Putting text around an oval

[dduran]

Rookie,

No. How will you ever learn if you don't give it a try.

Post up what you've done so far and we can help and point you in the right direction.

With little time spent you'll get the hang of it.

[Rookie]

I have tried to do what was written. As I said, I have VERY limited experience with this software and have something I need to get done. I have tried to do it and I have seen other post where people had a lot of trouble with it after trying these tutorals. The problem with tutorals are that most people who make them, know what they are doing and the describe how while leaving out certain things that they assume everyone already knows. This is a weakness in this software. I have seen too many complaints about it. Unfortunantly I saw them after I purchased the software. several things that I have been told to do, do not work. I guess will contact xara.

[samrc]

The problem with tutorals are that most people who make them, know what they are doing and the describe how while leaving out certain things that they assume everyone already knows. This is a weakness in this software. I have seen too many complaints about it.

I wholeheartly disagree.
There are SEVERAL sources for assistance on this and other issues.
Between the printed MANUAL, several IMAGE-MINI tutorials and even the MOVIES that have been done on this topic, some of which I gave you links to view, the topic has been WELL COVERED by many individuals of differing skills.

Like ALL drawing or photo software, there is a learning curve.
The BEST way to learn is to try step by step through the process. If one of the tutorials does not work for you, try another. Some people are better at explaining than others. Don't give up on the first one. Try another! Don't blame Xara, or the kind folks that create tutorials on their own time. Try it and then ask for help if you get stuck!

The CURVED text areas are WELL DEMONSTRATED on this tutorial and I highly recommend you play/pause it and walk through the same steps as shown. Works GREAT. He shows WHICH tools to use (watch where he clicks) and talks you through each step! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ns9jreRjY7A

I have NEVER done curved text until tonight....this is the one I made following the instructions from the movie. I added a shadow. If I can do it, YOU CAN DO IT!

NOTE: The ovals in the background are made like this:
Draw one oval. Color it the way you want for the ring.
Draw a second oval on TOP of the the first one. Color it white.
Adjust each to the size you want.
Select BOTH ovals (hold down SHIFT key and click on each oval to get both at the same time)
Then choose ARRANGE, Combine Shapes, SUBTRACT and you will have a donut.

[jamesmc]

I have tried to do what was written. As I said, I have VERY limited experience with this software and have something I need to get done. I have tried to do it and I have seen other post where people had a lot of trouble with it after trying these tutorals. The problem with tutorals are that most people who make them, know what they are doing and the describe how while leaving out certain things that they assume everyone already knows. This is a weakness in this software. I have seen too many complaints about it. Unfortunantly I saw them after I purchased the software. several things that I have been told to do, do not work. I guess will contact xara.

Hang in there. Learning new software takes awhile to get your mind wrapped around it.

The first time I saw Paint Shop Pro years ago, I thought to myself, "...iggg...so many menu selections, boxes that are crypic...

It's like going to a foreign country and ordering from the menu. First you just point at an item, then you try and pronounce the words (I usually butcher the words) and then after a bit of time, it rolls off your tongue like a native with a slight accent of course.

[Rookie]

what does choose the base line shift mean?

[Rookie]

I can clearly see from reading that you already have a clear understanding of the software that I don't. I really needed this badly and I have worked a 12 hour shift today and I have to work one tomorrow. I am way too tired to figure it out. I simply asked someone here to save the image and send it to me. This is no more a freebie as the moderator suggested than someone who has taken way more time to make a tutoral and offer it for free. What some would call a freebie, I would call an act of kindness. I dont understand some of the lango that people are using because I dont know the basics of this software and because I am on a time frame and the software claimed to be easy, I made the mistake is buying it. I can assure from what others have told me. This is a flaw in the software to have to do so much to do something that should be so simple. I am coping a post left by someone who used the same stuff I have been sent.

I have gone over the movies, and looked over the other posts, searched posts, and tried the things you have suggested. Seems that what I want to do, which is relatively simple in the scheme of things, is near impossible without a bunch of tricks. I have been able to put the text in the circle, but only to a very limited extent (e.g. cannot get on top and bottom of same circle). I'm disappointed as I had heard that Xara was not only an excellent program, but also easy to learn.

[jamesmc]

what does choose the base line shift mean?

