Broaden Xara X's appeal

[wW]

This turned into somewhat of a wish list. Some good stuff here. I like the brush & vector painting input. Also quite cleaver the idea of working in cmyk mode on a specific drawing with warnings on RGB mode usage.

Why hasn't Xara Ltd. got this program on the store shelves in the US? Marketing & advertising are still needed in a major way if you want to get Xara to the masses. Whom ever successfully mass markets Xara is sure to be the on a "windfall income surpluss curve" once it starts to catch on. I'm 100% sure that this will happen if done correctly. And catch on like a flood too!

C'mon Xara Ltd, step up! I'd be willing to invest or participate in something like this because I know it's a win win situation for anyone involved. A PROGRAM THIS GREAT shouldn't be struggling for recognition!
The educational priority for schools would be a good start. Nice idea w00dy & seems a like a good logical first step to getting Xara out there. You have to get the name out there somehow other than the web bubble.

The point about the name is a good one. I do like the current name XaraX, but it does get old every time you have to explain to someone what your talking about. The current name doesn't really say anything about what the program is, or does. Xara what? You even have to spell it out for folks so they can search the web for it. X A R A not Zara! If I had a penny for every time I've said that, I'd be a 10 dollaraire! http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

[wW]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y23...oloreditor.gif

The above screen capture has 3 examples of area's that could use some updating.

1 - While in the color editor, if you select line & edit a color. When you want to go back to fill, you have to click the scroll bar to get back to the fill box. Wouldn't it be just as easy if both options (LINE & FILL) were always available? The extra click is most likely a programing oversight? An Efficency item.

2 - See the blue arrow pointing to the scroll bar? It's a Tapered line. It's square at the top. End Caps or Joint corner types would be helpful with tapered lines. Should be the same as working with regular non-tapered ones. Some options perhaps?

3 - If you are drawing a straight tapered line that is .05 or less. If it's straight it will be invisible. Once you make it into a curve it will become visible again. Line Bug Perhaps.

The two faint black lines across color editor are examples of this. The one on the right is stright, left one is curved. Quite a difference between them as they are both .06 Elipse Tapered Lines. If you select as your line a Blip from the Pressure Proflile toolbar, the difference between the curved & straight line more dramatic. Not a mojor thing but something that could be looked at. Nitpicking perhaps...

[John Rayner]

"So a simple question: What are the top four, common, every-day, photo or graphics jobs that you use other tools for?" - Charles

1. Scanning Pictures
2. Adjusting color (xara has to have something better up their sleeve than PS histogram thingy)
3. Output for Print shops
4. Input from other programs


I just couldn't resist another idea that just poped in my head... http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/wink.gif http://www.talkgraphics.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

http://img182.echo.cx/img182/5522/1upload8mo.jpg

[OklaEd]

That's a very good question Charles.

Recently I have used CorelDRAW for the following projects ... and why.

1) Greeting Cards/ Invitations - Corel has a template built-in for side fold cards that allows for easy creation of these documents without rotating or worrying what is going to print correctly. The multiple page capability not only lets you design the pages easily ... but allows you to create a fabulous .pdf card or invitation that can be e-mailed to someone. Once again this CAN be done in Xara ... but I do it in Corel because it's easier.

2) Multiple Sized print jobs - For an upcoming golf tournament I am printing several one page projects which require printing in large format (36in X 48in), Medium format (12in x 18in), and Letter siZed. In Corel I can design one graphic in large format and using the "print to fit" function can print on a variety of different sizes without resizing the drawing. Once again ... easier.

3) Multiple paged documents - Line Sheets, Price Catalogs, etc. can easily be designed as one multi-page document and exported to .pdf for publication.

4) Large Format Printing - There are still some quirks in Xara's print engine when it comes to large format. Without a "preview" to ensure you're not wasting pints of ink ... Corel just makes life easier.

5) Text handling - Just created a series of logos tonight for a local company. Did the text mockup in Corel ... the rest in Xara.

