Is converting .PSD files to .XAR possible?

[Mcffee]

Perhaps is there anybody here who knows how I can convert .psd files to .xar? Or how to import .PSD to Xara?

Being able to do this would really make my day!!!

[gwpriester]

File > Import > File of Type: Adobe Photoshop *.psd

Some layers will come in. I am not sure about other features. But give it a shot.

[matrix29bear]

File > Import > File of Type: Adobe Photoshop *.psd

Some layers will come in. I am not sure about other features. But give it a shot.

Yep. I downloaded a clipart shamrock that was in PSD into XARA 10 yesterday for a custom envelope header.
Had to used the PAINT function in INKSCAPE to make a quick clipmask for it though.

The trick is you take a bitmap or screengrab, copy that bitmap into INKSCAPE.
If the bitmap has non-white background, you should be able to click the PAINT BUCKET icon, adjust the tolerance slider, and then click an opaque section of the bitmap.
For a bitmap with a white background, I usually draw an opaque square bigger than the bitmap, then adjust the Z-layer to drop it behind the bitmap.
The resulting object is usually a somewhat clean vector.
I then usually hit the key combo of CTRL-L (simplify object) to reduce the vector points.

There is a problem with INKSCAPE though as the default Simplify function is set too high. Click the MENU/"Inkscape Preferences"/. Slide the scrollbar to the bottom and you should see a listing named "MISC". Change the SIMPLIFICATION THRESHOLD TO 0.0005 . If you don't your objects usually look like over-smoothed garbage. You can repeat the Simplify command (CTRL-L) a few times to smooth the object a bit more.

Once you have a clean enough vector object, you can save it as a *.SVG or a *.PDF. You can also COPY & PASTE the new vector object straight from Inkscape to XARA, but it will be scaled and distorted. Which is a pain and not necessarily the fault of XARA on import as Inkscape uses Pixels as the default scaling and your computer monitor pixel squareness affects how badly the objects are misscaled. A saved Inkscape *.SVG file will be usually undistorted if imported into XARA, but if you're in a hurry and honestly don't care about keeping the vector quick mask object, this works for a quick fix.

[matrix29bear]

Oh, one more thing. If you wonder why XARA lacks a simple quick vector bitmap trace trick like INKSCAPE has...
HAVE YOU USED XARA'S TRACE FUNCTION?!?

Xara's BITMAP TRACE routine is garbage on all levels of the concept of garbage.
XARA's Trace Function introduces random bizarre noise on even a 2-color (B&W) simple bitmap that never existed in the bitmap. Completely worthless thing to even have it in XARA at all.

What Inkscape uses is a poor THRESHOLD filter function, but oddly enough "it works good enough".
When you uses Inkscape's PAINT BUCKET to VECTOR function, it creates a temporary layer, then uses a simple BITMAP PAINT FILL (as you see in bitmap paint programs).
Then the created bitmap object is vector traced using the simple THRESHOLD function trace routine. It is highly Zoom Dependent. The farther in you zoom, the better the quality of tracing because it only is working on the visible clean bitmap (without modifier handles). Again, an extremely simple tracing routine, but it is fast and "good enough" (despite not respecting sharp line corners or properly favoring 90 degree corners and it likes to create weird unsmooth curve lines) despite being a bit crude underpowered and inaccurate, it works "good enough" to be drastically better than pretty much any program in the sub-$300 range.

XARA's Trace Function is so hilariously awful it cannot even be used for "artsy vector trace". Just do a simple test. In XARA, make a simple black vector rectangle. CONVERT TO BITMAP (around 150 to 300 DPI). Then use XARA to trace that bitmap.
Now for the giggles, zoom in on it. Click the vector edit tool and see all the weird hundreds of garbage vector objects all over it that has zero relation to a rectangle. Sheesh.

If the program "RESHADE IMAGE ENLARGER 3.0" program could export a proper vector object pile in *.SVG or *.PDF format, it would probably be one of the best vector tracer programs in existence.
Why? Because that program UNDERSTANDS GRADIENT CURVES. It creates temporary vector objects with gradient curves and stupidly enough, no other program ever does this.
Almost no vector trace programs (except for the vector "RoadMap Tracers" or AUTOCAD-type tracers comprehend the concept of "detecting edges by noting how the anti-aliasing hinting is defining a proper edge curvature density").
It is a pretty sad thing that almost nobody has seized on offering a proper sub-$99 excellent vector tracer.


Oh there is the offering by SERIF's "Draw Plus" series of commercial failures (buggy lazy nitwit corporation), but they barely can export vector objects much less not crash while making lazy bitmaps.
And as much as I enjoy a good "Joke Program", the insta-crash-bug offerings by SERIF don't make me giggle with joy at all.

[mwenz]

Geez, not only don't you actually know how to deal with PSD files in Xara products, you also don't know that the tracing part of XDP can be used to good effect. That said, we all want it to be better. AI is pretty good at tracing, as is CorelDraw...but then I have used DP's trace (and Cutout Studio) to good effect too. Most of the time I would rather not trace anyway.

BTW, I use many companies' products every day. Serif stuff as well. DP doesn't crash on me (nor PP).

On the left is a scan, on the right is the trace from XDP.

Mike

[gwpriester]

@matrix29bear - My mom always used to say, a poor workman blames his tools.

Some incredible work has been done using Xara products. Creative users find the best way to make the tools do what they need. http://www.xara.com/us/gallery/

Are Xara products the best they can be? No, and I do not think any product on the market is not without its faults.

Unless you are a troll looking to disrupt this forum, then please ratchet down your posts a few notches.

[Gamerprinter]

I've successfully imported many multi-layer PSD files into Xara Designer Pro 9. It was a requirement for my last map commission and had no problems at all, nor missing layers. The trace function is something I don't and never have needed from any vector program, but then I usually create all my art from scratch, even on those rare occasions that I need a photo converted - I do it by hand for better results, though it certainly takes longer. Most often, though, I create only my own art from scratch.

[ad1066]

I can kind of see where matrix29bear is coming from. I myself have never been able to get Xara's trace function to produce anything usable, and many people have said that it's all in adjusting the settings. I wish someone would give a detailed tutorial on how to use it, because I have no idea what the various sliders actually do. Telling us "just play around with them until you get what you want" is not helpful.

It's only because I haven't had an occasion where I absolutely needed to trace a bitmap that I haven't shelled out the bucks for Vector Magic.

-- Ben

[Egg Bramhill]

I think we all agree that the trace tool is very limited and difficult to use. I think it's been in Xara from the very early days and never worked on since. If you want to trace bitmaps you either got purchase the very expensive Vector Magic (which isn't 100% guarenteed to produce good vectors either) or spend a lot of time on a learning curve learning Xara's trace tool.

[gwpriester]

Ben and Matrix29bear see http://www.xaraxone.com/guest/guest53/ and http://www.xaraxone.com/guest/guest62/

To be honest, I prefer Vector Magic but you can get some very decent traces in Xara.