Baseline shift means you want to move something from its normal base. If you hold your hand in front of your eyes and move it downwards so you can see, you are shifting the baseline of your hand (the bottom of your hand.)

In the case of text and this example you want to move the text downwards with the baseline tool, so you can have the text between the two ellipses.

I assume you already know how to do a text to line, so didn't cover that here.

Once you have your text highlighted, go to the baseline tool and in this case choose the downward pointing arrow. If you were on the bottom of the ellipse with text, you would use the upward pointing arrow.

Here's a short tutorial image.

[samrc]

I can clearly see from reading that you already have a clear understanding of the software that I don't.

You do not know me. Otherwise you would know that I am a NOVICE with this software!(My JOIN date for the forum was for other Xara products, not the drawing software!) My skills are only SLIGHTLY better than yours with this software. I have a background with RASTER graphics not VECTOR graphics so I am learning from scratch like you. Xara and other vector graphics programs are totally different than my comfort zone (Paint Shop Pro = Raster graphics). Xara's tutorials, forums, movies and documentation is far superior to that of Adobe's Illustrator. And as to learning curve....if you find Xtreme's difficult, you would be totally unable to use Illustrator! Take it from a novice that has tried both programs! This one is much faster to learn new tricks!

My tiny glimmer of understanding of this program comes from actually playing with the software. Like tonight. I did not NEED to do curved text. But I decided to actually TRY to duplicate what was in the movie step by step as I suggested to you. I found the movie EXCELLENT.

You did not say if you even tried to make the curved text. Did you play/pause/play/pause the movie like I did?

You asked a question about baseline shift.
Jamesmc posted info on another way to do the curved text (yes there is more than one way to do it).
The movie does not go into baseline shift. It cuts a circle in half and puts text on each half of the circle. You can then put those halves on a donut like I did.

I am way too tired to figure it out.

That's the beauty of it. You don't have to FIGURE IT OUT.

The movie has AUDIBLE words to assist combined with a VISUAL demo that literally walks you through step by step, you could SEE where to click. When to drag. I find that better than just a list of words typed out (step 1, step 2,etc). It would take less time to try it than to write your long post, and copy in text from a previous poster. My little donut and text took less than 10 minutes, pausing the 5 minute movie several times to do the same thing and even back up again when I needed so I could make my own image at the same time..

As to being able to give you step by step instruction on how to make a doughnut (overlapping ovals with missing middle), that was the first thing I learned when I opened the software. Not from any tutorial. I learned it by playing...what if I do this.... I tried ADDING the ovals, SUBTRACTING and other functions listed in the menu.... That's how I learn. Test, try and mess up! UNDO try it again. Did that in Paint Shop Pro and many other programs.

I really needed this badly and I have worked a 12 hour shift today and I have to work one tomorrow.

I have been working 70 hour weeks. It's very difficult to try to learn something NEW when you are tired and frustrated. You have my sympathy on that because I KNOW how it feels! I guess that's why I am surprised and confused that you will not take advantage of the personal training movie I mentioned. It is DIRECTLY ON TOPIC for EXACTLY what you need. And that's a RARE thing.

It's an act of kindness to help coach you to make something, to do it yourself, rather than just handing you a file.
I know you don't think so, but for the basics, it is better to teach a man to draw than to give him a drawing already made.
Better understanding of the tools and the program are gleaned from MAKING the file than just SEEING the completed file.

Hope you get some good sleep!

[WolfMoonHP]

Samantha is right, Rookie...

When I first started in this forum, I knew vaguely what vector graphics were, but hadn't a clue about how to make them.

When I asked questions, the members always told me how to do things, but didn't offer to do them for me. As frustrating as it was, I am now grateful for that, since it truly did help me to learn.

And believe me, when you read some of the lengthy descriptions you have been given, you have to recognize that it would have been far easier and less time-consuming for the writers to just do the job for you and go on about their business.

When you succeed, you will be, justifiably, proud of yourself. Just don't give up. And post your efforts, so others could spot where you went wrong and tell you how to fix it!

I'm now creating work that I'm not ashamed to show in the forum, and I owe it all to the tutorials and the help and advice from the members.

Just be patient...
---
Will

[dduran]

Will,

Very well put.

Danny