Xara Photo & Graphic Designer v9 Released

Xara today announced the release of the latest new version of their creative design software, Xara Photo and Graphics Designer v9. Below is the press release. I'll try to get a review posted in the near future.

Xara Photo & Graphic Designer is ideal for any graphics enthusiast, small company or academic user that requires the best value general purpose photo and graphic design tool.

The headline new features include:

• Advanced Healing Brush – remove blemishes with a single click, or brush over an area to erase it.
• New Mask and Selection tools. Easily paint, or draw a region or area to enhance, such as adjust the brightness, sharpness, color temperature etc.
• Advanced background erase. Extract complex shapes such a people or objects in the foreground, and place them on alternate backgrounds.
• Drag and drop re-colouring of clipart and vector groups.
• Google Font support. Browse, preview and install any of the 600+ Google Fonts. Although Google Fonts were primarily designed to be web fonts, they are open source Truetype or OpenType fonts and Xara has built in a way to automatically download and install the font as a Windows font.
• 11 new Photo Effects including Fake HDR, Polarized Grayscale and Color Splash to highlight a color.
• New clipart including a wide range of 'company logo' designs

Most of Xara's photo editing tools are non-destructive. Also known as 'parametric image editing', this non-destructive technique allows you to adjust or even remove edits at any point in the future, without affecting the original image. Photo edits are stored as the parameters to be changed (such as brightness or blend levels) rather than the altered pixels. This is much faster, more powerful, more memory efficient, and allows near infinite Undo.

Xara Photo and Graphic Designer introduces some really advanced photo editing features. An automatic background erase that normally takes hours of careful manual masking (or would be impossible), can be done in seconds. The Healing Brush is built on what Xara believe to be the most advanced intelligent 'fill in' algorithms anywhere. The new Mask and Selection tools make it easier than ever to apply edits to specific areas, and to have those edits seamlessly blended into your photo.

Charles Moir, Managing Director of Xara said: "As the name suggests 'Photo & Graphic Designer' is more than just another photo editor. It's one of the most advanced and powerful vector graphics programs available, and seamlessly combines all the photo editing features you're likely to need. Why should you have to use one program for general vector 'artwork' style graphics and another for photo editing, when you can get one, really fast, really easy-to-use graphics program that does it all? It's simply the most advanced photo and graphics editing tool available, for the money."

Xara Photo & Graphic Designer 9 costs just $89.99. Upgrades from v8 to Xara Photo & Graphic Designer 9 cost $45. It operates on Windows XP/Vista/7/8.

There Can Be Real Costs to "Free" Clipart

Anyone can do a Google Search and you just might find the graphic you need is available as a free download. Unfortunately users probably don't understand that some of those free graphics may not be even remotely free. Why? Because you'll waste a lot of time editing the graphic to make it usable in your project! What is your time worth? I doubt any of you like to waste time, so let's go over some of the problems you might encounter with this so-called "free" clipart.

While the free clipart may come in a number of vector formats, the most popular formats are SVG and Adobe Illustrator (AI or EPS). We're not talking about bitmaps today and they could have their own set of issues.

SVG Files

The biggest problem you may find is that some SVG files just can't be imported into CorelDRAW. The older your version of CorelDRAW, the biggest the chance at failure. You might be able to open them in Inkscape and resave them, though my experience shows that only works about half of the time. If the file does import, you'll probably notice a lot of extra SVG data if you look in CorelDRAW's Object Manager. While this extra data can be deleted, it can be time consuming to get rid of it all and it does need to be deleted.

Quite often you'll also find other invisible stuff in the file. Shift the View mode to Wireframe and look for objects you were not seeing in the Enhanced view. Transparencies are typically converted to Lenses, though the results may not look the same. Some effects are rendered as bitmaps and often the bitmaps are at insanely high resolutions. For some output methods, those bitmaps just won't work. You'll also find the outlines need to have Scale With Image enabled and often they can be loaded with excess nodes.

