New Guy

[timledger]

I may be in over my head but I have no background in working with graphics. I recently purchased xara photo & graphic designer 2013. Very excited until I realize nearly every tutorial I have found is for the version 9. This would be ok but for a clueless new guy even the tool bar buttons are different in some cases. Example is I tried to learn how to remove the background from a photo to kind of blend it in with another photo. The nice tutorial on youtube is informative but uses a button to begin the process that isn't on my version as far as I can tell.

My question is...is their a resource site specifically for version or some suggestions? I am a bar/nightclub operator and wanted to mess with making flyers or ads etc. I even considered 'upgrading' which irrirates me because I just bought it. Xara wants $59 to upgrade from what I have to version 9. I just paid $69 for what I have from Best Buy. For $20 more I could have bought 9 (which isn't on the Best Buy web site by the way).

Worried I made a bad purchase. Any advice or direction would be much appreciated. Thanks all.

[mwenz]

No worries, Tim.

Most everything that is in P&GD version 9 is in your product. The icon/button differences might be due to a customization. I don't have P&GD but do use Designer Pro. The products work very similar in most instances, but as far as buttons go, I believe identically.

In the Window menu, there should be a Control Bar... command. This opens a dialog box where you can easily turn on and off certain of the icon bars. The very bottom on should be called Button Palette. This opens a largish window with all available commands that can be executed by the buttons on a command bar. You can hold down the ALT key, press and hold down the left mouse button and drag any of the buttons to an existing command bar. To remove one from a control bar, hold down the ALT key, press and hold down the left mouse button and simply drag it off the bar and let go of the mouse button.

Go to the Xaraxone web site. Most all the tutorials apply to most any version.
http://www.xaraxone.com

In the Archive section you will find some great ones that are for older versions (years and years worth):
http://www.xaraxone.com/archives/

And then there is this forum. Work with any of the tutorials, ask questions here if you get stuck. Once you feel comfortable to actually begin designing a flier, start a thread here and there is always someone to aid you in accomplishing what it is you want to do.

Take care, Mike

[timledger]

Thanks Mike!

[wizard509]

We are here to help Tim. I don't have 2013 but do have P&GD9 and XDPX installed. Look and see if you have color select and erase, it might be in the camera flyout not sure if your version even has it.
If you don't you can still cut out a background and it's not that difficult. For what you want to do this is perhaps the best way as shown in this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8XgHkZo1J8

[Coltatts]

Hi Tim,

Your version of Xara is the equivalent of V8 & for the most part, a V9 Tutorial would still apply.
The main thing to note is most of the videos will have been done using the "Pro" version of Xara.
The Pro version has all the bells & whistles, but you should still be able to achieve what you're after.

Here's some links that should help.
http://outsider.xara.com/tutorials/january13/index.htm

http://www.xaraxone.com/tutorials/ju...ideo-tutorial/

http://www.xaraxone.com/tutorials/re...-pro-x-part-2/

http://www.xaraxone.com/tutorials/ad...ge-retouching/

HTH, Colin