Gradient fill gets worse with each release

**Ron Duke** · 30 October 2008, 02:48 PM

I've uploaded a gradient. What do you guys see?

**Soquili** · 30 October 2008, 03:26 PM

A comparison between the oldest and newest versions I have. Xara X 1.0d CD and Xara Xtreme Pro 4.0.1.5601 CD.

The Xara X gradient was made on Windows XP SP3 using colours from the colour line. Not exactly the same as the colours available in XXP4.

The Xara Xtreme Pro 4 gradient was made on Vista Ultimate using colours from the colour line.

**steve.ledger** · 30 October 2008, 07:34 PM

This thread is pointless.
JA is stirring up again. If he had anything reasonable to say about the subject, he should have posted an example.

**David O'Neil** · 31 October 2008, 01:43 AM

Something similar was discussed a year ago, and PhilM indicated that it was a tradeoff for speed.

But I don't believe it has changed much from earlier versions. Here's an example of the pixelation/banding that exists.

**steve.ledger** · 31 October 2008, 01:54 AM

Good find David.
I'll quote Phil's post here for ease of referrence

http://www.talkgraphics.com/showpost...7&postcount=14

16 November 2007

Re: Pixelization in a vector drawing program?
All vector objects are ultimately rendered using bitmap techniques because the screen is a bitmap!

The bevel bitmaps are generated on the fly from the vectors data so unlike a bitmap program they are not fixed once you've drawn them and their resolution can be adjusted as needed.

Normally the bitmap resolution is calculated to be invisible at the current zoom factor but as you zoom in, increasing the effective resolution required to render the object, the bitmap becomes so big that it would take many many megabytes of memory and would be very slow to render. So Xtreme places an upper limit on the resolution of some bitmaps, bevels in particular, and above that limit you will start to see the pixels.

A similar thing is hapenning during printing or exporting to high-res file formats.

Phil

However it's worth pointing out that the OP comments about gradients being 'really choppy and pixelated' was in regards to Xtreme version 4.
Phils comments above, while the are likely to apply to version 4 also, where made well before version 4 release in April 2008.

I can't see any pixelation in your sample by the way?
Banding can look worse on 16bit (or less) LCD monitors (the common type), but shouldn't be seen when printed.

**markJ** · 31 October 2008, 06:06 AM

wanting it any smoother you`ll have to use photoshop gradations, but its slower than xara in creating them...

http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/p...stratorcs2.jpg

**markJ** · 31 October 2008, 06:22 AM

Sledger thanks for finding that input, I always wondered about the banding myself, if banding occurs it seems to occur in both xara and illustrator cs2 not just xara, its a vector specific thing, not a xara quality issue..