Xtreme wishlist

**AntonM** · 05 October 2005, 05:05 PM

Dare I begin this so soon?

Before I begin, I noticed that, when making a rectangle into an editable shape, and then selecting the endpoinmts of a side with the shape editor, then changing the line to a curve, XX automatically makes the line bow out as it tries to smooth the joins with the rest of the shape. I couldn't persuade it to leave the corners as cusp joins. All i wanted was a rectangle which had 4 straight lines with bezier control points, ready for me to curve as I wanted, but XX wouildn't let me do that -- it wanted to make all 4 joins smooth, resulting an ovoid shape rather than a rectangle. Can this be fixed? [To recreate: draw a rectangle; make it an editable shape; with the shape editor, marquee-select all 4 corners; notice that the 'cusp' button is shown as depressed which suggests that the corners will remain as cusps; click 'make curve'; rectangle becomes ovoid and 'cusp' and 'smooth' button both become undepressed.]

What I really wanted to ask (the above was just an aside

) was for some kind person to produce an extension (for want of a better word) which would give better control over lens distortion correction. In the following, the left image represents the original photo with barrel distortion (made extreme for the illustration), overlaid with lines which would be drawn by the user which are guides to what should be straight and parallel. The right hand image is the desired result.

In operation, the user would draw guidelines over the bitiamge, and the extension would manipulate the image and the guides so as to straighten and make parallel the image and guides.

I'm aware that there are plugins designed to correct barrel/pincushion distortion, but they don't give complete control (at least, not the ones I use).

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...ara/barrel.jpg

Another way would be for the mould tool to mould bitmaps properly when changing a straight-line side into a curved side. Moving a corner works correctly, as it did in previous Xaras, but curving a side does not work as expcted. But fixing that would be something for Xara to do, I think?

This is not to criticise Xtreme -- I love it!

**jens g.r. benthien** · 05 October 2005, 08:00 PM

Dare I begin this so soon?

Yes, definitely.

What you are asking for is hilarious just after a pre-release, especially for a vector application.

What you need is a stand alone tool or program, or a plug-in (there are many free and commercial plug ins) for a bitmap editor.

After purchasing your last car, what did you tell the sales rep one day later: Hey, what I miss is the offroad capability and the wings to fly to Hawaii!?!

IMHO your brand new wish list is more an insult than anything else. Go ahead and discover what's in the package, and after 3 weeks you **might** run a new wish list...

Here comes my personal wish list for the world:

--------------------//--
01. I never want to see dumb users who don't appreciate the value of input and work others have put into an object or software or idea.

02. Same as above

03. Users who don't appreciate a new development should be sent to Kamtchatka or to the south pole immediately - one way ticket.
--------------------//--

End of my personal wish list.

**AntonyF** · 05 October 2005, 09:36 PM

Jens, please don't get too nasty. This is forum for people to discuss what they want to do, no matter how silly the ideas may be to others.

Everyone has their ideas of what they want. We at Xara don't take it as an insult, just enthusiasm in our product. And we appreciate that and don't want that to be dampened.

**jens g.r. benthien** · 05 October 2005, 09:52 PM

Antony,

as much as I like and appreciate 'silly' ideas, I believe its way off the track to post a wish list for new features just a few hours after a new software version had been released.

As we (my generation) say: that generation doesn't have 'any sensors in their fingertips'. It's like complaining about a birthday gift... but maybe this is the standard in todays elbow society... it reveals how degenerated todays society really is...

My suggestion: if you post a wish list here, please put a price tag next to the feature, showing how much you are willing to spend for it. (Read: give the Xara development team an economic reason to spend brain, time and effort on this feature).

Just my 2 cents on human behavior.

**AntonM** · 05 October 2005, 11:22 PM

Hmm, steady on there, Jens. I was quite taken aback at your reaction, and I've always been a firm fan of Xara. Clearly I've expressed myself poorly and thereby caused an entirely wrong impression.

Charles mentioned that one of Xtreme's strengths was that it's extensible, and the item I raised is something I'd like to be able to do with Xara, rather than another program -- not because Xara is wanting, but because Xara does things so much better than others. I know it can be done with plugins and stand-alone programs, but they don't have Xara's flair for intuituive user interfaces.

So, my request here was not a criticism of Xara (did you read the last line of my post?), but an appeal to someone who has better programming skills that I, to consider producing an extension. The comment about the mould tool not working entirely as expected has been raised before.

My first paragraph, about the corners of the rectangle, was something I'd just noticed and, to be honest, I haven't checked what X¹ does (I'll do that in the morning). It does, however, seem rather un-Xara-like, as Xara does not generally make decisions for the user, so I thought it could be a missed bugette.

I hope you don't include me in your definition of dumb users, or users who don't appreciate a new development? If you do, then I've really expressed myself very badly indeed. Having re-read my post to see where I caused such offence, and your response, I wonder if you actually did read my post past the first sentence.

