Limited Color Bitmap Trace - Color Isolation and Grouping of the Results?

[HayTay]

I need to be able to group, or move to a separate layer, the results from a limited color bitmap trace in order to isolate and recolor the results. After playing around with this for quite a while now I have to admit, I'm stumped. It's beginning to look like an easy method to do this is just about impossible. Sometimes, though, the contributors to TG can make the impossible, possible. Any suggestions regarding this would be greatly appreciated.

Here's the setup:

1. Insert the Leaves image (or any image) from the Design Gallery Photos section
2. Create a 4 color bitmap copy of the image
3. Perform a Limited Color Bitmap Trace on the 4 color bitmap copy and press Insert
4. Ungroup the results (my results attached)

Now, you have several hundred to several thousand vector objects depending on the trace settings that were selected. I'd like to be able isolate the objects of each of the 4 colors to so they can be grouped and/or moved to a separate layer. Without selecting each individual object of a given color and then grouping them is there an easier way to accomplish this? With Xara Xtreme? With another application? An 'Import Same Color Objects to Individual Layers' or 'Separate Same Color Objects to Individual Layers' function would be mighty handy for this. Of course, whatever is used would have to preserve the vector objects.

Any thoughts,
Harry

[HayTay]

After taking some time and contemplating this in the shower, I think what I'm really asking for is a way to select all objects of a specified, or selected, color. Once selected the objects could be grouped, moved to another layer, have their color changed, be deleted, etc. I'm thinking that this is not easily done in Xtreme, but, can it be exported, done quickly in another application, then imported back into Xtreme for further processing?

I think I see another feature request coming up...

[covoxer]

You can select objects with the same color using Name Gallery. The limitation is that the colors used must be named colors. Bitmap Tracer generates objects with not named colors.

So, in your example, I would suggest to do following:
1. After inserting and ungrouping your trace, select all the objects and export selection them as XAR somewhere on your HDD (temporary file).
2. Import this file back.
3. Open Name Gallery and select objects by color.

Does it help?

[covoxer]

Eventually, it seems that instead of exporting/importing, you can simply save your design as usually, then re-open it in Xtreme, and all the used colors will appear in the name gallery.

[HayTay]

John,

Yes, that definitely helps. I learned something new, thanks to you. I also learned that the result of my trace settings generated more than 4 colors.

I did try the export/import method prior to your suggestion but kept thinking that the named color swatches showed up in their own section of the color line. I kept trying other settings and formats when the new colors didn't appear there.

Let me play around with the settings some more,
Harry

[Boy]

Any thoughts ...

Did you check out XColour? It's a free utility you can find at the bottom of Xara Xone's Shareware page.There you can also find a tutorial by Egg Bramhill on how to get a bitmap's colors into Xtreme as named colors: http://www.xaraxone.com/html/shareware.html.

The link to Egg's tutorial seems to be broken, but there's a small help file which you can open in XColour, clearly laying out the necessary steps.

[HayTay]

The link to Egg's tutorial seems to be broken, but there's a small help file which you can open in XColour, clearly laying out the necessary steps.

Here's an updated link for anyone else that's interested in Egg Bramhill's XColour Tutorial thread.

Boy,

Thanks for the suggestion. It seems to be working like a charm and saving a ton of time getting the colors isolated and grouped. I had downloaded the XColour Utility back in 2007 and never even installed it. Obviously, I hadn't needed it until now.

I'm currently fiddling around with different bitmap copy and trace settings in an attempt to keep the total color count low. XColour is easy to use and seems to be working as advertised. A special thank you to Brian Etherington for his contribution.

A tip of the hat to you, both,
Harry

[Boy]

Happy to have been of help!