6) "P" center to page ... "P" center to page ... "P" center to page.

I am NOT on Corel's payroll ... nor their bandwagon. I am not writing this to begin another discussion on how to accomplish these things in Xara through work-a-rounds. I do a ton of business graphics and use Corel every day of the week ... because it is easier on many tasks. I would rather use Xara, and usually use both.

-Ed.

[Roland Aalto]

Hi Charles,
My main concern with Xara is still and has always been the ability to cooperate with other products...
I use Photoshop, Illustrator and Dreamweaver and Flash and some other tools and always do a lot of mixes in between the products!
Whenever I use Xara I almost always end upp finishing upp in Illustrator or photoshop, therefore a more easygoing interchange would be appriciated.
Regards / Roland

[MEB]

Here is my thoughts about all this...

Regarding bitmap editing subjet i think that what Xara X offers today is more than enought for what a vector application should do. What*s the point in spending resources/bloat an application with more bitmap functions when we all know that it will never can compete with photoshop or the tones of bitmap editing programs already in the market?
Instead just give Xara X the functions to provide an easy way to export our work to one of those bitmap applications out there. For example PSD export with the ability to pick some layers in our Xara drawing and use them as alpha channels when exporting the PSD. This way we will be able to use our images in photoshop keeping all layers intact AND use Xara tools to create the masks/alpha channels based on existing objects on our drawing.

Please don´t try to convert Xara X in a multi-purpose application. WE will end with an application that do a lot of things but without being brilliant in any of them. There´s already other tools in the market that tried that approach and
the results are far from sucessfull. Instead please keep focus on What XAra X is and do best - VECTOR WORK -.



There´s a lot of things/areas that can be done/improved to Broaden Xara X's appeal without loosing it´s focus/vector strenghts.



- Flash
Would be great to use Xara as a Visual tool to create flash animations, because all the tools needed to draw are already there,
and those that aren´t supported by Flash can appeared grayed out (like the diferent transparencies types Xara X manages)
Just add a timeline, tweens and all other "visual/effects options" that flash manages automatically ( like the ease or rotation function for example ) and add a solid/optimized FLA and SWF export options. That would be enought for creating flash animated movies visually. Those who want more control or action scripting would use the export options provided and will continue the work in Macromedia Flash or in any other flash editor with scripting capabilities.


- Desktop publishing
With an improved text support for managing bigger blocks of text inside a given shape with more advanced kerning options, and capability for managing multiple page documents and work with master pages, Xara X would be able to extend his desktop publishing capabilities allowing a broader range of works without entering in the Pro area where inDesign and Quark "lives".


- webdesign
It´s already possible design web site layouts and all graphic elements needed in Xara but would be great
to be able to devellop VISUALLY CSS based layouts and the underlying XHTML structure based on the design we have created with the drawing tools. Again there´s no need go outside the Xara X focus. Just give the users the tools to export their designs as a CSS positioned layout and the BASIC underlying XHTML structure. The rest of the elements (content) will be added with other applications created for that specific purpose (like the webstyle from Xara or dreamweaver depending on the user preferences).
A better integration with webstyle would help a lot specially if webstyle would be able to manage Xara X Css based layouts/templates.



- brushes/painting
Will allow a lot of diferent types of works to be produced. Something in the same line of expression or the brushes in illustrator. Currently it is a little difficult to create stylistic work because of the limitations of the brushes and how they are created in Xara. Currently Xara X just repeats a pattern of vector elements along a path with some variables that allow for some varation. This works if the user just wants to create some "textured type lines" but it´s not very convincent as a real brush since a real brush FLOW along the path (in other words it isn´t based on a repetitive pattern that changes over the path trought some vartiables). A brush should be only ONE object (based on fractal techinques(?)) that flows/extends trought the entire path



- Vector
Finnaly there´s still a lot that can be done in the vector drawing department where XARA X already shines with more adavnced drawing tools like an interactive gradient mesh tool, more transparency types (not shapes), improved layers management and the tones of other sugestions posted by users in the forums to improve some tools that Xara already has.

