Originally Posted by
JofArnold
I've been a Xara user since the start (before the start, even!) and whilst my mind boggles why they still don't have inner+outer shadows, multiple shadows and internal and external lines I do still have a soft spot for it. However, since being forced to upgrade to Pro X9 - because I could no longer download XTreme 5 as the download section is broken - I'm really stuck. Here's some key issues I hope you guys will help me find a solution for:
Bitmaps
My old workflow for re-cropping bitmaps was
1/ Right-click convert to editable shapes
2/ Right-click edit shape
3/ Drag selection across handles
4/ Use arrow keys to resize pixel-by pixel
Now I'm presented by a stretchable grid that's a chore to resize and doesn't seem to be resizable using the keyboard
==> Create a rectangle, fill with your bitmap, convert to editable shapes ==> use as above.
Drag-select handles
Any idea how I can select multiple handles by dragging a box over them like I used to?
==> Select the Shape Tool (F4), click outside the shape and drag a box across the handles.
Default Styles / Auto-Changing Styles
In the past I could set a default style for a shape (e.g. black) and it'd be black every time a create a new one. Now every new one matches the changes I made to the previous one. This causes so many extra mouse clicks. It's stressful! Can I turn it off?
==> Utilities > Options... > General > Untick "give new objects most recent attributes".
Right click on swatch to instant set line color
I used to be able to right-click on the color bar and change line color to that color. Now it gives a popup menu, thus adding a click.
==> Drag a a colour form the colour bar onto the shape and release when the vertical pipe (line) appears.
No doubt I'll keep adding to this list. Hate to end on a downer, but it's a shame (for me at least!) they've messed up my workflow whilst still not solving the fundamental issues. It's still so much faster than the Adobe apps, I suppose.
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