Back again - just wanted to thank everyone, plus ask about erasers

[Toonicorn]

Hi, all. I was here back in October asking for help with Xara. The only art software I used before I got Xara was Photoshop Elements 4, which is a nice program except there's no vector pen. As for Xara, it's also a nice program except there's no eraser!!!!! (Not to mention no paint bucket, but thanks to some of the nice people here, I'm starting to learn about shapes so I think it'll be okay.)

But about the lack of eraser - there is no way I can avoid overlapping lines when I outline stuff in Xara, so what I've been doing is outlining stuff, flaws and all, and then exporting the image to PSE and cleaning it up there with the eraser.

But that's so TEDIOUS and I'd like to use ALL of Xara's features and create complete drawings and art just in it, so what do I use in Xara that's the equivalent of an eraser? Thanks again guys for your patience and your help!

[handrawn]

well now...

xara is a vector program - some vector purists would say that you don't need an eraser because you dont erase vector objects you cut bits off, which is easy enough to do and amounts to the same thing

there are artistic arguments for an eraser in xara - but these have been done to death recently - you could do a search if you are interested in that

to 'erase' in xara you need to look on the arrange menu under 'combine shapes' - specifically at 'subtract' and 'intersect'

if you have part of a shape that you want to remove you cover it with another shape select both and then 'subtract' - if you 'intersect' it will keep the bit covered and remove the rest

you can draw a closed shape with mouse or pen to do the covering if you wish

EDIT - intersect is of course a form of 'cropping' - we have a dedicated cropping tool too which is raved about by some of those who decry a dedicated eraser tool - such is life

another option is to use the 'slice' to 'cut' ie seperate the bits you don't want and then delete them - you do not need to use a shape for slice, you can just run a line across - but if its not a straight line you may find it does not always do what you might at first expect

[molucca]

You might try to set PSE as the Xara image editor. I use Photoshop at times. Just a thought. I have Akvis Smart Mask that I can run as a plugin and erase.

Rich

[Toonicorn]

Hmmm, that sounds interesting, thanks. How do I set PSE as image editor? And is Akvis Smart Mask a substitute for an eraser (if I'm understanding you correctly?)

[Toonicorn]

Thanks for the suggestions, handrawn! I appreciate it!

[molucca]

Smart Mask is a program to separate the foreground from the background. Look at Akvis. Knockout 2 can do something similar. They have different ways of marking the separations.

Utilities, Options, Effects & Plugins. You would need to make a bitmap copy to use.

Rich

[wizard509]

Well you could select a point and break at point then delete the part of the line you don't want. for instance say you have a line with a nasty flaw or spike in it or some such, you could select and delete the offending point and the line will become straight between the points on either side. Sometimes you could add additional points to either side of the flaw and then delete the point in between, that way you will not delete parts you might want to keep.
To set PSE as image editor look in Utilities/options/Photo Editing.

[Toonicorn]

Well you could select a point and break at point then delete the part of the line you don't want. for instance say you have a line with a nasty flaw or spike in it or some such, you could select and delete the offending point and the line will become straight between the points on either side. Sometimes you could add additional points to either side of the flaw and then delete the point in between, that way you will not delete parts you might want to keep.
To set PSE as image editor look in Utilities/options/Photo Editing.

Did it. Thanks! So...forgive my ignorance...if I create an image in Xara and then want to erase things using PSE, how do I activate it? I don't see a button or shortcut on my Xara screen.

[handrawn]

menu: utilities >options > photo editing tab to set up the editor as Larry [wizard509] said

then you double click the bitmap if you are in the enhance photos tool [or double click twice if you are not] and the editor should open - all saves you then make in the editor should be reflected back in xara [instead of to a file]

[rpc9943]

imagine xara is not a canvas, but scissors and construction paper. To erase, you can draw a "piece of construction paper" and use the boolean operations.