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Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
I thought I'd start a thread listing all the reviews for Xara Xtreme/Pro 4.
Computer Shopper/PCPro has a review out today for standard Xtreme 4. The verdict is good.
If there are any more reviews people stumble across, here would be a good place to list them.
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Re: Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
Personally I thought it a very weak review.
The conclusion isn't very flattering either.
Quote:
Despite its many new features, Xara Xtreme 4.0 can't claim to be a dedicated bitmap editor, 3D modeller, web designer or DTP application. However it does manage to bring together many of these applications' separate strengths within its own vector-based illustration environment, and thanks to its blistering speed, it makes accessing all this power child's play .......
I don't recall Xara even attempting to make an such claims.
'Childs-play'? Yep - that will encourage CD and Illustrator users to check it out.
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Re: Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
Well, while it's not a sensational review, still we've got "PC pro RECOMMENDED". Which is, at least positive. :)
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The conclusion isn't very flattering either.
But the 'verdict' is:
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Verdict: A raft of new features combine with Xara's unbeatable speed and a bargain price - it's an irresistible mix.
;)
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Re: Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
I can't see anything wrong with the conclusion: Xara Xtreme 4 comes with bitmap filters and the usual bitmap "manipulation" functions, but it offers no further integration of bitmap "painting" functions or functions that "acts" like in a bitmap programme (for example a missed Paint Bucket/LivePaint tool). So, you can't call it a real Bitmap Editor. The offered 3D extrusion functions don't allow to call Xara Xtreme 4 a real 3D modeller. Xara Xtreme 4 also misses some important functions needed in a real DTP application, so you can't call it a DTP application. But Web Design is possible with Xara Xtreme 4, as it was in the last 15 years.
I remember a lot of customers requested over and over more vector functions and also some great functions you're able to find in competition products (Open Source products included). Instead we see playtools like Xara 3D and tools from different vendors like the Panorama tool or the Magix photo tool together with a new copy protection included in our beloved Xara Xtreme.
It's a long way to go.
Remi
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Re: Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
Review 2:
http://thephotofinishes.com/xaraxtreme4.htm
It's a much less traditional review.
There's a few things that are worth commenting on: "The one drawback - the plugins, both Xara's own and 3rd party, take 10 to 50 seconds to work on huge bitmap images - depending on the bitmap original size, the plugin and how many are in the stack."
This delay is due to the inefficiency of the plugins; they take a long time to render. Xara can't be blamed for this.
Also: "The only only thing that is missing is a set of perspective transforms."
Erm...Mould tool?
The review also criticises the complexity of the html generated which is difficult to edit elsewhere manually--something for Xara to bear in mind in future updates.
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Re: Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
The view of blog designers who use Xara in tandem with other programs. Not gushing, but some good comments:
"...Xara EP4 has amazingly for the first time managed to export brilliantly to Adobe Illustrator, and we have sent various printers files exported from Xara EP4 to PDF and had no problems whatsoever with getting our artwork printed."
"With super fast real time rendering of effects such as gradients, bevels, shadows and colours, alongside one of the simplest and effective user interfaces we have used – Xara has the ability to make our clients stare in amazement as we build a full design concept before their cup of tea has had a chance to cool down!"
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Re: Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
Regarding the above (3rd) review: I find it astonishing that anyone reviewing a piece of software can say this:
"...unless we are dealing with photographs, we only end up using Photoshop to crop, resize and compress images, as Photoshop’s algorithms seem to be better than any other software for this.
We have yet to fully test the bitmap editing capabilities of Xara EP4 though..."
Such utter stupidity immediately discredits the reviewer's value.
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Re: Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
Good point Xhris, it is badly put. What they are saying is "We only use Photoshop for bitmap cropping etc BUT we haven't fully tested Xara yet."
They should have waited until they had experimented further. :)
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Re: Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
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Originally Posted by
neodeist
Good point Xhris, it is badly put. What they are saying is "We only use Photoshop for bitmap cropping etc BUT we haven't fully tested Xara yet."
They should have waited until they had experimented further. :)
Exactly. What's the point of reviewing, if you don't actually examine the software you're reviewing? That was the worst thing you could ever do as a reviewer of anything.
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Re: Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
Agreed, they seem to be saying "Our review of the software is very neutral, because we didn't actually bother reviewing the software!"
