The July Tutorial Discussion-Retouching Images

[Seagull]

Good morning Gare

Good tutorial. I am glad you showed alternative ways instead of just relying on the latest version. Everything you did could be accomplished by anybody still running in XaraX or Xtreame, no problems there. The clone tool is basically just slice and dice, which you did with the alligator. I do love the trick of selecting the original image and selecting all the nodes and hitting the back key.........fantastic tip there. I used to do the same thing by slicing, cloning the slice, moving the clone, then selecting the original slice and image and adding them together. Did exactly the same thing but I like your method.

Like many people out there, I am running an older non pro version and am very happy where I am with no intentions of upgrading in the near future. Like Bill, I believe almost everything you can accomplish with version 8, I can accomplish with older versions by using work arounds, sometimes I just have to think harder.

[Gare]

I'm happy you got something out of this month's tute, Seagull.

Dear Members: I am trying very hard to produce something for everyone, every month, regardless of the version you own.

There's two truths I'd like you all to bear in mind:

1. I necessarily have to document new features in the latest version, as Xaraists upgrade. If I leave something out in preference to covering older features, I'm not serving a segment of the audience.

2. The Xara Group naturally wants you to buy the latest version of Xara at some point. I think this is called Capitalism and really hip, cool people subscribe to it. So the Xara Xone needs to support the latest features with a regular mention.

Rock.

Hard place.

Gary somewhere in between.

I'll try to be both current and mindful with the monthly tutes.

Deal?

Thanks!

Gary

[Soquili]

I'm into candy canes all year long, especially if they are the King Leo brand.

[Gare]

You are astounding and outstanding, Bill.

You win on time trial alone, man.

Now, consider this: the stripes are "2D" on the pistol. You need to bend the edges a little to conform to the relief of the water pistol.

It's mostly planar, but there are areas where it extrudes toward the camera, hopefully I'm making sense here.

Currently, I'm trying to get the guest tutorial up, but I will post an example of what I'm talking about in due course.

-g

[Soquili]

Hi Frank,

I have the latest version Xara Designer Pro X, old custom of upgrading with each new release. I also buy Photo & Graphic Designer of each new release, makes answering member's questions easier because there are differences.

Anyway what I wanted to mention is you can always use an alternate method if it is more comfortable to you. I find the Photo Color Erase more work. You select a color and if it removes too much from other objects similar or near enough to be erased you undo and retry and undo and retry. Next month Gary will explain how to use the tool without also erasing other areas of the photo.

[Soquili]

I think I know what you are saying Gary. The stripes need to follow the contour of the squirt gun. Using parallel lines to cut it to look like stripes doesn't "Cut It" visually.

[Gare]

Exactly and precisely.

Here's a mock-up. I projected stripes in a Planar fashio against what is clearly a 3D surface. Curves and irregularities, not straight diagonal lines.



Actual, this related to the Mould tool example last month. Surfaces are presented to us in a distorted fashion in the real world.

My Best,

Gary

P.S. EVERYBODY go over to the The Fonts and Typography Forum

There's a new, free Group-created font!

[angelize]

Hi Guys,

First with regards to the video that Stygg references by NarrenzunftKalbach, No he didn't cover using the mask with the colour select/erase. I almost always use the mask with the colour select/erase tool. And you can do a lot with the mask! Any of the drawing tools work on the mask including the new shape builder and eraser tools! and if you convert it to editable shapes and ungroup you can add text on the mask layer.

Because I have Designer Pro X I couldn't resist messing with the tic tac toe image. Some naughty person has scratched something into the desk, and what's that font on the center X?

[Gare]

Very amusing, Frances.

I already advertised our new typeface earlier!

You did very, very well with the photo retouching work and nice variations on a theme.

I'm trying this month, and next month, to take the Intimidation Factor out of messing with photography.

Here's a retouching job I absolutely couldn't do with Photoshop. This was about 6 years ago, and PS 7 or whatever, didn't have the zoom level I needed to hit individual pixels sometimes. So I think this is Xara Prime I worked in.




So if I can do this stuff in a 6 year old program—and I'm not an accomplished Xaraist like Ron Duke or others are—I think you should give the new tools a chance with your less-than-perfect photos.

-g

[angelize]

Another newer photo retouching feature I use a lot is the magic erase, it's usually the first thing I try when removal of an object is needed. Then if the magic erase can't do the job I clone things out the manual way. I posted these photos before but they are a good illustration of what you can accomplish with a combination of colour select/erase, masking and magic erase. And I also used the eraser tool on the sailboat that I added into the image to blend the photos together