paint bucket fill, how to, beginner that used to use photoshop

hi, I was wondering if someone could help me to fill a closed are with a color. Kind of like the Paint Bucket that I remember using with Photoshop or was it Microsoft's Paint. The purpose is to color things I drew on paper, that I've scanned and then made black and white. I've also heard it call "color flatting," but to me, I'm not sure what color flatting is yet, and it seems to come from the Photoshop world. I've tried clicking on a color and dragging it into the area.

The only way I get Xara to fill with color is if I redraw a new object on an above layer and then I can toggle fill color using the color bar. As I've searched and found this helpful youtube guide: https://youtu.be/U17gPcT9RnA

I also have gotten a few errors using Xara something about the area does not exist for the color to fill....I screen-shot one of the errors. I think it has something to do with how I'm using a white background layer and then a line layer. One one layer, I've also Added Shapes into one and I think much earlier, to simplify one layer where I drew a bunch of lines. And I converted the lines to all shapes at another point in time. Thank you.
Attachment 123127
Attachment 123128
Attachment 123129
Thank you!

Can you attach your .web / .xar file Minti?

yes. let me attach a different project. the other one has been lost, unfortunately, perhaps something to do with how Onedrive situated My Documents, which is cool, cuz it's supposed to back them up, but somehow I've lost it. Here is a .xar project file, which is started from a png file. any tips? I've just discovered "Sketch Mode" toolbar button, which lets me draw without filling in colors, which has nothing to do with this task at hand. I am also starting to think, perhaps tracing the drawing is wasteful and perhaps I can start coloring right away on the black and white scan, or on new layers. I am also using a stylus, digital pen with this laptop and Xara. But knowing how to fill a closed area, I cannot do it with this new project. I've tried setting the bucket mode to flat fill, from the default linear. Thank for checking it.
Attachment 123130

Your black outline is not a closed shape. This is your problem.

Select the black outline then select the Shape Tool.

Press the Tab key once to select the beginning control point.

Press Enter.

And now you have a closed shape (the status bar lower left corner of the screen) shows 1 Shape Selected. Previously it showed 1 Line Selected.

sounds good, but I zoomed in and saw every black line connecting, no tiny gaps. I'll try these steps again, maybe I missed something. But once I get into a closed shape. how do I fill it with a color? Thank you.

It looks like a closed shape which is why you select the shape, then switch to the Shape Tool and the press the Tab key one time. This goes to the first control point on the path. When you press Enter it automatically closes the shape.

Once the shape is closed, then select the shape and click any color on the color palette at the bottom of the screen.

You can edit the color in the Color Editor (click the tiny color wheel icon just to the left of the screen palette)

you need to appreciate that, unlike a raster program such as photoshop, it is not sufficient to just close the gap 'visually' in a vector program such as xara; in xara that will just produce a line 'overlap' - you need to 'join up the dots', ie the line control points ['nodes'], as gary stated - once you have acheived this the shape will fill automatically and you can then recolour with the fill tool [or the status bar, or colour editor....]

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mintintegral18

And I converted the lines to all shapes at another point in time.

---

In that case, that's your problem. If the line is a shape, then the line itself has a fill and an outline, rather than being an outline for a filled shape.

well spotted keith - and thats not a reversable operation [mores the pity]

Yes, but... This is how we learn. We make a mistake, but in doing so we learn what not to do the next time. :)

Actually with the outlined shape in the attached XAR file that mintintegral18 posted, if you convert the line to shape, then Arrange > Break Shapes, you have a filled solid, filled shape.

the black is still a line, the green is a shape... also true you can break shapes

I'd just like to point mintintegral18 to Xhris' excellent Xara training resource at http://www.xhris.digitalred.net/

It only covers up to v11, but I reckon that would still be over 90% of what's in the latest version ;))

I did the XaraXone and the Workbook for over 15 years and it's amazing how much of those very old articles and tutorials are still valid. http://archive.xaraxone.com

Whooppee, thanks for that, I have been fighting with that 'problem' for years!
:-)
Joëlle

ok, cool. :) how do I use the flat fill tool? And can this be done on a new layer? Below is some experiences that can be considered background info but I've screen shot this..... I think I like new layers because it seems very well suited to revert back to original black and white drawing and I can make different colored versions and quickly export toggling on off layers.... unfortunately, I am unable to use the fill tool for a flat fill, even ON THE SAME layer. I've found a mistake in the characters thumb. Definitely I've gotten more into Xara with this post. There are a few lines that overlap, looking closed, but are not connected shapes or lines. I TABBed and ENTERED around the entire shapes, until it fill black, this is how I found the gap. the gap, I think I fixed it, and Added the shapes into one.

every time I click Fill tool, nothing happens. Every time I click and drag fill tool, a black arrow appears, but nothing happens.

I have rediscovered Windows Paint tool has a bucket fill tool. It allows me to fill closed shapes with color rapidly with one click. maybe I missed something, but if I understand How is the Xara fill tool like it?

I've tried this cool technique, joining to a shape that has a fill I want, but bonkers and haywires. the LINE turns the color but does not fill with color. And the line width seems to shrink to 1 pixel, down from 8. And another haywire experience, I noticed when fixing my thumb of the character, the rest of the line doubled in width and the line I free draw, stays the same. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foji27nyj9M
Attachment 123169
Attachment 123170
Attachment 123171
Attachment 123172
Attachment 123173
Attachment 123174
Attachment 123175

ok, yes, I think I see this when I zoom in or in my screen shot of the green line, because all my lines doubled and there are tiny fills of a darker green. I will review starting from a brand new png file again. I do want to keep looking for a Windows Paint like...fill tool, so I can use my stylus to fill, or mouse click and fill, and have my drawings all be closed shapes when scanned in. Thanks.

you do not need the fill tool in xara to fill a shape with flat colour - once the shape is closed it fills automatically, and you can change colour simply by clicking on the status bar colour line or using the colour editor... and which ever way you do it make sure your shape is selected otherwise nothing will happen; in a vector program you are dealing with objects in a workspace, not a canvas, and you must tell the program which object[s] you want to operate on by selecting them first

[the fill tool is specifically used for different types of fills, such as linear gradients etc]

BTW: one thing you might find helpful - go to the uliliities menu /options / general tab and change the settings to as shown in the red box below - this will stop the program automatically remembering attribute settings which I think can be confusing when you are trying to learn the basics

Attachment 123176

Been out of the loop recently so a bit late in on this one:

A further explanation: