Bouton's "Xara Xtreme 5" The Official Guide" book goes far beyond the product manual in explaining how to use combinations of features to achieve a variety of the photorealistic effects one sees in the pieces of accomplished Xara artists.

http://www.amazon.com/Xara-Xtreme-Th...4550489&sr=8-1

I read that book through first, and then referred to the included manuals to clarify specific tools.

~Jesse