Features you most want in XaraX

[Gaussian]

1. For me most important: better export and color handling
2. (close second) Extended layer support (I'm used to layers in Photoshop) Drag and drop would be nice and more ways to organize objects AND layers.
3. Fine-tuning the application and removing bugs or incompatibilities with major applications, hard- or software

[dalel]

I just wanted to make sure we get everyone's opinion before making any decisions about what is most important.

It is my view that presenting a list to Xara Ltd. with 30-40 items will be a waste of time, overwhelming to them, AND will slow the next release of the program down if they add too many features.

So I was asking "What do we need the most, not what would be handy or cool, but what is most NEEDED."

I agree with ED, don't mess too much with Xara X,and make it bloatware and slow.

It's great to hear that the new release of Xara X will be addressed soon. This thread could not be more timely.

Let's get those suggestions listed here, people, so that the powers-that-be can know what the users really need!

http://www.eyesitewebdesign.com/dale.gif

Why, I’m afraid I can’t explain myself, sir, because I’m not myself, you know...
- Lewis Carroll

[bjwe]

1. 32 bit plugin support
2. A vector plugin interface. We all know that Xara are a small company but opening up an API would multiply their resources 100 fold. Also, such an interface would keep the size of Xara X down because you would just configure the features you wanted. You should be able to choose between linking to the plugin libraries at startup or when they are used.
3. Change the default Export preview resolution to low res rather than the last res used, so that when I save a large TIFF file at, say 400dpi, the next time I try to export a TIFF image it does not waste several minutes generating a preview at the same resolution only for me to change it back to 96dpi.

Brian

[Sheff]

I hope I'm not repeating anything anyone else's requests but I can't remember everything that I've asked for or not in the past.

Here are some more suggestions:

1. Everywhere there's a slider, I'd like to be able to put in a numeric value.

2. Custom Zoom scale. I'd like to be able to add custom percentage values to the zoom scale. Everyone's monitor is different, so having the ability to zoom to a specific percentage that is real world actual size relative to individual monitors and not have to put in the zoom value every time is tremendously convenient.

3. Better Cut & Paste between programs. Some programs you can cut from Xara and paste into them and vice versa. Sometimes I have to cut from Xara, paste into Freehand, cut from Freehand and paste into Illustrator because I can't just cut and paste from Xara to Illustrator directly.

4. I'd also like to see layers with transparency cut from Photoshop and paste into Xara with alpha intact without the metafile error. Then I can convert the bitmap to shape and the alpha becomes transparency fill.

I'm guessing that this may be an impossible request given the nature of converting bitmaps to vector.

5. Maybe the solution is create some selection tools like the magic wand and/or a paintbrush selection tool and then give the user the ablitity to turn the selection into a shape. From there, the user can boolean the selection with the bitmap and create their own shapes.

6. Having the option to link or embed bitmap images, with dynamic update. This would help save on file sizes and saves the user from having to reimport bitmap files when there is an error with the bitmap.

7. A separate browser to browse Xara files specifically. It would be nice to look at a folder full of Xara files and see them as thumbnails rather than thumbnails of the xara icon.

8. Collapsible folders within the layer gallery. I work on games so I often have different button states for objects on multiple layers. When you get over 50 layers, it's a lot of scrolling. I would also like an option for creating custom on off states for layers.

9. I would like to have the ability to create "states" or conditions and mark individual layers to be on or off when the condition is met. It's a pain in the ass to try and mark and unmark 50+ layers and export for each condition in which some objects will be on and some will be off.

10. All the other stuff that everyone else wants too like CMYK import/export, better Illustrator/Flash import/export, multiple pages, multiple page printing, export all/marked layers, print all/marked layers, pdf export, animation export for swf, avi, sequential bitmaps, anything in addition to animated gif.

11. I'd also like to see an update to the Xara plugin. If Xara were free of Corel when Flash was just starting up, then maybe Xara would have had a chance to become the dominant vector app web plugin. Back then, Xara had superior antialiasing and still does to Flash. If it had sound and animation with dynamic data integration, it would have rocked.

12. This is kind of silly and trivial, but I would like to be able to customize the splash screen with whatever art I want.

I would also like an answer to couple of questions:

1. Is the direction of Xara X headed towards printing, web or somewhere in between? I'm guessing more towards web given their Xara Modules initiative, but I'd like to know for sure.

2. How about a conservative estimate for a release date for XX2? Six months, one year, year and a half? I'd like a ball park figure.

I hope that's decent list. I'm sure there's some repetition in there, but some of those features I've never asked for before.

Feel free to add or disagree.

Sheffield Abella
sheff@sheff.com
www.sheff.com

[jclements]

This is not a bug but I always stumble on this.

When the linear interactive fill is first applied, the first click lays down white and then goes to the existing uniform fill. All other apps I have used do the REVERSE ... the first click maintains the existing color and goes to white!!!

Even Xara's transparency tool follows this convention ... from existing (100%) opacity to no opacity.

Because of this, I invariably have to pause before using the interactive fill tool. Probably its just the ill-wired circuitry in my poor old brain, but this "misfeature" bugs the heck out of me.

Anyone else with thoughts on this (the fill tool not my brain : ) )?

[Sheff]

If I have an area of text and I choose the outline shadow on the text, my computer chokes for several minutes while trying to accomplish this.

I would like to see this same feature without slowing my computer down.

Sheffield Abella
sheff@sheff.com
www.sheff.com

[roman]

Wannabe suggestions

1. Pixel exact rendering of fonts when exporting for web (skip mathematics do it like bitmap editors seem to do it)

2. Possibility to set Outer/Inner/Middle Stroke (line)

Bug improvements..

3. Filters working on 24 bit bitmaps.. simply get us rid of all those nasty 24 bit bitmap problems (it's especially anoying when soem transparent bitmap irreversably becomes nontransparent.

4. Please inGif animation improve the quality of color export and optimisation capabilities.

there could be maybe more, but these are the most important for me..

thanx very much

Roman

[carygee]

More flexible envelopes - add nodes etc.
Portfolio capabilities to allow for future drag and drop of new objects
Styles saving to avoid reinventing the wheel
Actions? (macros)
Distortions a la FilterIt plug-in for AI
Plug-in capbilities to harness the mny obvious cpabilties of our talented newsgroup members
etc.

[grap41]

Improved bitmap support.
ie bigger/changable view when applying bitmap effects (not that postage stamp window) and down sampling on the fly (at least as an option) when resizing/applying a mould to bitmaps.

Improved support for colours/inks for print work. I would love to see something like this incorporated: http://www.cerilica.com/truism/
Sure, just a minor job!

View colour separations option.

Cheers,
Richard

Richard

www.graphitedesign.net
www.richardcassidy.com

[molucca]

I would like to be able to select all objects with the same fill so that when I trace an image it would be possible to group and add a bitmap fill to all of the objects. Rich