Some Adobe CS5 features that I'd love to see in a future Xara

[Xhris]

Based on this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfkjHnsAsvg--this guy is very good), some of the new PS CS5 features are very time saving. However, all in principle are completely doable in Xara/vector software.

My main reason for this post is because I think the new iterative content search algorithm associated with their ‘content aware’ options for filling in gaps/retouching is a really important technological feature that dropped out of academia recently (which Adobe then snapped up) that I predict will make an appearance in future ‘photo feature’ updates to Xara (in 1 or 2 years). Just as traditional content aware scaling of photos was considered important and appeared soon after in Xara, this is bound to too, given its sheer power.

Also, PS's clever, efficient photo content/edge detection when making selections inside photos (e.g. of hair as well as bulk) is a sorely absent photo feature in Xara in my opinion (expanded here in this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUIcQ1nXkWk). I can see Mask mode and other appropriate selection tools being used to achieve complex selections in photos in Xara in the future.

Their puppet motion is essentially just an advanced mould tool on an object (but very nice--and the mould tool would benefit from an upgrade eventually).

Their photo noise reduction features seem to work really well, and I've come across situations where that would be really useful.

HDR seems less of a priority to me, but still very doable in principle in Xara.

As for new AI CS5 features (some demoed in this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFXJY0a8NiU), while AI’s new perspective mode could be time saving, what I think would be particularly welcome in Xara is the ability to edit line widths at will (from 2:47 in video, expanded on here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHhk4ku0c74). In principle, that’s mostly doable using a pressure sensitive tablet, but you can’t flexibly edit line width (asymmetrically) post-drawing yet in Xara.

[covoxer]

You should post it in the dear Xara forum.

[Xhris]

Yeah, I was teetering doing that, but I checked the post guidance points for safety and felt it violated some of them (too many different requests in one post, not concise, etc.), so decided to just put it here as an open thought for discussion instead. Feel free to move it there if you think it's better suited.

[Rik]

Hi Chris.

All I can say is that I'm glad that I went and viewed the video before this thread got moved.

The features demonstrated in the video are just AWESOME!

Dear Xara - if Xara had those photo tools?!!!

[Soquili]

I think Xara has gone too far into Bitmaps and has gotten away from Vectors.

Trying to be all things to all people is what has ruined Corel and Adobe vector applications.

[TDolce]

I think Xara has gone too far into Bitmaps and has gotten away from Vectors.

Trying to be all things to all people is what has ruined Corel and Adobe vector applications.

I second that.

[xtom]

Awesome functionality, would love to see some of this in future versions of Xara. Easy object extraction with hair etc. would be really useful.

[Big Frank]

Just remember the price differential between cs5 and xdp6 - it is huge. I would not want to see xara going the same bloated way

[Soquili]

I would not want Xara to become another Photoshop Wannabe.

The innovative vector application that was seems to be determined to become just another bitmap editor.

[ss-kalm]

I too would like to see more vector tools. I use Autocad and Softplan professionally, and I can make complex shapes with ease, using lines and curves. Features like extend, trim, fillet and offset to name but a few can make life easy. I have a great deal of trouble making the same shapes in Xara, so much so that I tend to draw complex shapes in Autocad and import pdf into Xara. This may be because I don't know how to use some of the tools admittedly, but as a professional designer I tend to want things being exact. Xara seems to be a little hit and miss in the exact stakes ... more like done by eye. I think some additional vector tools would ease some of these shortcomings for everyone.

However, unlike most of the posters I do like having bitmap tools too, I have PSPX and since I bought it, I've found it so unintuitive, that I've actually never used it. I do all my photo editing in Xara. If I had my way, I'd never use any other application for anything graphical, bitmap or vector.