AI/EPS Files

Many of the issues listed for SVG files will also apply to AI/EPS files. You will not have the extra data as that is unique to SVG files. One thing that is much worse is that older versions of CorelDRAW can not read AI files from a version of Illustrator created after your version of CorelDRAW. There could also be problems if the files were saved with compression.

Clipart That Works

Why do I describe all these problems? Because I hear from users all the time who would rather beat their heads against the wall with these "free" graphics instead of purchasing artwork that is problem-free. Why not consider spending a few bucks to get artwork that has been tested and prepared specifically for CorelDRAW users? If you feel it is too expensive, you certainly haven't looked at our Clipart Unleashed packages and Bonus Content Packs as they are all value-priced. Just remember the value these packages contain the next time you think a "free" graphic is really a good deal.

Dante's Inferno and Florence Italy Featured in Dan Brown's Latest Book

Many of you are probably very familiar with at least the first two books from Dan Brown that featured the character Robert Langdon. The first of the books was Angels and Demons, though it was the second film released with the character. In it, the famed symbologist was traveling throughout Rome to find out who was killing Cardinals.

His next book was one of the biggest sellers in recent times. You might remember The Da Vinci Code. It was the first film released even though it was the second book. This time the backdrop was Paris and the story caused quite a bit of controversy within the Catholic Church.

After the runaway success of The Da Vinci Code, his next book featuring Robert Langdon was considered a letdown by some. I thoroughly enjoyed The Lost Symbol which wound through Washington DC to find a pyramid. From what I hear, a movie is in the works.

His fourth book with Robert Langdon, Inferno, was released last week. In this book, the mystery is related to The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri (click link to download free 384 page PDF of the epic poem). For those not familiar with The Divine Comedy (I wasn't), it is broken into three parts where Inferno is the first part. Robert is back in Florence, Italy, the birthplace of the Renaissance. One of the featured landmarks is the Palazzo Vecchio (the tower is pictured above). I'm about halfway through the latest book and admittedly I didn't really want to put it down to write this blog post. I guess you could say I like the book!

One of the best part about all the books is how he weaves the history of the city into the story. I've been fortunate enough to spend a few days in each of the cities in these books so it is fun for me to picture the characters moving among landmarks (and works of art) familiar to me. Each of the books is fast-paced, makes you think, teaches you a bit about history and geography as well as just providing several hours of entertainment. For those who enjoy a good read, I recommend you read each and every one of the books in this series.

Which of the four cities in Dan Brown's books would you most like to visit? Answer in our Facebook Poll!

Bonus Content Pack 3 Filled With Design Assets for CorelDRAW Users

As you are working on designs, having a toolbox full of design assets helps you be more creative. One of my goals in putting together the CorelDRAW Unleashed Bonus Content Packs is to give you a variety of assets at a bargain price. Each of the individual packs contains more than 1000 pieces of vector clip art in CorelDRAW format with thumbnails and keywords. In addition, you'll get a collection of more than 100 seamless textures, 500 stripes and more than 100 fonts.

We've just released CorelDRAW Unleashed Bonus Content Pack Volume 3 and we've also put together a discounted bundle of all three volumes. If you want a quick and inexpensive way to build up your library of design assets for CorelDRAW, make sure to get these Bonus Contents Packs!

8 Windows Image Editors As Possible Replacements for Adobe Photoshop

Adobe's announcement of the move to Creative Cloud going forward was not received well by some users of Adobe Photoshop. If you truly need Adobe Photoshop, you'll have to move to the cloud version if you want to get new features and an updated version. A couple of days ago I asked Do You NEED the Full Version of Photoshop? In that post, I suggested that Adobe Photoshop Elements may do everything you could possibly need.

Today I will put together a list of other image editors for Windows and will note if a Mac version or a free trial is available for each product. I am not saying these products are as powerful as Adobe Photoshop. Yet these products may have the features you need. Products are listed in alphabetical order and it is up to you to follow the links provided to see if any of these products could be your solution.

Adobe Photoshop Elements

Adobe Photoshop Elements contains almost all of the features of the full Adobe Photoshop at a fraction of the price. If you absolutely want a product with the word Photoshop in the name, look no further. As it is based on Photoshop, the interface is very similar and it is also compatible with Photoshop files. It currently sells at Amazon for approximately $68.

