Xara Xtreme The Official Guide

Description

Learn the principles of vector drawing as you learn technique, composition, and other art essentials--then apply your skills to creating websites, animations, logos, photographic retouches, and more. Xara Xtreme 5: The Official Guide shows you how to customize the software, use QuickShapes, draw vector paths, use fills for photorealistic effects, and compose professional desktop publishing documents. This hands-on resource brings you from concept to completion with examples that span a range of art styles--using the vector drawing program that thinks it's a bitmap editor. With these tutorials that apply to Xara Xtreme, Xtreme Pro, and Magix Xtreme Photo & Graphic Designer, you'll:

    * Work with vector paths that look like paint strokes

    * Tag colors to dramatically change complex drawings in seconds

    * Build multi-page, graphically rich websites in a few hours

    * Convert bitmap web graphics to resizable vector shapes

    * Design artwork in minutes that looks like it took days

    * Create and export original Flash animations for the web in no time

    * Create 3D text and apply special effects to imported photos and vector shapes

    * Invisibly retouch photographs with feathering, fractal fills, multi-step gradients, and transparencies

CONTENTS:

0 Navigating the Interface

1 Blah Blah

2 Options and Customizing Xara Xtreme

3 Working with Paths

4 Transforming Shapes

5 Working with Fills

6 Basic Magic: Blends, Contours, and Moulds

7 Creating Photorealistic Effects

8 Logos and Typography

9 Desktop Publishing with Xara Xtreme

10 Creating Web Animations

11 Building Interactive Web sites

12 Tracing for Commerce and Fine Art

13 Changing and Creating Photographic Elements

14 Photographic Retouching

15 Gallery of Contest Winners