Do you find the Live Effects Tool in Xtreme useful?

[webmaster]

The Live Effects Tool was introduced with Xtreme. What are your thoughts on it, have you found it to be of use?

Anyone can post in this thread and vote in the poll, even if you're not registered. But registering is recommended.

[jamesmc]

I'm not a big plug-in guy. If I don't know how to do something, I would rather learn how to do it than have some plug-in do it for me.

With that said, I do use the bump map plug-in a lot as it's hard to achieve lighting effects through artwork. I also occasionally use the Mehdi plug-in for stripping away background.

Outside of those two, I don't use the Live Effects that much.

[Soquili]

I use the Live Effects on occasion. As James mentioned the lightening, bump map, and the Mehdi erasor more than any of the others.

I find that drawing things manually in Xara Xtreme and Pro I have complete control over the look. The effects usually don't allow the control I want.

[The Doc]

Interesting to see the poll result (so far) after casting my vote - seems we are the collective as any good Borg would confirm

[Albacore]

The best use I have found for live effects was to take a vector drawing just about completed and give it a dirty look or a more hand drawn look which has been very successful. Saves me taking into PS and doing it there but you have to have the right plugins and some which I have had to buy. I think the best examples have been Ross's and Rich's where they have altered there drawing and photographs to achieve a different look from the crisp vector or photo that they started with. leave it there and don't remove it like you did with the navigation Bar tools which are now I think just in X1

[masque]

I wouldn't buy plugins. I sometimes use the free ones, mehdi natural grain most often and the eraser a few times. I'm not even sure what some of the others are to be honest, so not the most valued facility in Xtreme.
Derek

[RonDuke]

I use it very, very sparingly. For most of what I do, I don't need it. Additionally it adds a lot to the file size which I don't care for either. But, once in a while it's fun to play with.
I could get by without it.
ron

[ivan louette]

I would encourage to use them ! They are really easy to use and with some experiment one can obtain amazing effects.

Here are some single lines with effects applied and below a combination using Genuine Eraser, a free Mehdi plugin found on their site.

A PS plugin Artistic/Poster Edges was applied to the whole thing afterwards.

kindly,
ivan

[ankhor]

I need them, I am addicted to them, I need more.

But I lately start to discover that i can do some effects
without using a plugin, Who knows, maybe I slowly
will come away from my addiction, but certainly not
cold turkey.

[handrawn]

I use filters a lot but not that many that are live effects specific
but I just know that if it were to disappear from xara the tables would turn instantly
tis the law of s[murphy]od