How to create a Glass, Aqua, or Vista Icons PI 12 or should I do it in Xara Xtreme ?

[Kiwi]

All versions of PhotoImpact are bitmap editors that also can use vectors when in path mode.
I have used PI for a few years and enjoy it's capabilities but since finding Xara Xtreme, PI is rarely used.
Xara is now my main drawing program and PI is kept as the image editor.

[Jerr]

Gel and Vista type buttons can easily be done in PI basically using the same techniques as Xara, using gradient , fadeout transparency, and soft edges. However you will find Xara’s gradient , transparency, and softedge tools vastly superior for this type of work.
In its price bracket, it’s my opinion that PI excel’s in two areas: Photo manipulation which I do not use very much, and its “Material Palette” which is the main reason I use this very under rated program. The Material dialog has a very good array of bevel, shading, light, reflection & bump map choices for vector format graphics. One can produce extraordinary photo realistic objects and surfaces with the ease of a few mouse clicks. Saving in PI’s ufo format maintains vector state.
Major drawbacks are its inability to export a usable vector format, and it has no Boolean capability to speak of. Fortunately it can import ai vector format, so I just use Xara if I require a more complex vector

[Giovanni]

Gel and Vista type buttons can easily be done in PI basically using the same techniques as Xara, using gradient , fadeout transparency, and soft edges. However you will find Xara’s gradient , transparency, and softedge tools vastly superior for this type of work.
In its price bracket, it’s my opinion that PI excel’s in two areas: Photo manipulation which I do not use very much, and its “Material Palette” which is the main reason I use this very under rated program. The Material dialog has a very good array of bevel, shading, light, reflection & bump map choices for vector format graphics. One can produce extraordinary photo realistic objects and surfaces with the ease of a few mouse clicks. Saving in PI’s ufo format maintains vector state.
Major drawbacks are its inability to export a usable vector format, and it has no Boolean capability to speak of. Fortunately it can import ai vector format, so I just use Xara if I require a more complex vector

I completely agree with your comment.
PhotoImpact is often understimated and have some very good features (good materials management and quite good vector handling).