Maybe Xara xtreme is the wrong thing for me.

[sallybode]

Sometimes I find an image I want to do something with. Today it was a zebra. And I wanted to reduce it to a more simple image, so I first started in a pixel editor, I used PhotoPaint. Then I traced it in a vector program, finishing my work in a vector program insures good print qualtiy. Xara is excellent at that.

But it totally depends upon what you are going to do with it as far as your end product goes. If you are retouching people's portraits, and you aren't doing vector graphics, the tool to use is a pixel editor.

But if you need to do both, you can afford a pixel editor and Xara. Adobe Photoshop has a lot of competitors. And you can do download after download and try them all and see what you like. It is your outcome that is important. If your concept is good, your command of the tools as well, you can get a great product using a variety of different software.

People know the Photoshop name. But it costs you a lot. Other programs can output .psd and it doesn't cost nearly so much.

If you are intending on outputting large banners something like 3 to 4 feet high and 12 feet long, you need the power of Photoshop, it has good memory management.

However, if you want sharp text as well and want more than the black text being sharp, you can fix your picture in what you want and then import the picture into Illustrator, CorelDRAW or Xara and finish the job.

If the purpose of work is to earn some money, then you have to figure that you output a large chunk of it on software that is really expensive, you may not have the money for other necessities.

Just owning a computer, people get programs and think that wow, now they are a graphic artist. It looks like fun. But there is a lot of effort and work and dedication that goes behind all of it. It takes time to learn. Whether you sit in a classroom, or hit the books or do all the tutorials on the web, they all have value. If your purpose is to design by using clipart, Xara has a lot of clipart.

But in my book, having to always resort to clipart, doesn't make you a designer, it means that you found a way to make money.

For those who are serious and this is their work, they all have a lot invested in a variety of softwares. Nothing does everything, it is a continual learning process. And a continual upgrading process, your computer, your software, always having to learn. It is not a 9 to 5 job.

But if you decide to stick around this forum, there is a lot you can do with what you can learn.

[Big Frank]

I don't see the problem. I scan in my line drawings, bitmap trace them and colour them in. I wouldn't dream of doing them in Photoshop when I know I can transform one of my line drawings into a vector image for transfer onto any medium without any loss of resolution. I have a client who wanted a cartoon of a gorilla for one of his cleaning products and the logo has gone onto labels, product boxes, point of sale material, posters and leaflets and an exhibition banner. The value of doing it in Xtreme over a raster app should be obvious, but it becomes clear when you change a named colour or use any of the other great tools to create some superb effects with ease.

[-=Drifter=-]

Frank, beautiful drawing! The colors are dramatic, the action is hilarious, and the poor mouse is toast. I am calling PETA right away...

[Big Frank]

Frank, beautiful drawing! The colors are dramatic, the action is hilarious, and the poor mouse is toast. I am calling PETA right away...

Err... ah. Right. Actually, I'm vegetarian... never mind

Here's the original drawing just in case anybody thought it was clipart. I'd run out of A3 so I had to stick two bits of A4 together as the gorilla got too big!

[abligh]

Err... ah. Right. Actually, I'm vegetarian... never mind

Here's the original drawing just in case anybody thought it was clipart. I'd run out of A3 so I had to stick two bits of A4 together as the gorilla got too big!

When you say "trace the bitmap", do you use the bitmap tracer to do that, or trace it by hand?

Alex

[gwpriester]

Alex

See this month's Xara Xobe Guest Tutorial. Paul shows how to convert a scanned line drawing into vector art.

Gary

[Big Frank]

Alex

See this month's Xara Xobe Guest Tutorial. Paul shows how to convert a scanned line drawing into vector art.

Gary

I've seen this same tutorial in something called the Xara Xone! Wow!! Coincidence!!

Anyway, in short, I sketch my drawing on paper with a soft pencil. When I am happy with it I go over it with black ink (fibre tip usually). I make sure all areas of the drawing are closed, i.e. if you imagine your ling drawing is filled with water I make sure none of it can flow out through any gaps. Then I rub out all the pencil lines leaving a crisp drawing. Then I put it through my scanner and save it as a 2-colour bitmap at a high resolution, usually 600dpi. Then I drop the bitmap into Xara and use the bitmap tracer to convert it to vector. Because there are no gaps in the line drawing I can select the background of the traced result and delete it, giving me an instant vector image ready to place anywhere. And then comes the fun bit, the colouring in.

[Thatch]

I'll go one further (or less) than zeb and frank... I draw by hand, scan in and simply convert the scan to stained glass transparency and color using shapes drawn "behind" the scan as in this example. (and accompaning detail shot)

http://skeesick.com/images/s9929.jpghttp://skeesick.com/images/s9929hand.jpg

There are some images where I want to very crisp lines but much of the time I like the sketchy feeling of the pencil to soften the often times sterile look of vectors. It's all in the look you want to create.

J

[parahandy]

Wow! Joe.

[-=Drifter=-]

Joe, those are great! Here again I see that sometimes less is better. Your truncated background is/was a great idea!