Images not exporting ‘cleanly’…

[Arif]

Hi there – I do basic Website design and have been happily using Photoshop Elements 6 for creating the top-banners – where the exported images look as clean as they did in the application itself.

Having bought Xara – creating a simple, red rectangle, then typing solid text and adding a shadow…these do not export cleanly, and the shadow-area looks ‘dirty’ and amateurish when imported into my Web design environment – which is Flash-based.

Am I making a ‘classic’ error – and why can it not just ‘work’ like it is doing with Photoshop?

I’ve read all the stuff about anti-aliasing, making sure the image is in ‘whole’ pixels – and playing with all those settings you get upon export – nothing is working.

The effect I’m talking about happens when setting the export to Jpeg – but the preview screen shows a clean image.

Am at work right now – so will be able to attach the .xar file later if needed later - & if I can figure it out!

Thanks all in advance for your help – I really hope that this can be made to work for me – it’s brilliant and clean in-application.


Arif

[iamtheblues]

I've attached 2 red rectangle jpg files.
Number 1 was exported at 96 dpi
and Number 2 at 300 dpi.
Set jpg quality to 100% on the options tab
in the export dialogue box.
Difference in file sizes 5.74 kb and 98.0 kb.
The dpi chosen for export makes the difference.
Saludos,
Bob.

[steve.ledger]

Having bought Xara – creating a simple, red rectangle, then typing solid text and adding a shadow…these do not export cleanly, and the shadow-area looks ‘dirty’ and amateurish when imported into my Web design environment – which is Flash-based.

Welcome to TG Arif..
As you say you have bought Xara (Xtreme or XtremePro?? version number?) I assume you used the trial long enough to ascertian that the application was suitable for your work?

Questions I'd like to ask are, what are you exporting your work as? .gif / .jpg / .png?

If you are exporting as .jpg, what quality/compression setting are you using?

Please post an example 'exported' result (.xar file will be of little use to us)

[Arif]

Oh - WOW dudes!!

Yup - the dpi thing has indeed totally sorted the problem!!

I did just go ahead and buy it because of the universal acclaim that this thing was attracting.

Now - I'm fine with learning by browsing the various functions - but please allow me one, first-timer dummy's question - how do I change the background colour?! Have looked everywhere - even right-clicked on the background itself, etc.

I.e. upon export - the object will blend totally with the colour surrounding it. Canvas colour, I'm used to calling it.

Thanks again dudes - quite a welcome!

[Odat]

If you Control+LeftButtonDrag a color from the color line onto the page, the background changes to that color.

There may be another way to go about that, but this is the method I use because it's the fastest.

[Arif]

"Wow" again, frankly! Trust it to have been that simple - when you know.

In three fell swoops you guys have transformed this program for me into something as powerful as everyone is saying! Will seriously be helping my workflow, now.

You can tell I signed up in an 'emergency' - I'm calmer now, thanking myself for having bought the program. I'll be sure to do the courtesy of filling in my profile before the weekend is out hopefully.

Thanks again dudes - and I'll be back if I can't figure something out, that doesn't seem to be covered by doing a forum search first.


Arif

[Egg Bramhill]

Hello and welcome Arif,

I'm never sure about this but I suspect that if you create a jpg in Xara Xtreme (which is a lossy bitmap format) and import it into Flash, it further compresses the file making it even lossier. In other words your compressing any already compressed file even further.

If I want to import a bitmap (but I always prefer vectors) then I create a Full Colour png in XXP (Xara Xtreme) and export it as a swf. In fact I export all my output from XXP as swf's for import into Flash. I have very little difficulty exporting/importing using this method.

Also I only ever export between the two programs at 96 ppi. That's all that's required for web work. Anything else increases file size.

[Arif]

Egg, sir - thank you - for the official welcome and the tip.

That has improved things still-further, in terms of simplicity for the platform!

You've all been brilliant - and a whole new community for me to feel a part of (photography and Landrovers being the other two)!


Arif