ArcSoft Photostudio

A very powerful product that may not be as well known as others is ArcSoft PhotoStudio. Not only does it include all the familiar editing tools and effects, it also includes a tool for creating HDR (high dynamic range) images. It is available for both Mac and Windows and a 15-day trial is available.

Corel PaintShop Pro

Corel bought JASC about eight years ago and one of the prizes of that acquisition is the popular PaintShop Pro image editor. Under the Corel umbrella, it has undergone a number of new versions. While it is geared towards hobbyist photographers, it is often listed as one of the better alternatives to Adobe Photoshop. It is Windows-only and a free trial version is available.

Corel PHOTO-PAINT

Corel PHOTO-PAINT is not sold separately, only as part of the CorelDRAW Graphics Suite. So in addition to a powerful image editor, you also get a top vector editing tool in CorelDRAW. Corel PHOTO-PAINT is my primary image editor and it probably used for more than 95% of my image editing needs. It is Windows only, though it can be run on a Mac using emulators such as Boot Camp and Parallels. A free trial version of the CorelDRAW Graphics Suite is available.

GIMP

GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is well-known as an open source image editor. It is not only on Mac and Windows, but also several other platforms. If you are looking for an alternative, you'll definitely want to get this completely free tool to see if it meets your needs.

Google Picasa

Google Picasa may not qualify as a full-fledged image editor, but it does include a number of basic image editing tools. As it is available for free download (Windows only), it certainly doesn't hurt to add it to your graphics toolbox. It is more of a tool for managing photos and connecting with various Google online services yet includes a number of useful filters.

Serif PhotoPlus

Serif is well-known for their powerful yet budget-friendly graphics applications and Serif PhotoPlus is their entry in the image editing category. It can certainly match and exceed some of Adobe Photoshop Elements features so it is worth a long look. Sorry, Mac users, it is Windows only. The online price is $89.99 and no free trial is listed.

Ulead PhotoImpact

When Corel purchased Ulead, one of the products added to the Corel line-up was Ulead PhotoImpact. It may very well meet your needs, but note that it has not been updated in a few years and I wouldn't be surprised if it is never updated since Corel already has other competing image editors. On a positive note, it sells for $29.99. There is no Mac version available, but there is a free trial available for Windows.

If I missed a favorite image editor of yours, please post a comment and tell us all about it. Of course I also welcome your feedback on any of the tools listed here.

Tune In With the Free Radio Days Font

I remember many days as a kid with my ear pressed to the radio listening to that night's broadcast of a Kansas City Royals game. The voice describing the action was that of Fred White and he sadly lost his battle with melanoma a couple of days ago. This got me to thinking of a time when I believe we all listening to the radio more and that directed me to today's Radio Days NF font. While downloading your free copy of the font, think back to the radio shows that were can't miss for you.

Post a message on the Graphics Unleashed Facebook page and tell us your favorite memory of listening the radio. Can you suggest even one of your friends become fans of the Graphics Unleashed Facebook page. That way they can enjoy the fonts we feature.

Not sure how to download and install these free fonts? Make sure to read Downloading Fonts, Installing Fonts and Spam Filters for detailed instructions.

If you've missed some fonts, don't forget to visit Fonts Unleashed where we keep a list of the entire collection of the hundreds of fonts available for download.

Please note: I spend over a thousand hours each year creating all of the free content for this blog, including locating and providing all of the free fonts you enjoy downloading each Friday. Would you please consider purchasing a product to support my efforts at providing great content for you? There are more than a thousand products on our site priced at only $5. How about picking up 129 different seamless crystal textures from our Textures Unleashed collections? Thank you in advance for your monetary support!

Radio Days NF

Do You NEED the Full Version of Photoshop?

I got an e-mail from someone who described themselves as a "Photoshop hobbyist" who used the software to create "grandchildren's birthday cards." This person was quite upset about Adobe moving the Creative Suite applications, including Adobe Photoshop, to the cloud along with monthly rental fees.

