Xara Xtreme verison 4

[JokeArtist]

Another Day ... Another Pointless Release Of Xara !!!!

Yawn-o-rama!

No New Vector Tools And Some Slight Alterations And Some Crap To Keep The Hobbists Happy!!!!

Wow What A Leap Forward They Integrate Xara 3d Into Xara .... Big Wow.

I'll Keep My Money!

[handrawn]

but at least it impressed you enough you felt you had to comment

your money - your choice

I am sure your work will survive

[JokeArtist]

but at least it impressed you enough you felt you had to comment

The word is not impressed the word is dissappointed.

I do believe that Xara Ltd have truly lost their way over the last 2-3 years - spending valuable resources developing rubbish to bolt on to a good product rather than updating the product itself. FLASH / HTML?! Come off it.

I remember when it was Xara Studio and I seem to remember there was a red old school TVR sports car on the cover of the box (or at least something that looked like an English sports car). To me what they've effectively done is 'tuned/pimped' that car but neon lights on it, tacky spoilers, spinning 20" rims and painted it in two-tone paint in the direct they've taken it. Rather than updated the older model to a TVR Tuscan!!! Some that works better but does what it set out to do in the first place. Be the most innovative vector package out there.

Live Effect - Pointless 'RASTER' tosh you can do in photoshop.
Xara 3D Integration - More 'RASTER' tosh!
Image Editor Integration - 'RASTER' rubbish.

Xara might be the fastest vector package out there but actually do some updates to the vector tools!



Oh one last thing ...
'4' contours you still haven't sorted that out!!!! But it doesn't supprise me.

[steve.ledger]

Live Effect - Pointless 'RASTER' tosh you can do in photoshop.
Xara 3D Integration - More 'RASTER' tosh!
Image Editor Integration - 'RASTER' rubbish.

Well I expect every Xara user can afford PhotoShop to do their raster editing yes?
They probably also have a PC with sufficient resources to open PS while using Xtreme and not have to wait & wait while PS get's all it's parts loaded.

It may be rubbish to you, but this kind of talk is neither constructive, objective or indeed warranted.
We'd love to hear your recommendations for improvments to Vector tools. But we don't like immature ranting thanks..

[handrawn]

you are a professional, not a 'hobbist' - therefore your work, which is very good - and you, will survive the disappointment

life is full of them - but I guess we get over it and get on with the work?

no layer enhancements - no brush enhancements, no vector fill of unclosed shapes tool - I am disappointed - but the upgrade itself is not a disappointment to me - it is good

[JokeArtist]

Well I expect every Xara user can afford PhotoShop to do their raster editing yes?

Paint Shop Pro aint too expensive or any other image editting package for that matter. There's plenty out there.

They probably also have a PC with sufficient resources to open PS while using Xtreme and not have to wait & wait while PS get's all it's parts loaded.

Xara takes up less resources than MSN Messenger, so by your rational then having Photoshop and MSN Messenger open at the same time would cause a problem and 1gig of ram is like $20 or something now.

It may be rubbish to you, but this kind of talk is neither constructive, objective or indeed warranted. We'd love to hear your recommendations for improvments to Vector tools. But we don't like immature ranting thanks..

I find this rather a personal attack on me. Flaming if you will. Which is not very nice is it? I am surely entitled to my opinion and frustrations about the lack of movement forward with Xara's development. But if you want me to go through a list of simple improvements and tool that would greatly improve the product here goes;

1. Make everything savable within the default document. Including settings for contour, bevels, drop shadows.

2. Have an option for Saving Undos. One of the great things about Xara is the limitless amount of undos, it would be invitative and useful to save these even if it created massive files.

3. Editable Brush Stroke Profiles.

4. True Vector Bevels / Drop Shadows / Extrudes.

5. Live Plugins which are Vector as well as bitmap. Mathematical formual that changed the vector shapes them selves, like twirls / twists, random deforms, Erm ... rounded corners for any object not just stars and rectangles.

