Re: Please can we have an Android (or iOS) version of Xara
I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 that is great for surfing the web, looking at images, reading content, dropbox, and reading email. But it cannot draw with a stylus. The wife got tired of reading and watching videos from her Windows phone, so I decided to let her have my Tab 2 to give me the excuse of upgrading. I just bought the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition ($599, Android 4.3, 32GB, WiFi) that had Autodesk Sketchbook for Galaxy preloaded. I was not sure if it was fully featured or not, so I upgraded to Sketchbook Pro for Android for $5. Can't say if their are any major differences betwen the two Sketchbook versions. I can tell you that it a pleasure to draw on the GN10.1(2014) with Sketchbook Pro. The first time I removed the stylus from its holding cavity, I thought it was too small (thinner than a thin pencil), but in actual use it works great and I no longer give it a second thought. The stylus to cursor calibration was spot on and much better than my Surface Pro 2 (whose calibration changes depending where you are on the screen, making highly detailed work tedious sometimes). So sketching on the GN10.1(2014) is natural and easy, just like drawing (just slicker than paper). Being able to see the art under your stylus is much better than using my Wacom Intuos Pen&Touch tablet (medium) on my PC. Sketchbook for Android has some file strangeness. You can't upload your old existing tif or psd files, importing jpg files is done by clicking on the blank layer icon, you cannot "save as" and name your saved files, you load previous work through "gallery", and to export to jpg or psd you click the share link and it drops it into a Autodesk folder not of your choosing. The good news is that the simplified Sketchbook Pro for Android software is optimized for mobile use and it draws without noticeable lag and the tools are actually easier to adjust than on my full 6.2 PC version.
I never felt like the GN10.1(2014) was too small with the drawing below. It is so thin, you can lay it flat on a table and rest your hand naturally (on either the screen, table or both), palm detection is great, panning and zooming are great, and the tools are easy to reach and don't get in the way. The screen res is upgraded in the 2014 Edition to 2560x1600 (more than the GN10.1 regular version) and the colors are brilliant even at less than 100% brightness. It is 1/3 the thickness and 1/2 the weight of my Surface Pro 2, so it is easier to hold one handed for web surfing on the couch. Works great with Dropbox (preloaded).
The question is whether you want to wait for the upcoming Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 with a bigger screen (same 2560x1600 res). It might be better if you use more arm motion with your art, have big hands, or plan to keep it on a desk most of the time. I like the compact size of the 10.1 and its light weight and portability. Here is an eyeball sketch done entirely on my new GN10.1(2014) on the first day of ownership. It was just meant to be practice using only 4 tools: airbrush for large areas and blending, color picker, pencil for iris detail, and "noisy" brush for skin texture and clumpy mascara effect. This drawing was 1280x800 and 3 layers. Without the noisy brush skin highlights the skin looked like a plastic manikin. Now if only Xara would run in Android.
The software has preset drawing sizes including but not exclusively:
1280x800 18 layers possible
1920x1080 11 layers
2560x1600 6 layers
2560x2560 3 layers (maximum)
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Originally Posted by dutchim
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