Problem accessing plugins

**Soporose** · 02 July 2007, 05:50 AM

Hi all.

Xara Xtreme Pro 3.0.2.781 (CD)

I'm having a problem accessing plugins...

There are defaut plugins (Alien Skin etc.) in both these folders:
\Program Files\Xara\Xara XtremePro\Xara Picture Editor\PSplug-ins
\Program Files\Xara\Xara XtremePro\Xara Picture Editor\xpeplug-ins

In Utilities -> Options -> Effects & Plugins -> Setup both these folders are listed:
\Program Files\Xara\Xara XtremePro\Xara Picture Editor\PSplug-ins
\Program Files\Xara\Xara XtremePro\Xara Picture Editor\xpeplug-ins

I've never used plugins before, but anyway, I added:
24-Bit Mask - Sean Sedwards\SSMask.8bf
under:
..\PSplug-ins

In Xtreme Pro, when I select the Live Effects tool, the toolbar displays but the drop-down list is empty. The "New" button next to the drop-down list shows all the default plugins but no sign of the new one.

In PicEd I have all the default plugins available but again no sign of the new one I placed under ..\PSplug-ins.

My immediate need is to use that "24-Bit Mask" to cut a bitmap from it's white background.

Maybe I'm not understanding how to install and use plugins.

TIA
- Billy

**handrawn** · 02 July 2007, 06:32 AM

Originally Posted by Soporose

Hi all.

Xara Xtreme Pro 3.0.2.781 (CD)

I'm having a problem accessing plugins...

There are defaut plugins (Alien Skin etc.) in both these folders:
\Program Files\Xara\Xara XtremePro\Xara Picture Editor\PSplug-ins
\Program Files\Xara\Xara XtremePro\Xara Picture Editor\xpeplug-ins

In Utilities -> Options -> Effects & Plugins -> Setup both these folders are listed:
\Program Files\Xara\Xara XtremePro\Xara Picture Editor\PSplug-ins
\Program Files\Xara\Xara XtremePro\Xara Picture Editor\xpeplug-ins

I've never used plugins before, but anyway, I added:
24-Bit Mask - Sean Sedwards\SSMask.8bf
under:
..\PSplug-ins

In Xtreme Pro, when I select the Live Effects tool, the toolbar displays but the drop-down list is empty. The "New" button next to the drop-down list shows all the default plugins but no sign of the new one.

In PicEd I have all the default plugins available but again no sign of the new one I placed under ..\PSplug-ins.

My immediate need is to use that "24-Bit Mask" to cut a bitmap from it's white background.

Maybe I'm not understanding how to install and use plugins.

TIA
- Billy

Try doing it by creating a separate folder - see post #9 in this thread:
http://www.talkgraphics.com/showthread.php?t=27716

I think the folder you tried is for picture editor plugins only - Sean's is not
a picture editor plugin as I recall.

You might also try MAC's remove white filter which works well in xara:
http://www.pspug.org/filters/filtersff.shtml

**RTW1** · 02 July 2007, 07:06 AM

Some plug-ins will not work in Xara this is often because of the way they handle alpha channels and selections on image files that’s not supported in Xara the same way it is in Photoshop.
I would suggest that you re-post an example image in the main Xara forum, some very clever people there will show you a work around .

**molucca** · 02 July 2007, 01:09 PM

Look at the shareware page where the 24 bit mask filter is located and look for MSVCRT10.dll. I believe this was need for thie particular filter to work.

Rich

**handrawn** · 02 July 2007, 03:10 PM

Yes Rich I think you are right

**Soporose** · 03 July 2007, 01:41 AM

Thanks for the input folks.

Before worrying about whether Sean Edwards' "24-Bit Mask" (SSMask.8bf) was compatible or not I decided to try "MAC's remove white filter" (MACWHITE.8BF) suggested above by Steve, as he said it "works well in xara".

But I can't get it to show up in Xara Xtreme Pro either.

I have placed the .8BF file in all of the following locations:

..\Xara Picture Editor\PSplug-ins\MACWHITE.8BF
..\Xara Picture Editor\PSplug-ins\Remove White\MACWHITE.8BF

..\Xara Picture Editor\xpeplug-ins\MACWHITE.8BF
..\Xara Picture Editor\xpeplug-ins\Remove White\MACWHITE.8BF

D:\AAA\MACWHITE.8BF

And in the latter case I have added D:\AAA to:
Utilities -> Options -> Effects & Plugins -> Setup

That would seem to cover all reasonable possibilities, but still no joy.

Clearly I am missing something!

- Billy

**molucca** · 03 July 2007, 01:52 AM

Did you enable host specific plugins?

Rich

**Soporose** · 03 July 2007, 02:35 AM

Hi Rich.

Yes, I had enabled & disabled that a few times during earlier tries, but...

After creating ANOTHER new folder (I had done this before) and moving all the not-supplied-with plug-ins into it, they all showed up all of a sudden.

Problem now solved, but I'm at a loss as to why they didn't show before.

Anyway, all's well that etc.

Thanks to all for your assistance.

- Billy

BTW, the "Remove White" filter did just what I needed.

**handrawn** · 03 July 2007, 07:19 AM

could be having them in picture editor folder at first confused things.

maybe if a dll issue needed a restart [or two].

glad its working, and you got the effect you needed

**ventrino** · 06 January 2010, 01:43 PM

I had this problem and followed many of the suggestions in this and related threads and could not solve the problem. I asked Xara support who initially sent me to this thread and as I have found a solution thought it worth sharing as it may save time for others.

As mentioned above MSVCRT10.DLL is required. However I found the one already in my windows\system directory to be a different size.

I backed up the incorrect version and removed it from the system directory and then placed a backup I had of a working version in the same directory as Xara's executable files.

Now it works.