visual fidelity across Inkscape 0.92 and Inkscape 1.x, the only documented reliable approach is to use the legacy filter syntax with hard-coded primitive units and avoid the modern Filter Effects dialog.

The transition between Inkscape 0.92 and 1.0+ introduced a fundamental shift in how filters are serialized. Inkscape 1.0 and later utilize a standardized SVG 1.1 style, favoring primitiveUnits="userSpaceOnUse" and a dedicated Filter Effects dialog to manage chained fe nodes. Conversely, Inkscape 0.92 and earlier rely on a legacy syntax that often interprets coordinate systems and primitive units differently.

The Risk of Automatic Conversion

When a file authored in 1.0+ is opened in 0.92, the software may fail to parse the modern filter structure, leading to missing primitives or incorrect rendering logic. More dangerously, when a legacy file is opened in 1.x, Inkscape performs an automatic conversion to the new format. For complex chained primitives, this conversion is not guaranteed to be lossless; the transformation of coordinate systems or the reordering of fe nodes can significantly shift the visual output or break the filter chain.

Steps for Cross-Version Visual Consistency

If you must maintain a single SVG that looks identical in both environments, follow these constraints:

• Avoid the Filter Effects Dialog: Do not use the 1.x+ UI to build filters, as it generates code that 0.92 may not interpret correctly.
• Use Primitive Units: Ensure your filters use userSpaceOnUse rather than objectBoundingBox where possible, as legacy engines often handle the math behind bounding box calculations inconsistently across versions.
• Limit Chaining: Keep the chain of fe nodes simple. The more complex the primitive chain, the higher the likelihood that the automatic conversion logic in 1.x will alter the final result when saved and reloaded in legacy versions.
• Manual XML Audit: Manually inspect the SVG code to ensure it adheres to the legacy structure compatible with 0.92's parser.

There is currently no "locking" mechanism for filter output for cross-version use; the software prioritizes migration to the SVG 1.1 standard. If absolute visual fidelity is required across versions, the safest workflow is to rasterize the filtered elements into bitmaps before distribution for legacy-version users.

To provide a more specific recommendation, which specific fe primitives (e.g., feTurbulence, feDisplacementMap) are you using in your chains?