Xtreme Suggestions

[Jimi King]

Xara Xtreme Pro is my favourite design tool, by a loooooooooong way, but I'd love to see the following:

• The ability to select a photo editing program from a list instead of having to select a preferred one in Page Options>Effects and Plugins. I use different editors for different tasks. To be able to right click a bitmap and select the program I want to use would be heaven
  
  
• The File>Open dialogue to default to .XAR files rather than All Files. Small thing I know, but it annoys me. The amount of times I open anything other than a .XAR file is minimal.

[steve.ledger]

Your workflow which requires a variety of pixel editors would I think be quite unique.

If all your .xar files are in one folder, why not add the folder to the clipart gallery and open from there. Choose [Disc Clipart] and browse to the folder containing your .xar files.

You can even update an already added folder to take into account newly added or changed files.

[handrawn]

My xar files are in the individual project folders - so I could not do what you suggest Steve - it would be impractical

You can increase the size of the open file dialogue box which helps to find the xar files in a large folder

I have my bitmap editor set to photoshop which does do most if not all of the editing I would want to do, as opposed to creating from scratch [eg painter] - so I'm inclined to agree on that one - but it's going to depend on the way you work?

[Jimi King]

I use XPE for most stuff. It's absolutely fine for basic contrast, brightness and even sharpening on web sized graphics (not good enough for print resolutions though). I use the Eye Candy chrome filter a LOT! I find that Photoshop is best for cloning and painting, but for isolating (particularly on white) there's ONE custom art brush in Corel PP that I simply couldn't do without.

As for the .XAR files, mine are all in My Documents (with all my other documents). I guess I could just move them all into their own subfolder. Old habits die hard.

[steve.ledger]

I use XPE for most stuff. It's absolutely fine for basic contrast, brightness and even sharpening on web sized graphics

All the XPE tools you mention there (and more) are now built into Xtreme4 via the Photo Tool [P] - so now you can configure another editor for the double-click load and have it both ways

As for the .XAR files, mine are all in My Documents (with all my other documents). I guess I could just move them all into their own subfolder. Old habits die hard.

I know the feeling.
But yes, drop all the .xar files into a sub-folder off My Docs' then you will be able to add them to the clipart gallery as mentioned.

[gwpriester]

Unless I am missing something here, you can specify any bitmap editor to be your default editor. When you double click on a photo it opens your specified bitmap editor. By default it is XPE but it can be any program you want.

[pauland]

Unless I am missing something here

The missing bit is that the OP wants to choose from a list of photo editors, not just choose a particular one for default.

[Jimi King]

All the XPE tools you mention there (and more) are now built into Xtreme4 via the Photo Tool [P] - so now you can configure another editor for the double-click load and have it both ways

Yes except the wonderful Eye Candy "Chrome" filter. And I have tried to load it as a Photshop plugin but it comes up with a message something like "this version of Eye Candy is only licensed for Xara Xtreme" or words to that effect.

Mind you loading a Xara plugin into Photoshop into Xtreme does seem a little.. well.. extreme, even for a person as lazy as I.

I know the feeling.
But yes, drop all the .xar files into a sub-folder off My Docs' then you will be able to add them to the clipart gallery as mentioned.

Yes but if I wanted to have them in a sub folder I wouldn't have to worry about the "all files" bit anyway, as all the files in the folder would be .XAR files. All I want is the File>Open Dialogue to default to .XAR files (or at least an option to have it). Then I'll be happy. Actually then I'll be REALLY happy, I'm already pretty happy.

[Odat]

What you need is for some kind developer (Xara related or not) to make a simple tiny application that can be told about your graphics applications. When run it would display a simple menu or dialog letting you choose between them.

Then you could assign that to be your pixel editing program in Xara and when you double click everything would work the way you want.

[PatentGuy]

Xara Xtreme Pro is my favourite design tool, by a loooooooooong way, but I'd love to see the following:

• The ability to select a photo editing program from a list instead of having to select a preferred one in Page Options>Effects and Plugins. I use different editors for different tasks. To be able to right click a bitmap and select the program I want to use would be heaven
  
  
• The File>Open dialogue to default to .XAR files rather than All Files. Small thing I know, but it annoys me. The amount of times I open anything other than a .XAR file is minimal.

I agree. There are many different types of users of Xara products. Likewise, there are many different workflows, and some workflows are great for some users, but not for others.

1. I like the idea of right-clicking to select bitmap editors. I use three different photo editors Why? Because I use them for very specific things, with and without Xara, and I know how to use them to do those things quickly and efficiently. I could take time to learn how to do those things in Xara, but, when the next version comes out, I may have to relearn those tools. I only use those editors occasionally so the investment in time to learn another way is not worth it to me.

2. The change in Fonts in P4 shows that Xara is interested in following standards. I am hard-pressed to think of any other mainstream software that does not default to the data files for that program. If perchance I want to open a file other than a program's default, I can easily do.

I generate about 4000 files a year. Those files are saved in many client folders. A very small fraction of those files are Xara files. The suggestion to create clipart gallery folders for documents is not a good suggestion for me because I do not want to change my document management system to accommodate the needs of one software package. I believe software should fit the way people work, not the other way around.