Xara online designer, omg

[Rob-Xar]

Ernie / Dutchim - We're NOT dropping or stopping the development / improvement of Designer Pro. This is an ongoing activity and the developers do go through the dear Xara forums and look at the suggestions posted there. I don't want to sound like a tape recorder stuck on repeat but I don't have any control as to where the development time is spent. Rather, my task to to get feedback / suggestions on the Online Designer and suggest to the developers and management what we can do to improve / change / introduce and otherwise help users to do what they want to do. If you don't want an Online Designer then that's fine and noted! I can go back to management and say X number of users on TalkGraphics don't want the Online Designer, but fact is there's no chance that they are suddenly going to drop the project either. So rather this is to find out what users want: actually you know what it would be nice to have this or that, or what would make my life a heck of a lot easier is this. And one of my jobs is to really push to find that out and pester everyone until it happens :)

Angelize - interestingly we've had someone else who's requested some e-book related features, including importing and exporting such formats so I believe it is being looked into with the developers :) I've found that vector tools is a hard subject to have with a lot of other users, it feels like they don't know what they are missing until you show them an example and suddenly that's a must have! But if for example vector tools or even 3D graphics is in high demand it will get looked into :)

Squeaky - Thanks for your feedback! Currently the majority of existing users do use the Online Designer to edit their websites and the collaboration abilities have been handy and certainly it's an ongoing process to improve that as well :) The Online Designer currently uses the same import / export filters as the desktop version so although it's online, it shouldn't limit us in the ability to produce high quality print work. CMYK colour calibration is something that is highly requested within the desktop version and I admit is somewhat annoying at times so we in support still push for that to be properly implemented as well :) The export values of CMYK that you enter within the Desktop version should be exact on export however (unless your working in RGB and on export converting to CMYK in which results may vary - again an area needing improvement).

Thanks
Rob

[Squeaky]

Cheers Rob.
Personally I am excited about Online Designer from a web design point of view. Its pretty limited currently but I look forward to its development (Especially after trying to design sites in Wordpress)
The CMYK is a huge issue for me. It's one of the reasons I have moved to clip studio paint as my main illustration tool.
Exporting vectors for use in Adobe products is a nightmare with regards to colours, I have found to always need tweaking in Illustrator and it is hard to justify that extra time and effort.
It's good to know it's not just me :-)

[Boy]

Thank you again for communicating so openly, Rob. It's breath of fresh air coming from the Xara offices!

[ernie-f]

Ernie / Dutchim - We're NOT dropping or stopping the development / improvement of Designer Pro. This is an ongoing activity and the developers do go through the dear Xara forums and look at the suggestions posted there.
Rob

Hi Rob,
it's good to hear eahm, to read. Thanks for this.

[cmpan1]

Ernie / Dutchim - We're NOT dropping or stopping the development / improvement of Designer Pro. This is an ongoing activity and the developers do go through the dear Xara forums and look at the suggestions posted there. I don't want to sound like a tape recorder stuck on repeat but I don't have any control as to where the development time is spent. Rather, my task to to get feedback / suggestions on the Online Designer and suggest to the developers and management what we can do to improve / change / introduce and otherwise help users to do what they want to do. If you don't want an Online Designer then that's fine and noted! I can go back to management and say X number of users on TalkGraphics don't want the Online Designer, but fact is there's no chance that they are suddenly going to drop the project either. So rather this is to find out what users want: actually you know what it would be nice to have this or that, or what would make my life a heck of a lot easier is this. And one of my jobs is to really push to find that out and pester everyone until it happens

Angelize - interestingly we've had someone else who's requested some e-book related features, including importing and exporting such formats so I believe it is being looked into with the developers I've found that vector tools is a hard subject to have with a lot of other users, it feels like they don't know what they are missing until you show them an example and suddenly that's a must have! But if for example vector tools or even 3D graphics is in high demand it will get looked into

Squeaky - Thanks for your feedback! Currently the majority of existing users do use the Online Designer to edit their websites and the collaboration abilities have been handy and certainly it's an ongoing process to improve that as well The Online Designer currently uses the same import / export filters as the desktop version so although it's online, it shouldn't limit us in the ability to produce high quality print work. CMYK colour calibration is something that is highly requested within the desktop version and I admit is somewhat annoying at times so we in support still push for that to be properly implemented as well The export values of CMYK that you enter within the Desktop version should be exact on export however (unless your working in RGB and on export converting to CMYK in which results may vary - again an area needing improvement).

Thanks
Rob

OK Rob.... because of your interaction with this forum and your helpful, informative interaction, you've given me a bit of a boost in confidence and motivation for the future of my Xara!
So, I'm gonna bite again with the upgrade tonight... (because of you!... not their marketing...) and hope that I/we see some significant additions (per user requests) to the desktop version.
And, I also want to throw some $upport Xara's way... it's only right... works two ways, right?

Thanks
Cliff

[csehz]

Rob I would like just simply thank you that you are asking and answering.

Not a comfortable role after the last years updates, real respect

[angelize]

yes thank you Rob!

A few more suggestions

1. I'd like to see online Designer become not just an editor for documents and files created in the desktop programs but rather an independent program of its own that would be capable of creating art/graphics, websites and desktop publishing. To be able to do that and be able to open pdfs created not only in Xara programs but other programs plus the fact that it works cross platform you would really have something very special!

2. boolean operations like add, subtract, intersect etc
3. vector curves and node editing
4. convert to curves for the smartshapes and text
5. bitmap fills

[handrawn]

Hi Rob - always one of the good guys, along with Phil...

for 10 years [yes ] I have been asking for things... some came to pass - some did not...

all I want now is for the company to survive - do what is best for this...

my lineart has gone raster, and the new project that I mentioned to GWP [animation] is taking over my life [] but I still love xara for basic vector and simply cropping and re-sizing bitmaps

hang on iin there....

[jaydear]

I've been using Xara s/w since Xara 3d v3 and my v12 XDP support has recently expired. I'm assuming that access will expire for online version users when their year is up, and I'm casually wondering how many machines one can access their online subscription through - one at a time of course. Anyway, the online scheme is not acceptable to me. My Xara Designer versions 10, 11 and 12 are all still useable past their expiry dates. I certainly want to see Xara and Magix survive and prosper. I happily support Magix by using Sound Forge Audio Studio 12, but there is no creative incentive for me to extend my XDP v12 subscription for another year because it does more than I need and I can use it whether the internet is down or not. At the time of writing this reply our internet connection has just been restored after being down for >24 hours, one of many interruptions we suffer on our shiny new Aussie fibre network with 50 year old copper to the premises! Other online users may have connectivity issues too, so I hope that the online version dev's have contingencies in place. It is too much to trust that the internet will always be up and running without issues, so having a familiar, working, stable product on your PC is unbeatable in my book.

[browj2]

OK Rob.... because of your interaction with this forum and your helpful, informative interaction, you've given me a bit of a boost in confidence and motivation for the future of my Xara!
So, I'm gonna bite again with the upgrade tonight... (because of you!... not their marketing...) and hope that I/we see some significant additions (per user requests) to the desktop version.
And, I also want to throw some $upport Xara's way... it's only right... works two ways, right?

Thanks
Cliff

Hi Cliff,
I presume that your version has expired. If you have not yet renewed, then I suggest that you wait until the next round of new features coming out probably in November. Then you will have them and everything else locked in. Unless you have a vey good offer from Xara, of course.