Nicks Xara Wishlist 2015 and onwards

[browj2]

Hi Nick,

Xara has three different products and one that combines the three with a few extras, Designer Pro. I certainly wasn't confused when I was looking to buy. There were only three different products offered, not a couple of dozen like on the Magix site (there is a lot of confusion there).

I first bought Photo & Graphic Designer mainly to work with Magix Movie Edit Pro. Then I decided that I wanted to do some web design of the nature offered by Xara. After looking at the offer for Designer Pro vs two separate programs, I bought Designer Pro because it was much more convenient to have them in one program than in two. The difference in price between two separate programs or Designer Pro was minimal. I just ignore what I don't need, however, if I need it, I have it.

Here is what Kate said recently as reply #75 to the "Xara wants our opinion" thread.

" In fact we develop Web Designer (for web design), Photo & Graphic Designer (for photo editing and illustration) and Page & Layout Designer (for document creation), and then Designer Pro gets everything that we do for all three (ok, plus a few Pro extras). It's more bottom up than top down. As I see it, the main reason people buy Pro is that they want one integrated package that does all of those things, not least because many designers DO all of those things."

If you don't want the Web Design part, or the Page & Layout Designer, then why buy Designer Pro? Or is it that you would like a combination of the other two as I think that you are saying? If so, that, I can understand, and maybe Xara should offer a combination of the two.

However, if the price for combinations of two or three was the same, why complain? Bloated for what you do? Maybe, but probably not very much. Just ignore the web design part.

From what I have seen, there is a lot of overlap in the programs, and I wouldn't expect Xara to not use the same coding for the parts of the separate programs that do the same thing.

Take a look at the Web Design chat part of this forum and you will see that there are a lot of users who use it and like it.

I can understand some frustration about one of the programs not getting the attention that users would like, but I can also understand that Xara has to make a cutoff point at which time it puts out a new revision. If the new features in the Photo & Graphics part are weak in a new release, then don't buy it. Skip that one and hope for better in the following one.

As for what I would like to see in a future version, table handling and formatting for presentations and web design.

In case anyone was wondering, Xara Designer or Photo&Graphics can be opened from within Magix Movie Edit Pro to create overlay images and masks, either static or animated to follow the action in a video. This is a big plus for the Magix movie editors.

[pauland]

In case anyone was wondering, Xara Designer or Photo&Graphics can be opened from within Magix Movie Edit Pro to create overlay images and masks, either static or animated to follow the action in a video. This is a big plus for the Magix movie editors.

Perhaps you can explain this a bit more? Do you mean opening graphics exported using these programs or the Xara format file itself?

[nickr]

If you don't want the Web Design part, or the Page & Layout Designer, then why buy Designer Pro? Or is it that you would like a combination of the other two as I think that you are saying? If so, that, I can understand, and maybe Xara should offer a combination of the two.

However, if the price for combinations of two or three was the same, why complain? Bloated for what you do? Maybe, but probably not very much. Just ignore the web design part.

I think this hits the nail on the head, Photo and Graphics / Layout Designer, go so well with each other, but can only be used together with "Pro". Plus Pro has unique addons like Multi-core 64bit support and Live Copies which forces me to go for the Pro for that extra performance.

Buying the Photo and Layouts packages would be cheaper at £50 each, but then I'd have to swap back and forth between the 2 and would be missing multi-core / 64 bit. If they merged them together and added the extra performance features, then that would be perfect, but I'm assuming they want us to pay the extra money for the Pro, so doubt that will happen.

Thanks for the heads up about the movie edit tip too.

[browj2]

@Nick,

Thanks for confirming that. I agree that the combination would be a good idea, so long as the individual product for Photo & Graphics Designer was not dropped. This product likely forms the bulk of the users. In reviewing the P&LD, I could not understand how it could stand alone. Maybe I am misunderstanding its usefulness, but it may be that Xara should drop it as a standalone and only sell it combined with P&GD as you suggest.

@Paul,
The Plus and Premium versions of Movie Edit Pro and Video Pro X have the following capabilities if Xara is installed:
1. Right clicking on an image or video clip allows one to create an overlay or a mask. Xara is opened, usually in animation mode, and the image or video clip from the movie editor is shown on a layer. One can draw anything overtop of the image.
a. A static image - anything that one wants to draw that will be returned as a video object on the timeline in the movie editor, of the same length as the clip selected. It can subsequently be reopened and modified in Xara by double-clicking on it.
b. An animation overlay - named objects that have to be shapes and follow the animation rules of Xara. The shapes can be resized and modified, as per animation rules, along with transparency, including variable transparency. As per Xara animation, the frame is advanced by the fraction of a second indicated by default or by the user. If the underlying image is from a video clip, the video will also advance by that amount, thus allowing the user to move, resize, or whatever, the shapes to follow the action. Static un-named drawings can also be included. I haven't tried many combinations yet to determine all of what can be done with the static images combined with animated shapes. All is returned to the movie editor as a video object as above that can also be modified by double-clicking on it. A further note on both a and b, other video effects can be applied to the resulting video objects in the video editor.
c. Animated masks - same as named animated shapes but the objects must be white. Transparency is allowed, including graduated transparency. Multiple named objects or masks can be created that also can be moved and resized to follow the action. The result is also a video object in the movie editor, but the user must give it the chromakey alpha effect. The object is then used as a mask between two tracks. Whatever is on the track (higher numbered track) above the white part of the mask shows up, and the black part shows whatever is on the lower numbered track. Any transparency shows both tracks depending on the strength of the transparency.
2. As a mask on one track - this is opened from an effect menu by selecting Create a mask. Xara opens same as above and multiple named animated masks can be created. The resulting video object impacts the object with which it is associated. Any effects applied to the base object can be masked. For example, a blur effect can be applied to the base object (video or image) and the mask will either show the masked area as blurred or everything but the area as unblurred. I have had limited success with the latter and it may just be a problem with the version that I have been using.

