Exporting/Converting shadows in XaraX ?!

[Charles Moir]

When you export or print shadows they are converted to bitmaps. This is the way all vector graphics program simulate soft shadows and that includes Illustrator. (The same applies to transparency, feathering and other effects).

Our tests with Xara X EPS show that shadows should work perfectly well (as bitmaps though, but if you set the transparency resolution to be decent this shouldn't be noticeable). Illustrator works the same way, except its shadows are not dynamic as they are in Xara X - zoom in in Illustrator and you can see the pixels. In Xara X are shadows act much more like true vector objects so they are resolution / zoom independent, so you will get higher quality results. But in the end when printed or exported all programs convert to bitmaps.

If shadows are not appearing correctly in Xara X EPS then I'd like to see some files showing the problem so we can investigate.

Gary is correct that only more recent Illustrator versions support transparency and effects such as shadows. We plan that a future version of Xara X will have improved Illustrator and Photoshop import / export, but it's not easy since this is a never ending game of catch-up.

If you want true vector shadows then the only way is to draw it as simple shapes, perhaps using blend. It will never be as realistic as a true feathered shadow though.

PNG is a viable alternative. I know some users export the shadow as a PNG bitmap and import that into whatever app they are using. Even though this is not a vector, in the end it's the same thing as you'd get from using native Illustrator soft shadows since, as I say, they are simulated using bitmaps in the end anyway.

[beatz]

Thanks all for your insightful comments and advice - it's really appreciated.

However the problem is still there.

That is because

a) converting to bitmap is not what i want - i need the end result to be still 100% vector.

b) drawing the shadow myself isn't really the "solution" because the shadow tool is one of the main reasons i'm using XaraX at all - if i could draw these kind of shadows myself i would not need the shadow tool; but i simply can't so i'm kind of dependent on that.

c) of course i didn't mean to export the shadow without having it converted to "editable shapes" first - the problem really is *although* i convert it to shapes and *although* in most cases i darken the shadow so there is not much of transparency left anyway it *still* shows the damn black box in AI, FreeHand, Fireworks etc.Which is even more strange as after converting to shapes the shadow should just be that - a shape, and should export properly just as all the other "normal" shapes do; but it doesn't.

So i don't really think it's an AI 10 problem - the problem is XaraX's .ai/eps export doesn't work properly.

So if i understood correctly what you all said i have the following options?

- Redraw myself (Can't/just not the same)
- bitmap (but i need vector)

That's it?

Shame on XaraX.

Of what use is a .ai/.eps export option if it doesn't work with *all" shapes?

Don't get me wrong, i *really* appreciate all your efforts - i'm just kind of pi***d that XaraX doesn't keep what it promises (working .ai export of *all* shapes) and that i'm still stuck with no solution.

Thanks all again, and if someone has another idea that could lead to a solution, please DO post it.

Thanks,

Frank

P.S. Gary - i have the latest version of Illustrator..so it doesn't have anything to do with AI for real.And to say the only way to export shapes properly is to draw them myself is really a kind of joke as then the question pops up - what is the shadow tool good for if it can only be used with bitmap export and that's it?

[This message was edited by beatz on December 09, 2003 at 07:40.]

[This message was edited by beatz on December 09, 2003 at 07:42.]