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

[highfrontier]

I agree, there's enough pixel-pushers out there but very few alternatives to Illustrator.

JimR

and even fewer that get the best out of both

I love photoshop and Xara, but the separated vector/bitmap 2 app approach is a bit of a pain, isn't it?

[Big Frank]

the separated vector/bitmap 2 app approach is a bit of a pain, isn't it?

I think adobe believe one app cannot be master of both, i tend to agree

[Albacore]

Now I haven't upgraded AI since ver. CS3 cos I can't afford it! I have tried the new ver. and I don't really like the variable stroke sensitive brush stroke it is very clunky in operation. What I do really like is the advance masking it works a treat just hitting one button and it masks itself. But just think all that show of the new features which we saw there on video and we are still having to use these rotten brushes which are so out of date they haven't change since I started using Xara away back in ArtWorks in the 90's. Why oh why does Xara not come up with something better here as what we use at the moment is just a scatter brush.

Like Bill I don't want to see any further development in the pixel area. Want to thank Xhris for starting this thread but to compare the development between Adobe and Xara is not really fair as the budgets don't compare with each other.

[Rik]

Hi Bill.

You are asking and there are others like Jose and Jokeartist, to name a few, who want more vector tools.

I am only asking this as a non-Xpert, "Why is it that more vector tools are not being developed?"
Jokeartist has said that he has no intentions of upgrading from Xara 3 (apologies if I have not quoted Jokeartist accurately) as there is nothing new for him. I am not trying to speak for Jokeartist or Jose but you are also asking for more vector tools.

Do you think that Xara will develop more vector tools?

In my previous post I asked that Xara include that content aware erase feature, seen in Photoshop CS5. This is only because Xara are including more and more photo tools instead of vector tools. So, if Xara are going to do that, then why not have a fantastic tool like that?

I say all of the above with all due respect to everyone and I only speak from a non-Xpert's point of view. I have only been using Xara for a short while and I am not a professional user.

[Xhris]

The puppet warp feature is also demonstrated nicely in this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nAklIkMy4g). The rope in particular was interesting. Also practical use here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jozjqrRTAyg

My opinion (summarised):

• All this could in principle be done in Xara and better (with none of the genuine UI bloat you have in Adobe products)
• One graphics package for all (if done right, ala Xara) is the smart way to go
• The only thing stopping this goal happening in similar time scales is finite Xara development resources
• This also means that vector tools get less development time, unfortunately
• The 'content aware' technology Adobe snapped up, is sufficiently important that I'm guessing it (or equivalent) will be in Xara within 1/2 years (releases)

[Soquili]

Hi Rik,

I wish Xara had never put their train on the tracks for bitmap editing. There are many of those around so why cheapen a good product by adding features that can be found anywhere and ranging from free to extremely overpriced as in Adobe products.

The Content-Aware features that have been added in the two most recent releases are examples of Marketing toys. Of very little practical use but Marketing hyperbole makes them seem desireable. Once you have access to them you may never actually use the feature(s).

I would much rather see Xara's resources dedicated to improving their vector tools or adding new vector tools. Although owned by MAGIX AG, Xara is a small separate company with limited resources.

For me it would be ideal if Xara remained purely vector.

But being a realist, there are more people asking for bitmap features (without regard to how it will eventually effect the applications performance and features, and more importantly it's price). Naturally a company wants to make money so they target the most requested feature set in hopes of having more customers.

I plan to voice my opinion so they know there are still some people that want vector improvements. Although it may be like trying to out shout a hurricane.

[highfrontier]

I think adobe believe one app cannot be master of both, i tend to agree

I think there are many reasons why this is the case, eg :
- It allows Adobe to have many targetted solutions for different markets (photographers don't need web functionality).
- Multiple products = more sales/money, especially as most users are between camps and need for example photoshop and illy to do everything they need.
- If only Illustrator and Photoshop were combined (forgetting the others) the resulting app would be so obscenely bloated that it wouldn't run on 95% of the existing user base's computers.

The photographic and line art styles are both useful, and for me at least, I need both, sometimes at the same time in the same images - and I hate having to switch between software - not least because you instantly pull the image out of context in order to edit it.
For this reason, hybrid vector/bitmap editing remains the holy grail.

... AND, I'd also like to see more vector tools development

[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.

[Seagull]

As much as I respect Xhris, I find this is a silly thread. Why are we comparing a sports car with a boat, which is basically what this is all about. One is a vector program and one is a pixel editor.

Why not go car shopping? What we need is a small, economical car for the wife to go grocery shopping, drive around the kids, and run errands with, something that will not break the pocket book either from buying, driving and maintaining. If this is what we want folks, why are you all shopping in the heavy duty truck department, looking at massif 18 wheelers. Want to spend 200,000$ or more, buy a commercial truck, want economical (Xara), buy a compact car (light CPU usage).

Ric, you are new here and personally I am very glad you are here. You are contributing an awful lot to this forum. Your last thread about a shiny button; this is all done in Xara.....going all the way back to the original versions.........strictly vectors. What your thread shows is that you do not necessarily need more tools at this stage as to learn to use what is there (this is not a personal attack Ric, after years I am still learning new techniques posted on this forum).

There was a thread last year on how to lighten a dark photograph and there were several techniques posted. I don't know about you, but this is one of my most common problems, dark photos. Well, I posted a technique that takes 30 seconds or so, can lighted a dark area (a house in the foreground) but keeps the rest original (a beautiful cloudy sky). Not easy to do in a pixel editor but a piece of cake in Xara, and all vector. Possibly part of the problem here is people are wanting everything because they have not learned to use what they have. Example, the new clone tool is neat, but it is only a shortcut. This is all do-able, and has been demonstrated over and over again, in the older versions, just a few more steps involved............frank

[JimR]

That's interesting because I love Paint Shop Pro X2 and use it for all my bitmap editing. I use it for two main purposes: To scan, process and colour hand drawings (technical concept drawings) and for general resizing, cropping and improving pictures.

I too would love more vector tools approaching the tools you have in CAD programs. I make technical concept sketches in XD6 and work a lot in scale drawing things in exact size. My main CAD application is Pro Engineer Wildfire 5, a true 3D CAD program. When you draw exact those tools you mention is needed (trim, extend, rounds, chamfers, etc.) and it makes drawing faster.

JimR