Here's hoping Xara has a decent GIF animation tool in the upcoming XDP. This old special-effect is getting a makeover, what with all the confusion about Flash and HTML5/CSS3 motion graphics.

Check this link, and you'll see what I'm talking about --

http://cinemagraphs.com/

Also, here's an article about the value of subtle motion to catch attention in a world where even the most arresting still image often isn't noticed by viewers -- the concept is simple and could be of great benefit to those of you developing commercial websites.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2420119,00.asp

Would really like to make animated GIFs right in XDP. Not exactly rocket science -- there are a lot of free programs around that do this. It's not new stuff. See --

http://www.techsupportalert.com/best...f-animator.htm