how many of you X users are pro designers/ working at an agency etc ?

[Chris_West]

I run a small design firm and we use xara, Illustrator, photoshop, InDesign and flash on a regular basis.

For commercial printing we only use xara for initial design elements and objects. They are then PDF'd over to Illustrator and then both vector and image objects from Ps/Illy are brought into InDesign.

For web we often use xara exclusively. We never use html export or even the slicing/exporting functions in xara though, we feel they are clunky and time consuming to work with. We also code everything by hand so typically we just select what we need exported and ctrl+shft+E. (if only there was a better layer system, but that'ss a different post =D )

When we design for a template service we always use Photoshop but sometimes we transfer vectors icons or similar objects from Xara --> PDF --> Illustrator --> Photoshop.

[minimiro]

Thanks Miro.

Do you receive files from other people that you need to incorporate into your Xara Xtreme designs?

Do you need to provide files to other designers? If so what file format do you send to them?

Yes, when I have freedom to continue in preffered by me way, or work on my projects, Xtreme is always involved like in showed figure....
Of course some times, client has its own wishes and needs... then I should continue in software when they started on...

so it is

[bomb jack]

with all these necessary workarounds... people must really love to stay on X... i'm one of them.

i have tried to switch back to illustrator a couple of times but i really feel adobe's interface/vector tools are too much of a hassle.

but... to resolve any compatibility issues when working on the same project with other designers... i would love to see X being released as a plug-in for illustrator so i can stay in illustrator using X's interface/vector tools.

[behzad]

I love xara, but i am begining to see why people use adobe for offset work.
Once problem with xara is that when you bring in photo's in cmyk they instantly turn into RGB workspace. Not until xara creates an CMYK workspace this problem is major.

[steve.ledger]

..problem with xara is that when you bring in photo's in cmyk they instantly turn into RGB workspace. Not until xara creates an CMYK workspace this problem is major.

Xtreme allows you do set your page as CMYK colour model.
Importing/dropping a photo into the page doesn't change this to RGB colour model when the page is already set to CMYK in Option>>View>>Edit Local colors in.

As Shown in Xtreme Help
Edit local colors in: This affects the color model displayed when editing a local color.

Automatic displays the color model of the original color style that the local color is based upon. For example, the HSV color model for a color style defined in HSV. This is important if you need to ensure your objects are in CMYK, for example.

The other options let you select which of the four color models (RGB, CMYK, HSV, grayscale) to always use by default.

Though to be honest, I may not be understanding you correctly..?

[behzad]

Thanks sledger, but still as you see below, these are issues that hinder me using xara for prepress.

As you can see i have set the color space to CMYK (print preview on)
I placed an RGB photo with a transparent gradation, exported it as pdf/-x

If the background color is RGB it is okay but if I define the background as CMYK the gradation stops sharply.

[Soquili]

Behzad did you import the RGB photo or did you drag and drop?

[behzad]

Import.

[Soquili]

Disregard my previous post. Test on my system show import and drag-n-drop work the same. I'm using Minimiro's template for CMYK and my exported pdf file is completely CMYK without any RGB.

[minimiro]

Xtreme allows you do set your page as CMYK colour model.
Importing/dropping a photo into the page doesn't change this to RGB colour model when the page is already set to CMYK in Option>>View>>Edit Local colors in.



Though to be honest, I may not be understanding you correctly..?

Yes, Sledger this is in that way... they mean that if you used in options your colors to be edited in CMYK, all colors, objects etc, will be shown in CMYK values, but this didnt mark that this color is exactly CMYK.... ie in my template first colors (sqyares) are predefined in CMYK, second colors added by Xtreme (diamond shape) are defined in RGB, and they are RGB nevermind that if you use them and check them trough your color editor they will be shown to you via CMYK values.... I mean if you want all colors in your vector shapes to be in CMYK you should manually give them CMYK values....

Bitmaps, for now are only in 24bit (RGB) mode, nevermind if you import CMYK 32bit image.

For that if you choose auto mode for your color editor, you will see every object in what color system is...

to Soquili
your PDFs color space didnt depend of what color system you use in your source xar file. I mean that everything here is the question of convertion of colors trough used by you CMYK color profile in PDF Export dialog...
This mean that every color, object, bitmap will be reconverted to CMYK space. Of cource shapes in which you already defined colors in CMYK didnt be converted, their color will be sent to PDF exact the same

to Behzad
This happen in this way, becouse bitmap with transperency and part under it is converted to new CMYK bitmap on export. Other purple shape which is defined already in CMYK didnt convert its color on export. so there's no way new bitmap (transperency with under color added) to have the same values like other CMYK purple.

Second case RGB purple and RGB bitmap with transpency give you this result, 'cose both are reconverted to CMYK on export trough the same profile, and result is the same