Thanks for asking as this has allowed me to get a start on the tutorial that I have been planning to do (for many months) on this for the Magix Community forum. I'm sitting on a train right now on my way to Edinburgh. I'll work up the tutorial when I get back to Canada. I did do a quick video showing one of the methods and put it in an answer to a question on the Magix forum. I'll try to find the link and post it.

[pauland]

It would be nice to see some mention of this on TG. I suspect few TGers know about such interoperability.

[maxcon62]

Hi Browj2,

all that you have decribed perfetcly works with version 9 of Xara products.

On the contrary, Xara Designer Pro x 10 doesn't work neither with Magix Pro X6 - X7 nor Movie edit pro 2014 - 2015 premium

- When I want to create a mask or an overlay graphic animation, Designer Pro X 10 starts, but when I create additional frames by clicking on "Copy" in the Frame Animation Gallery , the video doesn't move to the corresponding position in the new frames (in order to adjust the objects directly on the video image); when I close Designer Pro 10, the animation doesn't work in Prox6-7 or Mep2014 - 2015.

- The Xara included animations in ProX6-X7 (magix tools), also, don't work, they are fix and don't move.

In addition to that, when Xara opens through ProX6-X7, the "frame gallery" doesn't appear. I have noticed that when Xara ProX 10 starts from Magix Video Pro X6-X7, to create a mask or an overlay graphic animation, it opens a "generic document" instead of an "animation document".

I have already informed Xara support of the problem and this is their answer about:

"Unfortunately this is a bit beyond our level of expertise as we only support Xara products, not the Magix ones so we would need to forward this onto Magix for them to investigate" (31 August 2014)

and in a second time...

"Hi, I have forwarded this to Magix who have reported it to their developers (and it appears to be an issue with Magix's end rather than Xaras), but they couldn't promise a timely solution.

Unfortunately I can't be of much help here, I can chase Magix for a solution but can't guarantee anything." (31 november 2014)

From Magix no news up to now .... indeed recently they have released a new product (video prox7) but the problem is subsisting...

I think it's not a problem of Magix but Xara's, since the "9 version" wouldn't work in this case, also.

Max

[Albacore]

No Nickr I think what you stated more in your 1st post, it meant more to me than your last. If Xara split their products like Serif does: a vector drawing programme which allows you to do quick bitmap fixes which is fully colour managed --> DrawPlus, a DTP programme which has master page control with both vector and bitmap quick fixes, is fully colour managed --> PagePlus, a WYSIWYG web based programme with limited vector but more features with bitmap and widgets with no colour management ---> WebPlus, and even a movie one which supports AVCHD, Dolby Digital sound and can burn discs which is not colour managed ---> MoviePlus. I have missed many other features of the Serif programmes but that was just a quick resume. I have tried most, purchased Serif's DrawPlus, PagePlus and PhotoPlus but have only one on my H/disc at the moment, have upgraded it many times and that is PagePlus. It is the only programme which I think works well, with PDF/X-3 standard, and even then it has the a clunky feel to its UI.

If Xara did the same as, as you stated, Affinity and gave each individual programme the same fresh approach as Serif did to that programme they might and I mean might give Adobe a small fright. But that is so hard for a small company like Xara to do, it might be too much for them in financial terms as well a programming. I still think that Xara should do as the others do and separate the programme into 3 distinct areas Web --> Graphics --->DTP

[browj2]

@Max,
Thanks for jumping in and we are getting somewhat off-topic here. I noticed that MEP 2014 automatically opened the 32 bit version of XDPX9 which worked fine. But, I could not get either to work properly with VPX6. I thought that MEP 2015 was patched and worked, but I could be wrong. I reported this to Magix several times (I keep reminding them).

Since I installed a new main drive and did a backup and recovery, I haven't been able to get XDPX10 to work or re-installed and Xara hasn't found a solution, so I have been using version 9, which seems to work fine with MEP2015 and VPX7, but not 6. I can't check because I travelling.

That said, is there any way to get MEP2015 (64bit) to open X10 rather than X9 if both are installed? Could the problem be with the 64 bit version of X10 and not with the 32 bit version?

@Paul,
As you can see, there are some teething problems.

[pauland]

there are some teething problems.

Yes, indeed. Pity really because if it worked at one stage it would be great to see that happen again. Seems bizarre to have that working and not use it as a lever to boost sales from both sides.

[maxcon62]

Is there any way to get MEP2015 (64bit) to open X10 rather than X9 if both are installed?

No, unfortunately there isn't. The installation of Prox10 overwrites the files of ProX9 in the plugins folder of Magix Mep or VPX.
... The two softwares communicate one another through "Camelot" library , since Xara DPX10 installs some files
(called "CamelotPlugin.vxx" and "CamelotPlugin_Xara_Designer_Pro_X10_x64.vxx") into the Magix common folder located in
C\ProgramData\MAGIX\Common\VideoImportPlugins

Could the problem be with the 64 bit version of X10 and not with the 32 bit version?

No, I have tried with both version 10 (64 or 32 bit) ... it doesn't work

Max