Real Time Pixel Preview + Snap to Pixels

[MEB]

With Xara expanding its ability to generate web content (aka stuff for screens), pixel-level control is becoming more and more important everyday. What i´m requesting is the ability to Xara display "raster-rendering" in real-time allowing us to keep editing the vector shapes while viewing them rendered as pixels. Zooming-in in this view will be the same as zooming-in in a bitmap editor (meaning we actually see pixels in big size although still controlling the shapes trough vectors.

This is the way Fireworks render stuff on screen, and how Illustrator displays artwork in Pixel Preview Mode while keeping it´s edit ability.

Snap-to-Pixels is self-explanatory. It helps to create artwork that automatically stick to the pixel-grid and thus display as sharp as possible when rendered as bitmaps.

The advantages of having those features are the ability to easily generate sharp bitmaps/rendering for web/screen, improved icons/pictograms design workflow (specially at small sizes), improved control over text effects at small sizes and really there isn´t much more you can add to make this program better.

[StevenWWinters]

+1

[mwenz]

Have you tried using File | New | Blank Photo ? And turn on the grid, snap, etc.?

Just curious. I don't use that mode, preferring to simply dimension in PX for web banners, etc. Seems to work on small stuff, though.

Mike

[MEB]

Yes mwenz, i´m aware of those features.
The problem with showing the grid is that you must set it up for single pixel divisions and this adds a lot of noise to the screen. Illustrator has a more elegant way to display it trough a squared grid that resembles reticulated paper (i´m not sure if this is the correct term).

Snap to grid works fine if you setup your grid to single pixels and in this case it can replace the snap to pixel feature.
The main problem however is that the shapes/artwork presented on screen are rendered as antialiased vectors instead of a "rasterized view" of those vectors - this is particularly important when you zoom-in because it allows you to edit the vectors while seeing their rasterized/pixelated "output". With the vectors "rasterized" and zoomed-in on screen you can easily correct flaws and fine tune the vector´s position to ensure that they match the pixel-grid of the screen. There´s only one situation where both views match: it´s when you are viewing your artwork at 100% zoom. But at that zoom level is very hard to work at a pixel-level.

Illustrator provide this functionality trough a feature that Adobe calls Pixel Preview.

[EDIT]Here´s a vídeo from Youtube that shows clearly how this works and why it´s important: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNUAVj1wWiU[/EDIT]