February 2014 - Tips and Tricks - Seven Things You Might Have Overlooked in Xara Desi

[Gare]

Bring them on, folks!

I might even do a revisit of these tips you all have submitted (with credits, of course) later on, perhaps after we've accumulated 7 (or 8) more!

@Larry—the reason control points don't show on a text object is because it belongs to a class of objects that need to have their special properties removed, they need to be simplified—IOW they need to be not text objects, in order for the control points and handles to show. Yes, adding a shape to a text object will provide you with un-editable text that you can freely manipulate, but so will Ctrl+Shift+S...Edit>Convert to Editable Shapes.

So let's call this Overlooked Feature Number 9 for the moment.

@Csehz: another way to restore an image is to go to the Bitmap Gallery and just drag the original out, onto the page again. Xara doesn't destroy images ever: you're importing copies of originals on your hard disk (okay, if you create a bitmap within Xara...Ctrl+Shift+C you can screw it up, but not imports). But even if you drag 15 copies of an image onto the page from the Bitmap Gallery, your saved file size will be basically the size of the original bitmap.

And that's why it's important never to delete a bitmap you want to use later from a file and then cose the file. The bitmap will not be saved in this event.

;)

My Best,

Gary

[csehz]

Thanks the advices. Not long ago learnt this tip on TG but unfortunately did not find from who, seems small thing but fast became my habit so maybe someone would use it too

If you drop any color from the color line to the Color Editor icon, that makes it named color



A small message comes that would we would like to copy that to the document so Yes



but it spares the finding out name + typing in it for the named color and I like that through just a click

[gracehjs]

You know there is a group called "Tips and Tricks". It would be nice if this was updated with these tips when we are done adding to this thread.

[Gare]

Little as I like the term "trick" when it comes to an undiscovered feature (I think I've mentioned this trhree times, sorry! :), I'd agree that these are worthwhile additions to the other thread, and if you post 'em, please link back to the Xara Xone page, if you would.

Incidentally, I get the distinct impression that Named Colours, as csehz points out in #18, is a much overlooked feature, especially when it comes to prototyping. This is from the version 5 Official Guide. It took a little trouble and bother to tag all the color's but csehz's tip above makes it all the more easy.



Then I adjusting the named colors in the attached document. I think you'll be surprised, and if anyone isn't clued into the possibilities of Named Colours, let me know. It might be worth a tutorial, eh?



My Best,

Gary

[stygg2003]

I'm all for a tut. on the possibilities of named colours Gary, count my vote in and thank you for the file.

Stygg

[csehz]

What a train that is superb Gare, I would already fall away to find the correct perspective for that Not even drawing it with those beautiful gradients, thanks for the .xar file I will learn from it.

And of course vote for a named colours tutorial

[wizard509]

named colors tutorial +1