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Re: Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
Did we read the same review?:confused: Sure sounded like a rave to me.
And what reviewer has ever fully tested the software? That takes way more time than a reviewer can give to any one product. It's pretty clear to me that these guys know Xtreme much better than most reviewers since they say they use it regularly.
And since they do use it regularly and the review is posted in their blog, they could easily post a a review of the bitmap editing features down the line.
Meanwhile, we've got a very positive review now.
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Re: Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
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Originally Posted by
ss-kalm
Agreed, they seem to be saying "Our review of the software is very neutral, because we didn't actually bother reviewing the software!"
Sorry, that was very badly written. Probably should have gone to bed earlier. I meant only the bitmap editing portion. The rest of the review was very positive.
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Re: Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
Understood. Unfortunately, we all tend to give more attention to what we don't like more than on what we do. :)
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Re: Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
Review 4: http://www.designertoday.com/Reviews....0.Review.aspx
Alas, another lackluster attempt constituting a poor review. And just to be explicitly clear in case it's not obvious: it's not a bad review because it doesn't suck Xara's extrude tool, but is so because criticisms made and claims of not being a worthy competitor are not backed up with much in the way of evidence. The review is also not very thorough--which is surely the whole point of reviewing software--to thoroughly explore what's on offer to base a sound critique. You wouldn't watch part of a film because "you didn't have time" and then make a public review for example; you would either watch it all, or not publicly review it. There are a few useful (albeit vague) things that can be picked up from the review though.
I like the first review best so far; they show they know the history of the software, and do the most thorough job in describing what's on offer without saying something silly.
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Re: Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
Did we read the same review Xhris :D Don't know how much the reviewer tested but got to take his word that he did. Criticism is backed up:
"However, I was a little disappointed with the import option and found some troubles when importing Illustrator files with a lot of special graphics. I found the same issues when trying to import PDFs or EPS files. This makes it hard to try to integrate this software into an everyday production workflow that utilizes other graphics programs."
Not that I can agree or disagree there due to lack of experience/knowledge, but the point was made. If he explored everything in Xara it would be a very long review: in the space he had been given (perhaps) I think it's fair enough. Not good for potential users of Xara who would need to integrate it, though reviewer does strongly suggest a trial run. Overall, a positive impression of Xara is left on the reader.
As a rule, long, deep, painstaking reviews of computer software and hardware are skim-read between the first couple of paragraphs and the conclusion. Can't prove that mind you, unless I find the research on such things I read many aeons ago ;)
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Re: Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
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However, I was a little disappointed with the import option and found some troubles when importing Illustrator files with a ..........
This is probably the most damning comment in this review. Unfortunately I think this is always going to be the case, once one piece of software has become "industry standard". Why should it be expected that XXP vector drawings can be imported in tact into Illustrator but not vice versa. In other words XXP has to struggle far harder by supplying constantly updated export filters. Let's face it you're up against a piece of software that has four native filetypes. Who wants / requires four native filetypes?
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Re: Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
Import and Exporting are I believe, too often misunderstood.
If all graphics software applications were able to work with each others file types and unique technologies 100%, would there infact be any necessity for 'import/export' options?
No - likely there would only be 'Open/Save' ..
I can travel to Japan and recognise many things, but I can't properly translate the language used, so I'd do the best I could.
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Re: Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Penny O\'Rorke
That's a competition rather than a review.
Review 5: http://www.biosmagazine.co.uk/rev.php?id=743
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Re: Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
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Originally Posted by
Xhris
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Further allegiance to Web design is evident with the new NavBar tool...
..new Navbar tool???? (doesn't Xara X1 have this?)
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Existing users will be interested to know what’s new in this latest release. Among the highlights are animated Flash export....
Existing users of what? (doesn't Xara X1 have this?) :confused:
I'm confused as to which version of Xara Xtreme this site was reviewing??
Sounds like a (hurried) take on the press release received rather that a review of real usage of XaraXtreme4 software..
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CONS
Tons of features, but master of none
Wrong... Master of speed for one thing. ;)
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Re: Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
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urther allegiance to Web design is evident with the new NavBar tool, image slicing capability and Dreamweaver integration.
Yes, as soon as I read this my brain switched off. This guy doesn't know the software.
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Re: Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
Heh, some of these reviewers...