As for your perception about my dissatisfaction with Xtreme, I shall be buying one upgrade and two full versions, so that my kids can have their own copies at home and stop bothering me to get at my computer. We were also able to persuade their school to buy a copy of Xara.

As for being insulting, that was not my intention at all, and I'm sure you didn't really mean to be insulting either -- you wouldn't want to be tarred with your own brush.

I've just seen Anthony's post, and your reply to him. At least he has the sense to know what I was getting at.

What generation do you, Jens, believe I belong to? And are you, seriously, suggesting that I'm "degenerated"??

As for declaring what I'd be willing to pay for this or that feature -- well, you've joined the silly ideas club with that one, Jens!

**jens g.r. benthien** · 06 October 2005, 07:27 AM

Anton,

I've never said communication across language borders is a simple task.
I belong to the older 50% of this community - above 50 (or should I say less than 100?)

and I think you belong to the other 50%...
I really appreciate that you started thinking about your post - seems you have been unsure yourself while writing the post, which is expressed by your first line: Dare I begin...
IMHO you could have said: ok girls 'n guys, xtreme is a great tool, but can someone help me on this or that? Anyone any idea on a plug-in for perspective or barrel correction?

See the difference?

This would have been a totally different approach, a positive one. But your post was just demanding more and more, though you definitely couldn't have figured out all features in the new pre-release.

About my wishlist: if you 'want to put on this shoe' as we say, I can't help. It was just a wish list - superfluous like a hole in a head, superfluous as your wish list, nothing else.

Before you will start another wish list: xtreme has a fantastic plug-in feature, that means you can apply PS plug-ins to almost any object on your canvas. That means you can purchase a plug-in for a lens barrel or perspective correction. Or try a free one.

Some links for you:
http://epaperpress.com/ptlens/
http://flofilters.free.fr/screenshots.php

There are many more plug-ins and standalone progs available, but I think these two will be perfect for your task.

As for the wish list with price tags: I didn't mean you should purchase more copies of Xara, but offer a benefit for a coder.

Let's say you want a feature x and state you'd be willing to pay US$ 30 for it. If 10 or 20 other users will join in, this might trigger some reaction: a coder or the Xara development team might program a plug-in, because he/they will see a benefit and profit in doing so.

I didn't mean you are degenerated, the entiry society seems to be degenerating. Example: the 'political correctness' in the US, the laws against sexual harassment (I don't know the correct terms, sorry), the laws against smokers, the overall atmosphere in business meetings (in the past I enjoyed meetings in the US, but today you really have to watch every word you say (because someone might file a lawsuit if you've made a remark about a beautiful girl you have seen in the office!), no more appreciation of values, the fading respect between young and old generations... it's spreading almost all over this beautiful globe, a very sad and bad development.

But that's another story and off topic...

**Bob Hahn** · 06 October 2005, 10:29 AM

Jens, you write, "in the past I enjoyed meetings in the US, but today you really have to watch every word you say because someone might file a lawsuit if you've made a remark about a beautiful girl you have seen in the office!"

While in your first paragraph you suggest to Anton, "IMHO you could have said: ok girls 'n guys, xtreme is a great tool, but can someone help me on this or that? Anyone any idea on a plug-in for perspective or barrel correction? See the difference? This would have been a totally different approach, a positive one."

To me, that's an example of the 'political correctness' you feel is over amplified today. It's really asking the same thing, just reworded, trying to be careful not to offend anyone with your request or comment.

To visiting guests, it may give them second thoughts on making their first post, just to avoid any unnecessary attacks.

Just my 2 cents.

**John Rayner** · 06 October 2005, 12:19 PM

Hi Jens,

It is called getting older my friend, and the resistance to change. Our parents and grandparents said the same about your generation and about my generation. Now it is our turn to see how the "younger faces and younger minds" are running things.

Ther real problem in the states are too many wise and experienced folks are retiring too early and there is no one to mentor these young faces. I guess they are just take the money and run.

**AntonyF** · 06 October 2005, 01:15 PM

This thread is digressing. Please keep reasonably on the topic which Anton and Jens were discussing.

**AntonM** · 06 October 2005, 03:31 PM

Originally Posted by jens g.r. benthien

I belong to the older 50% of this community - above 50...

So do I.

I really appreciate that you started thinking about your post - seems you have been unsure yourself while writing the post, which is expressed by your first line: Dare I begin...
IMHO you could have said: ok girls 'n guys, xtreme is a great tool, but can someone help me on this or that? Anyone any idea on a plug-in for perspective or barrel correction?

See the difference?

Okay, I won't quote any more of this presumptuously arrogant prose. I'm being lectured now, and by someone whom I do not believe is qualified to do so. I'll decide on the theme and tone of my own posts, just as you will regarding yours. I don't like how you expressed yourself either, but that's your business -- I'll not let this thread degenerate into a tit-fot-tat "let me see how you could have expressed yourself better" game. That doesn't sit well with our generation, and what example does it set for the youngins?

And that's enough.