Will Xara X-2 top this?

[RTK]

carygee,

Based on the movie, the results look pretty much like any other tracers... http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/confused.gif I was wondering what it could do with line drawings? (A process of speeding the conversion of a scanned line drawing in to a vector illustration?) Have you found any movies on that? That photo trace movie was a little bit disapointing.

In general, I don't think Xara X2 needs it's Tracer tweaked - there are more important features to look at.

[kriz10]

So is the demo download link at adobe for Illustrator actually CS2 now?

[LogoVend]

It wasn't an altogether legal download I did - you can get a 'torrent' of anything now-a-days - but to put all your pious minds at rest - if I like a programme I usually buy it any way - I have a 100% legit copies of Xara X1, Photoshop 5.5 and Flash MX - which is all I pretty much use.

[stubbsuk]

All I say on the subject of XaraX and Adobe Illustrator is that it would be helpful if Xara released updates to XaraX more. I wouldn't expect it to do all the things that IllustratorCS2 can do, but it is being outclassed in many areas, which is a real shame. Xara is an innovative company with excellent programmers, but they do seem to take an unusually long time to release new versions of XaraX. Meanwhile, Illustrator gets better and better, whilst XaraX often feels abandoned (as was the case with the version for Acorn computers)...

[draven]

So (I'm assuming from what Gary said) it's no problem importing the traced results into Xara and then playing with it there - is this correct? Could you give any tips on the best method for this? I've been SO frustrated with every type of trace program I've ever tried. If this is as good as it sounds, I may even have to purchase AI! (when this is available).

[jens g.r. benthien]

A superb tracer for free:

http://autotrace.sourceforge.net/index.html

Check the samples and you'll see what you get before you will download it.

The link for the GUI Delineator is on the same page.

[gwpriester]

So (I'm assuming from what Gary said) it's no problem importing the traced results into Xara and then playing with it there - is this correct?

I just saved the drawing to Illustrator 8.0 which is the latest version that Xara supports. The trick is getting a bitmap with a high resolution which will give a better result.

Basically any trace program looks at a black and white bitmap and then has to determine what is black and what is white. If the bitmap is antialiased, then the tracing program has to determine a "threshold" which is usually around 128 out of 255. So every value of gray between 0-128 is black and every value from 128-255 is black. And then you can adjust the threshold to fine tune your results.

I must say Jens from looking at the autotrace program you linked to that it is not as good or as accurate as Xara's.

I did some tests yesterday of a simple logo saved at 300dpi with text on a circle and a black and white bird symbol which I traced in Xara and then in Illustrator CS2 and there was no comparison. Xara did an acceptable job but you could tell it was a trace. The CS2 version was almost indistinguishable from the original.

Gary

[Klaus Nordby]

AFAIK, all conversions from bitmaps to vectors are inherently inaccurate and more or less problematic -- and will always remain so. I'd say that the "convert selection to path" function in Photoshop is the most accurate algorithm I have seen, and it's what I'd use to auto-trace bitmaps and export as AI -- if I really had to. That AI can in theory be imported into XX1, but PS's AI path export is _probably_ a later version of AI than what XX1 can import (I've not tested this, so I'm just guessing).

I ordered my CS2 upgrade only yesterday, so I have not yet seen this Live Trace marvel -- if it indeed is that.

[Availor]

Pardon me, but I couldn't install this program Jens... there is no exe file inside http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/confused.gif

The screenshots are promising though.
Personaly I think Flashs' Trace is the most accurate... I use it since flash 5

[Grafixman]

Inkscape's trace bitmap option also does a decent job, not perfect, but it's free...