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Re: Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
I haven't actually read the reviews, though I'm sure you guys have accurately pointed out their deficinecies. I'm not quite so sure why you are as harsh as you have been though. I suspect many of these reviewers are given the task of reviewing a number of packages by some specific deadline and under those circumstances can be forgiven for cutting a few corners and not getting as aquainted with the software as real Xara users.
Whatever their shortcomings their purpose is to provide magazine content at a certain cost and on time - they won't always be benchmarked on the comprehensiveness of the review or necessarily it's accuracy (often subjective) unless it's seriously and consistently wrong.
Maybe for the next release, some people on talkgraphics might like to see if they can submit a review that catches the editors eye and see how that gets on.
Paul
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Re: Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
The reason why reviewers are harshly critiqued is because what they say is very public for the purpose helping people make a judgment about Xara software to decide whether to purchase it or not. If the reviewer's information is not accurate or not based on a reasonably thorough analysis of the software they're reviewing (irrespectively of any excuse they may have), then their comments may not be representative, factual, or valid, and this can unfairly harm the image of Xara software. This applies to any review, not just Xara software. There's no excuse for a poor review; your purpose is to objectively inform, and if you don't do that well and cause potential harm in the process, you will be slated--it's quite simple really.
It's actually a good point you raise; perhaps TG members could review Xara versions in a special TG review thread.
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Re: Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
Ummm... Xhris...
I think several of these types "review" posts have been locked already. for everything we like, there are folks that will feel differently, or be less knowledgable about the software. Then there are the folks that are upset the tool they wanted wasn't included in this build, or too many tools where included.
Personally... as long as any software has an automated margarita maker, then it will get a good review.:)
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Re: Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
That's quite telling, Daniel.
2 different magazines, and the same review!
The reviewer seems pretty much up to speed with
previous Xara Xtreme releases, and makes what seems
to be, in my opinion, a pretty balanced review, if a little
short on detail.
Saludos,
Bob.
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Re: Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
Hmm, that review seems like a paraphrase of a previous one written by an unrelated company. It smells like classic high-school-esque copy-paste-edit-ery. But even if that was the case, they chose a good review style to model from.
Interestingly though, they ranked it better than the latest versions of AI or CD which is something useful to gather from the review.
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Re: Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
Both reviews - remarkably similar - seem perfectly alright by me. They fit the space filler brief of a non-design magazine - fills enough space to tell people the important things about the software and entice some people to the magazine, yet not so long as to bore 90% of the readers who just wouldn't be interested.
I wouldn't expect much depth in these general PC magazines for a design related program.
Paul
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Re: Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
Stumbled apon this personal review.
I quite agree with most of it.
At least the review is from someone who actually uses Xtreme.
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Re: Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
Review 8
It's a very short review.
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Re: Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
After all my support for job-serving reviewers, I have left a comment saying that the quality of the review itself is poor.
Paul
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Re: Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
Quote:
After all my support for job-serving reviewers, I have left a comment saying that the quality of the review itself is poor.
It says not rated though... ;)
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Re: Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
I reviewed the review, not the software..
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Re: Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
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I reviewed the review, not the software..
Exactly! :)
There's a user rating of the review. It is (was?) still unrated, meaning that no one had reviewed the review.
Or I'm getting something wrong...
Anyway, this one is not much of a review, looks more like a short description to me.
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It's not clear to me if the rating is for the review or the software.
All comments are reviewed by the editor before they are published. Maybe it'll appear. I was pretty critical (though polite) though, so they may just bin it.
Paul
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Re: Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
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It's not clear to me if the rating is for the review or the software.
Ah, yes.
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Re: Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
I hope I'm not the only one to give some feedback for this particular review..
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Re: Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
Review 9
It's not an overly bad review in itself or of Xara. A more explicit comparative review with the competition would be nice to see in one of these reviews. The comment at the end says "It’s still no match for any of the standalone Adobe tools on a per-feature basis...", but, as expected, doesn't actually go into a single detail or provide the tiniest smidgen of evidence to support the claim. Slap dash; cue all my above criticisms of reviewers.
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Re: Xara Xtreme/Pro 4 Reviews
Xhris, you might want to change the title of your webpage, when I went to bookmark it says "Index Page 1" That won't mean a thing to me at a later date.
:) Judi