Private Messages (PM's)

[puw]

Hi, I did an advanced search using 'private messages' and got 3,000 ++ dating back to the stone age (lol) of which 99.9% in the first few pages had nothing to do with pm's.

Tried refining the search and organising the results, no real value.

So, please can you help tell me when I will be allowed to pm other members. Thank you

The purpose of such pm's is discussion of a topic, specific info that may help them or asking for advice in an area they know about that is not Xara specific.

[gwpriester]

Or more to the point, when your messages won't be sent to moderation. This forum does not have a moderator so new messages are automatically moderated until someone stumbles along and approves them.

I'm not sure what the magic number is before you get PM permission. I'm going to guess and say somewhere around 25.

[pauland]

There are non-Xara forums here. It's a bit of a waste to ask people non-Xara questions about other software via PM's when others might benefit on the forum.

It's not what PMs is intended for, is it?

[puw]

You misinterpreted my intention for non-xara. I'm talking about buying, using, shortfalls with certain types/models, workarounds etc - graphics tablets using Xara. Hope that eases your conscience 'pauland' Ref the purpose of pm's, that's too much of a personal question I have no problem asking what others may think is a stupid question, that some may think "Go and google it" etc. So sometimes to save such members the angst, a pm comes in handy. PM's could be asking "Did you see that program on xyz last night?" PM's take on all manner of forms. But, when it comes to something useful/helpful, that may even arise via a PM, then I 110% agree, get it in a new post!

A typical stupid question about the tablets would be, why do people sketch out on paper, scan it, then sketch over it on a tablet? The initial sketches I see are always very rough and then the tablet sketches are always better. Why not do a rough on the tablet and then make a new layer?

You see pauland, I'm seriously looking at getting a tablet, but all online reference to which one works, all references relate to say PS or CD. Very little, very, very little from Xara users. I would be an unhappy chappie if I got one, only to find I can't use Xara with it and have to go back to the 'drawing board' (like the pun?) and learn an app that I thankfully dropped years back for Xara. Even if I found a post on here with some details about Xara & tabs, it's going to be perhaps too old with the current tablets available.

I would seriously love to make a post asking 'experienced' members for help, advice, recommendations, pitfalls etc - but I came across a post by a member apologising for bringing up the dreaded subject yet again (that apparently "had" been done to death). Back to ANGST and hence PM's of a non-Xara kind of related PM

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Thanks Gary , that was exactly what I was looking for, a rough number idea. I'm sure when signing up I saw a number but can't recall it, but within the FAQ there's no mention of such a number, only 'how to PM'. And there's no "Rule's" sticky that might have this info in it.

[gwpriester]

Paul gets a bit grumpy sometimes. But underneath all that grumpiness, he's really an OK person.

[pauland]

Paul gets a bit grumpy sometimes. But underneath all that grumpiness, he's really an OK person.

It's true, but I wasn't grumpy here. It's such a waste to be having a discussion behind closed doors when others would be interested in the subject and gain from it.

[pauland]

You misinterpreted my intention for non-xara. I'm talking about buying, using, shortfalls with certain types/models, workarounds etc - graphics tablets using Xara. Hope that eases your conscience 'pauland' Ref the purpose of pm's, that's too much of a personal question I have no problem asking what others may think is a stupid question, that some may think "Go and google it" etc. So sometimes to save such members the angst, a pm comes in handy. PM's could be asking "Did you see that program on xyz last night?" PM's take on all manner of forms. But, when it comes to something useful/helpful, that may even arise via a PM, then I 110% agree, get it in a new post!

A typical stupid question about the tablets would be, why do people sketch out on paper, scan it, then sketch over it on a tablet? The initial sketches I see are always very rough and then the tablet sketches are always better. Why not do a rough on the tablet and then make a new layer?

You see pauland, I'm seriously looking at getting a tablet, but all online reference to which one works, all references relate to say PS or CD. Very little, very, very little from Xara users. I would be an unhappy chappie if I got one, only to find I can't use Xara with it and have to go back to the 'drawing board' (like the pun?) and learn an app that I thankfully dropped years back for Xara. Even if I found a post on here with some details about Xara & tabs, it's going to be perhaps too old with the current tablets available.

I would seriously love to make a post asking 'experienced' members for help, advice, recommendations, pitfalls etc - but I came across a post by a member apologising for bringing up the dreaded subject yet again (that apparently "had" been done to death). Back to ANGST and hence PM's of a non-Xara kind of related PM

--------

Thanks Gary , that was exactly what I was looking for, a rough number idea. I'm sure when signing up I saw a number but can't recall it, but within the FAQ there's no mention of such a number, only 'how to PM'. And there's no "Rule's" sticky that might have this info in it.

I don't know why you think my conscience is bothered.

if you want to talk about using tablets with Xara, do it on the forum publicly. Plenty of people are interested and those that aren't can just ignore it.

people like sketching because the feel comfortable with pencil and paper. It's not the same on a tablet. It's a matter of individual choice.

Commonly sketching on paper is more expressive and throwaway, then people take those rough sketches, scan and refine them on the computer.

Some people like to start digitally.

It's whatever works for you. It's not a question of which is best.

Have your discussions publicly. It's what forums are for.

[handrawn]

A typical stupid question about the tablets would be, why do people sketch out on paper, scan it, then sketch over it on a tablet? The initial sketches I see are always very rough and then the tablet sketches are always better. Why not do a rough on the tablet and then make a new layer?

freehand drawing is usually done by starting out rough and then refining the drawing in stages getting the work tighter as you progress; drawing on a tablet as opposed to drawing on paper is rather like fretting on an electric rather than an acoustic guitar, no matter how sophisticated the tablet, it does not feel like paper nor are the results exactly the same; each artist decides for their self which medium they prefer for which stage: I know artists that rough on computer, print out, and ink by hand using a light box

xara does not support the tilt and pitch features of the upper end wacoms, it just supports basic pressure sensitivity; I do not currently sketch in xara because I think there are far better programs for this - but I do colour work and for this I find xara's 'soft group' feature invaluable as it enables me to link objects together preserving their layer structure and still move them around independently of everything else

[puw]

xara does not support the tilt and pitch features of the upper end wacoms, it just supports basic pressure sensitivity; I do not currently sketch in xara because I think there are far better programs for this - but I do colour work and for this I find xara's 'soft group' feature invaluable as it enables me to link objects together preserving their layer structure and still move them around independently of everything else

Thank you handrawn. This info is invaluable to me in helping me go forward in making a decision.

If it is ok with you and iamtheblues, I will include both of your snippets in my new post.