This brings up an important discussion between wants and needs. I don't think anyone would question that Adobe Photoshop is the most powerful and most used image editor on the planet. Does that mean it does everything? No, it doesn't. The important thing to understand is that it is designed, marketed and priced for professionals doing paid projects. Keep in mind that the list price for the boxed version (pre-cloud) of Adobe Photoshop CS6 is $699 (selling for around $625 at Amazon). The version included in the current cloud package is Adobe Photoshop CS6 Extended and its list price in a box is $999 (selling for around $800 at Amazon).

If you feel you must have software with the word Photoshop in the name, why not get Adobe Photoshop Elements 11? It is currently selling for $68.09 on Amazon and comes on a disc. Some of you are going to say that it is a lite version and isn't good enough. OK, name one feature that it doesn't have that you need. Seriously, most users who say they must have Photoshop will probably fail to name a single feature.

Yes, there are also many other image editors on the market that may meet your needs. Personally I use Corel PHOTO-PAINT for all my editing and I don't feel I'm missing anything even though I do own Adobe Photoshop CS6 Extended.

So while you may want the full version, you don't need it. This is especially true if you are a self-proclaimed hobbyist. Don't believe Photoshop Elements is good enough for the majority of users? Even Scott Kelby the President of NAPP (National Association of Photoshop Professionals) says so. Of course Adobe won't tell you that as they are thrilled to sell you the higher-priced version.

Speaking of Scott Kelby, he did an episode of his online show The Grid with all kinds of information about Adobe's decision on Creative Cloud as well as discussion of why Elements is good enough for many users. The full episode is about an hour long, but I encourage anyone outraged at Adobe to watch it.

He also mentioned how people commenting on his blog post about Adobe's decision were attacking him personally. As in more than 90% of the comments blamed him personally for Adobe's decision even though that decision is harmful to his business. I understand that feeling as I often get comments (on the blog, Facebook, e-mail) attacking me for something where I was just the messenger.

Know the Real Price of the Cloud Options

Another message he passes along is that many Photoshop users are complaining about the cost being $50 a month for Creative Cloud. For the entire suite of products, that is the price though it can be lower if you have current products. Yet if you already have a current version of Photoshop and want only Photoshop, the cost is $10 a month for the first year. No, you won't get Illustrator, InDesign and all the other tools. But for those who only want Photoshop, the price may not be as high as you think. After the first year the price will supposedly be $20 a month for just Photoshop. Just as Adobe could raise that price and upset users, they could also lower the price. None of us can predict what will happen. Scott certainly is as informed as anyone, so I encourage you to watch The Grid if this is something important to you.

It is very common that I get complaints about something based purely on incorrect information and this misunderstanding of the prices of Creative Cloud is a perfect example. Before you go on a rant about something, make sure you truly understand it first.

I encourage you all to share your thoughts on Creative Cloud in our Facebook poll. The same user who complained about Creative Cloud being too expensive for hobbyists, also complained that I made the assumption that everyone uses Facebook. Each and every one of you has the right to decide if you want a Facebook account. Facebook made it easy for us to create a poll and that's where we put it. If you want to share your opinion outside of Facebook, leave a comment on the blog as it does not require a Facebook account.

Use a Card Reader For Reading Data on All Cards

Some people connect their cameras to a computer via USB cable. Sure, that's one way to do it. I prefer simply taking the memory card out of the camera and moving the data to the computer using a card reader like the one shown at right. I won't try to convince you the eSecure Card Reader is the highest-quality card reader on the market, but it sells for less than $10! At that price, you can certainly afford one for your desktop and one for your laptop bag.

For a couple of dollars more, you can get the Transcend Card Reader. It doesn't claim to read as many flavors of cards, but it reads all of the most popular formats. Even better, the reviews are much higher. It still isn't rock solid, but it doesn't have as many people saying it has failed completely.

Regardless of whether you choose one of the models I've listed or you select something completely different, it is important to have such a card reader because you never know when a customer is going to bring you data on a card. Rarely does a day pass when I don't use my card reader!