move from Serif products to Xara Design pro?

[wjg]

I am starting to do more publishing, and I want to get back into photo editing and start in vector drawing.

Is Xara Design Pro similar to Serif Products?

I could never get into using Inkscape, it just was not intuitive. I was able to easily use Serif Draw to easily sand intuitively do things I had to research for Inkscape. However, working on a publication, I had to edit an image in Photoplus, then vector it in DrawPlus, then was able to use it in PagePlus.

Designer Pro seems appealing because is appears to be an all-in-one. Is it? I don't care for Web Editing part of it (I am happy with Expression Web), mostly interested in the photo and drawing part of it. Also, there seems to be a larger client base, and a far more people using the forums for community support.

Can anyone comment on the differences between Serif products and Designer Pro? Has anyone moved from Serif to Xara?

[gwpriester]

Welcome to TalkGraphics

I am not a Serif user but many member here are former Serif users.

Xara Designer Pro X is in my most humble and unbiased opinion, the best all around graphics software package around. I use for about 99% of all my professional work including, websites, website graphics, photo editing (I do use Photoshop to convert the RGB to CMYK for commercial printing), graphic design and stereograms (I use Stereographic Suite to build the stereograms using components I create in Designer Pro).

Check out my website www.gwpriester.com Everything on that site was created in Designer Pro X including the website and all the cool effects.

[Rik]

Take it from a complete amateur (me), that if I can produce work of a reasonable standard, then it's no wonder that the Pros produce work of some amazing quality.

I've tried to use other products also, but, it's that 'intuitive' thing you're talking about.

I find Xara intuitive and it's Designer Pro X all the way for me.

You may regard my opinion as biased or unbiased!

Trust me, it's brilliant.

Add to that, the number of members, here on TG, ready to answer any and all questions.

[mwenz]

However, working on a publication, I had to edit an image in Photoplus, then vector it in DrawPlus, then was able to use it in PagePlus

wjg,

The answer is not so simple. If you are laying out something other than a couple page flier, keep using PP and composing the images and text in it. Your described work flow hasn't been bested in the 25 or more years I have been creating print documents. Really.

There are a couple features in DrawPlus that I like. However, I use Designer Pro for all my vector work. I still use--and likely always will--a bitmap editor for images. I also use Design Pro for all smaller composition work. However, as I mentioned, for something like a booklet or longer publication, PP cannot be bested for the price.

Take care, Mike

[Albacore]

I have InDesign CS3, PagePlus 11 and D Pro 6 and I still use PP for most of my small work and ID for larger publications. The PDF editing in PagePlus is great and as Mike states it can't be beaten for price. Keep a hold of your PagePlus and use it in conjunction with Design pro and you will be very happy as both are a must for your toolbox.

[wjg]

Thank you for the comments. I do like the Serif software for publishing but never stumbled upon Xara until recently. I did a search for MS Publisher alternatives and Xara never came up or I would have certainly checked it out a couple years ago. Then I just stuck with some Serif products for GUI continuity because at that time, I knew nothing about vector drawing, and only a little of PS. (my photo editing was Nikon Capture NX 2). And Serif was offering unpublished deals for me buy extra products. And at the time, Inkscape seemed bizarre, I could never figure out the color stuff (probably because I was still in a word processor train of thinking). I finally broke into Drawplus after it was sitting on my shelf for a long time and did some work and logos with it - there is alot more I want to with vector images and drawing. Now that I know a little more, and know what I would like to do - I am open to other software I just can't afford the Adobe route.