Hi Rob
Here are a few suggestions that I personally would find help in my workflow and generally enhance my user experience.
1. Remembering last used settings
Xara programs are pretty good in this respect, but wherever possible it's always a time saver when the last used settings are remembered. It might useful when the QA testers go through things to check this is the case.
2. Ability to specify attribute values to SmartShape options
Provide text input options for all QuickShape / SmartShapes options. This will also help make them feel more integrated with the program. See mock-up idea of a toolbar.
Also see this post #25 (idea for a properties panel)
3. Eye dropper / Colour picker shortcut
Keyboard shortcut to activate the colour picker whilst a vector object is selected, and shift + shortcut to select line colour.
4. Dashed line
At the moment if a dashed line property is applied to a line, to change it back to a solid line you have to select the continuous line from the line gallery not from the Freehand and brush tool context toolbar.
Also when you select 'Line Gallery...' from the right click menu it opens the Line gallery in a different position, rather than sliding out from the side as normal when you click the side button. See screenshot example.
5. Inserting number symbols
At the moment to search for numbers in Insert Symbols panel you have to enter 'one' and 'two' to find 1 and 2, but from then on you have to enter '3' to find 3, '4' to find 4 and so on.
6. Crop tool
Ability to lock the aspect ratio of the crop tool by holding down a key for example Ctrl key, when the Lock aspect option is not active.
Also add an additional fixed aspect option of 1:1 to the toolbar or better still provide an option to specify your own ratio.
7. Smart transform
Add an additional button to toggle on/off Smart transform
8. Colour editor
Make clicking the colour editor button on the status bar toggle the colour editor on and off
9. Copy & paste SmartShape/QuickShape format attributes
Currently padding margin and other attributes cannot be copied from one shape to another
10. Local Designs gallery folders
Make the open/closed folder icons in the Local Designs gallery more distinctive, perhaps just a different colour. See example.
Longer term ideas
11. Grid improvements
I believe a good grid system is a core foundations of a design program. Whilst the one available is useful, there is room for the addition of further options for and alternative types of grids beyond the two on offer.
A first step could be for an option to display the grid with colour customisable solid lines rather that just blue crosses. See attached screenshot of an triangular grid from anther well-known graphics program as an example.
12. Window scaling aware
I believe any time and effort spent in this area will extend the lifespan of the Xara programs, enhancing the use with large high resolution monitors. To see an example of the detrimental effect Windows scaling currently has on the interface, see the screen capture from point 10. above.
13. Properties panel idea
See dutchim's idea from post #17 and corresponding idea for a useful workflow tool post (post #25)
Thanks for listening :-)
Jono (Jon)
Xara Photo & Graphic Designer+
Hi,
Yeah I agree with Jono on remembering last settings.
I can think of the warp option in the shape painter tool and the DPI of exported bitmaps.
And also for the keyboard shortcut for the picker would definitely be productive.
There was also talk at some point that the center of rotation would work also with the scale blobs. That would be nice.
Marc
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Illustrations
Another, what should be a little thing that has been mentioned since the beginning of time (and though I rescanned the thread, it didn't catch my eye).
Save and restore Options & toolbars. Add to that the import/conversion of previous version's toolbars and Xara would make a lot of people happy.
The above stuff is kept already (including other options/switches). Even a small utility to do the above would be wonderful.
Mike
Hi,
When PDF are opened, saving them overwrites the PDF as a XAR, but it still with a PDF extension, it's confusing.
Also the popup when an external modification has been made on an opened PDF is annoying.
Marc
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Illustrations
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Illustrations
Many thanks for your suggestions. I have made a log of them and will discuss them with the developers and managers. Please continue with any suggestions for small workflow improvements if you have them.
Thanks
Rob
Hi Marc
interesting, thanks - how does that avoid the dialog box opening...?
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Nothing lasts forever...
ok - it probably dosn't, but goes automatically through keystrokes... I'll look at that, thanks again....
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Nothing lasts forever...
Hi Steve,
The dialog appears but you don't have press a thing
It's pretty crude but gets the job done.
Pressing "control shift alt c" triggers the script.
One thing to note is that my "create bitmap copy" command shortcut is set to "shift control C" I don't know if it's the default shortkey.
You can adjust the script to fit your keys.
The first entry makes the script context sensitive to work only in Xara.
Saves text fike as .ahk to make it work with autohotkey
Marc
Code:#IfWinActive, ahk_class XTPMainFrame SetControlDelay -1 ;Replace with Bitmap !^+c:: send,{Shift down}{Control down}{c}{Control up}{Shift up} sleep, 1000 send,{Shift down}{enter}{Shift up} send,{Control down}{x}{Control up} send,{Control down}{z}{Control up} send,{Control down}{z}{Control up} send,{delete} send,{Shift down}{Control down}{v}{Control up}{Shift up} Return
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Illustrations
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