6. Mesh fills and transparencies.

7. True fractle fills (with editable variables). Not just the psuedo bitmap fills that are currently on offer.

8. Better Brush handling. A present the colour replace doesn't work properly. The profiles and pressures don't work properly. If your groupled item has too many shapes in it - it throws a fit. In this day and age it should be able to handle more items. Also bevelled items if they were proper vectors and not just bitmaps would work properly which it does.

9. Multi-layered brushes.

10. Added shape creation tools like the ones seen in Spray, SPX, LGV and more besides.

11. Filter fills such as Zoom, Blur, etc.

There's a few for you and for the Xara team to chew over whilst waiting for another release, which will come to nothing yet again, to come round.

Don't get me wrong, I like Xara and use it every day almost. And I'm always coming up with new and fun ways to use it even after all these years. I just don't see it heading in a sensible direction. It gets more hobbist with every release to the point where I no longer hold my breath when a new release happens. I think he expression is ...

New money for old rope.

I'd much prefer something that actually blew my mind, and to thinking ...

'Wow, now what can i do with this to create something new. How will this tool work with all the other tools I know and like.'

But it hasn't since X2 and probably won't even when it's X10!

[ss-kalm]

.......rather than updating the product itself.

What did you expect to see as an update.......? The product itself seems to be quite good. A number of artists (Yourself included) seem to have produced some outstanding work with it. Do you want it to work differently - more like Illustrator for example - because I'm quite sure that most of us are quite happy about the way it works, and wouldn't want to change it?

If you don't want to spend your money, and are quite happy with the way it works now, then no-one is forcing you to buy the update. However, the way I see it, a big majority of the users are thrilled about this upgrade, and I think that the "big majority" of the users are Xara's target audience.

EDIT - OK you posted comments whilst I was writing - I'll go back and read them then ...

[JokeArtist]

What did you expect to see as an update.......?

See above.

More like Illustrator for example

Well yes, more like a better vector package .... rather than the same old Xara X2 with 20% of Photoshop, 5% of Dreamwaver, 5% of Flash and Xara 3D blotted on the side if that all right. Mind you 2% of Word would be good - i.e. a spell checker!!!

I don't know what we'll see in X5, I'm affraid to say for the fact that it will probably happen, but probably something for organising your digital photo-album and putting nice pre-template frames round them! OR something for goind business flow charts or a basic spreadsheet for doing pie charts. The mind truly boggles!

I'm quite sure that most of us are quite happy about the way it works, and wouldn't want to change it?

Why are you so sure?

Have you asked everyone or just taken your opinion based on what you've read on this thread? And if so, do all of the users of Xtreme come here to this talkboard? Or can be even bothered to mention it.

I just let my shear and over-riding dissappoint get the better of me I guess.

A big majority of the users are thrilled about this upgrade, and I think that the "big majority" of the users are Xara's target audience.

Debatable but there is a way to settle it and it's pretty easy ... I'm going to put up a poll.

[ss-kalm]

Ok, I take most of my comments back, and you have obviously thought a lot about things you would like to see.

I'm not sure how many of them are practical without increasing the cost of the product too much. Personally I use Xara for fun, and can't justify paying for the pro version. But if the basic Xara Xtreme gets too much more then I can't justify buying it to play. It would get to be an expensive toy. However, that's my problem not yours.

I would suggest that you take your wants, (as most of them appear to be seriously thought out, and they are your problem not mine) directly to Xara or even right to Charles. Getting at the users because they like this upgrade isn't really doing anything except getting people upset with you.

[JokeArtist]

Getting at the users because they like this upgrade isn't really doing anything except getting people upset with you.

I never 'got at' anyone ... I just voiced my opinion about what I thought about x4 and said why. Just because two people don't agree doesn't mean that you're attacking them.

You like the upgrade good on you. I'm glad you're happy.

Just I'm not.