gif animations with xara x

[Twista]

I recently downloaded GIMP and was previously using PSP8. Then I downloaded Xara X after having used Animation Shop. I'm basically trying to make an icon for my livejournal, and with Animation Shop it was pretty much a no-brainer. But I am so confused with GIMP and Xara X. The main problem I'm having is opening images that I've made with GIMP in the Xara X program. It's just not doing it. I've tried everything from copy/paste to the old fashioned method of just opening it in Xara. But nothing is working. Does anyone have any suggestions? Can anyone help me out?

[Twista]

I recently downloaded GIMP and was previously using PSP8. Then I downloaded Xara X after having used Animation Shop. I'm basically trying to make an icon for my livejournal, and with Animation Shop it was pretty much a no-brainer. But I am so confused with GIMP and Xara X. The main problem I'm having is opening images that I've made with GIMP in the Xara X program. It's just not doing it. I've tried everything from copy/paste to the old fashioned method of just opening it in Xara. But nothing is working. Does anyone have any suggestions? Can anyone help me out?

[amoore]

Does GIMP save files in a proprietary format? If so, you'll need to export your files in a standard format that Xara can read.

Please your cursor in a Xara file and click File |Import. Then click the little arrow in the Files of Type field to drop down the list of acceptable file types. Make a note of each type that matches what GIMP will export.

In GIMP, export your file as each of those file types. Then import each one into Xara, and see what best suits your needs.

[gwpriester]

If your animation is a GIF as in your subject line then it should open OK in Xara.

What I suspect you are doing wrong however is you are probably trying to open the file in the Drawing Window.

From the File menu, select New... Animation.

This will open an animation window. Now Import your GIF animation and it should work. Xara will create a new page for each frame in your animation and you can add or edit each frame as you want.

The images will be bitmaps however, so you cannot do any pixel editing. But you can apply transparency, add text, add photos, etc.

Click here for an animation tutorial. It is a bit long in the tooth (old) but the basics apply.

Let us know if this helps.

Gary

[Twista]

Thanks for both of your input. But I tried importing it and opening the file. When I did both File|Import and File|Open, what happened is I opened up the folder that I saved the images in, but the images themselves didn't show up saved in that folder. I even went back to GIMP to resave them as .gif (they were .jpeg before) but it didn't work.

EDIT: I think I'm just going to have to try and recreate the images [I had saved] in Xara X.

[Christine Farrelly]

If they were .jpeg with the 'e' in it then Xara probably didn't recognise them - take the 'e' out of jpeg so that it is just jpg.

Christine

[Twista]

I managed to get the pictures together and previewed the animation, which looks all right I suppose. When I saved it, the first place I tried uploading it (my LJ) to wouldn't accept that file type, and so I uploaded it to photobucket, and the icon stayed on the first image instead of cycling through the different images I put together (even though it's on 'continuously loop' or something like that).

Also, I made all of the pictures at 100x100 px and when they were saved, the size automatically changed to 111x112 px. I'm not sure why that happened, but I think I know how to fix it.

[raynerj]

"Also, I made all of the pictures at 100x100 px and when they were saved, the size automatically changed to 111x112 px. I'm not sure why that happened, but I think I know how to fix it." - Twista

Ummm Twista, I think you colored outside the lines.

Post the animated image here if it is under 300K. Then we can help you tweak it so it will work.

[gwpriester]

Check all your frames in wireframe mode.

(Window > Quality > Outline)

It sounds like you may have an invisible object in one or more of the frames that is making the image larger.

Xara will automatically resize all frames to the largest dimension.

Gary