Tip: Using image reference material

**ZEBtoonz** · 04 May 2006, 04:19 PM

For quite awhile I have been using Google's Image search to find pictures to use for reference for my artwork. In general, after I found appropriate pictures, I would either download the picture, or copy it to my clipboard or selected the "save as" option.

However, I have found that it is much easier and quicker to simply click and drag the image directly from my browser and then drop it into Xtreme. This saves time and avoids all of the other steps mentioned above. Then, I either use the picture(s) as reference, or in some cases, trace over the image so that I can incorporate it into my drawing.

**gwpriester** · 04 May 2006, 05:55 PM

Wow! Great tip.

Gary

**AntonyF** · 04 May 2006, 06:11 PM

Yes, it's a very handy thing to do.

I don't find dragging always works though... I think maybe Firefox doesn't allow that, I can't quite remember.

So an alternative is to just copy the image location then choose File > Import From Web. I use this myself quite a bit.

**jamesmc** · 04 May 2006, 06:17 PM

Excellent tip! I just did the drag and paste of Gary Priester's avatar icon to Xara. Worked great!

But he keeps smiling at me like ... well?

**ZEBtoonz** · 04 May 2006, 07:06 PM

I use the browser NetCaptor which has tabbed browsing. As I'm looking at the various images from my Google search, I open up a new tab for anything that looks interesting. Then I go to each tab and click on "See full-size image." Once it appears, I drag and drop. Antony is right that it doesn't always work--for some reason. If so, I just copy it to clipboard (Ctrl+C) and paste into Xtreme (Ctrl+V). I don't recall ever having a problem with that.

**RedWombat** · 04 May 2006, 08:08 PM

Great idea! I just tried it with IE and it didn't work. So I tried the Ctrl-C, Ctrl-V method. That worked.

**Kman** · 04 May 2006, 10:22 PM

Hi, Zeb. That is a good idea. I use Firefox, and tried your tip, but all that happens
is the associated HTML code gets dropped/placed into Xara, and not the image itself.

(Thus I use the old copy and paste.)

For folks using other browsers, this may be a great time-saver.

Ken

**gnurf** · 05 May 2006, 12:14 PM

I use Firefox, and my favorite way to copy images from the web is simply by right clicking on the image, select 'Copy Image', switch to Xara and paste it with Ctrl+V

**Doug** · 05 May 2006, 06:38 PM

redundant.

**Egg Bramhill** · 06 May 2006, 05:24 AM

Great feature, but the problem is that Xtreme uses it's 'best paste' option which isn't always the best method, often ending in smaller images than the original.