Miguel B.

[Albacore]

The members in this forum have turned Charles request on what you don't use Xara for into the usual "Wish List". I think there has been a few people who have really tried to answer the question poperly so instead of making it a "whish List" state what you use other software for.

[hillsy]

I don't use Xara for:

<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI>Bitmap work. XPE just isn't that great, sorry. It hasn't lived up to promises/expectations, and is unlikely to ever compete with PSP/PS/GIMP/etc unless loads of development is poured in. Therefore it would be nice to have roundtripping between Xara and a bitmap editor of the user's choice.
<LI>Desktop publishing. Xara has no multipage support, no automatic text wrapping, and no frame-based text support.
<LI>Complex diagrams. It's be a shame if Xara turned into Visio. But it doesn't have connectors or duplicate symbol support which makes complex diagrams harder.
<LI>Published best practices. No offence to Gary who does great work on this, but it'd be nice to have at least one book with nice pictures and things on how to do stuff in Xara.[/list]

[StevenWWinters]

I am probably more typical of a casual/business user than many if not most on this forum. I am not an artist/designer. I mostly use existing clipart (horrors) and scanned or digital images for web and printed work, but Xara is still my tool of preference. (Also, recently, I used it to create a large 36"x24" road sign for my son's farm business.)

The things I see the greatest bang for the buck w.r.t. mass appeal are:

1. Built-in scan capability. (A must!)

2. Simplified or wizard driven red-eye removal.

3. Enhanced cropping via.

a) A magic lasso type tool that gets you close to where you want to be when doing knockouts.

b) Predefined crop "mask" shapes (e.g. heart shaped).

4. The ability to easily change selected bitmap colors (ala Xeus).

5. The ability to quickly set a bitmap color or selected area to transparency.

6. More intuitive bitmap slicing.

7. The ability to create templates for WebStyle.

8. Better integration with Xara LTD's mass market products (Webstyle & Xara 3d).

9. Yes, updated export options.

10. Perhaps macro or scripting ability, depending on how it were implented.

11. Some kind of a configurable "Favorites" feature that would allow users to add links to tutorials and or movies not included by Xara. This would extend the built-in help sytem considerably.

Most, if not all of these, have already been suggested. Contrary to several posts, however, I see great potential for XPE. Many of the items above could be facilitated through an XPE plug-in engine properly done. XPE doesn't need to become Photoshop to become extremely useful. The ability to launch a 3rd party bitmap editor (Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro, etc) could still be done for those who need it.

As one who has done a fair amount of programming over the years, one of the things that gave Microsoft's much maligned Visual Basic mass appeal, was the ease of extendability through add-on globs of program code (known originally as .vbx files, later .ocx). The third party market flourished, lending to VB's incredible acceptance and use. (Please don't turn this into an anti-Microsoft diatribe. Your opinion about MS is irrelavent to this point.) Giving XaraX the ability to be easily extended by 3rd party talent (like some on this forum) will open up huge possibilities (IMO).

Lastly, and again in contrast to many posts here, I don't think turning Xara into Visio, InDesign, or AutoCadd Lite would be wise. While I agree that some features may be helpful for some users, I don't see them being significantly important for the masses. XaraX is first and foremost a graphics program. The items I've identified above are consistent with that fact and wouldn't detract from its use by the many talented artist/designers on this forum.

Regards,

Steven...

P.S. I forgot: More clipart! :-)
Also, I agree with the items in Risto's original post on this thread and that MS PhotoDraw had some cool features. I was sorry to see its development discontinued.

[Soquili]

I agree with Albacore. This has become another Wish List and not a way to broaden Xara X's appeal.

It looks like a lot of people want Bitmap editing instead of vectors. Just my opinion.

Xara X already does everything I need from a vector application and a lot more. I haven't opened Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro in so long that I have forgotten how to use them.