I have a picture of a purple camel. As far as I know, no purple camels exist, yet I have a picture of one. How can that be? Perhaps it has something to do with the latest version of Xara Photo and Graphic Designer. There's lots of magic in the version 11 and we'll examine some of it.
This is a purple camel from The Wilds in eastern Ohio. I should probably say again that purple camels do not exist, at least not to the best of my knowledge. Yet here is a picture of one. Is this irrefutable proof that purple camels exist?
Well, no. It's irrefutable proof that Xara Photo and Graphic Designer exists and that the application has the ability to change a standard camel to a purple camel.
It can also do a lot more than modify camels.
This is a standard camel.
Xara offers several applications that all seem to be based on the same underlying graphics application. Some are aimed at website developers while others are primarily for graphic designers and photographers.
The ability to modify colors isn't new in this version, but it's a cool feature nonetheless. So (you might wonder) what's new. Let's see.
The Brush Tool has a new Art Brush feature. Scatter Brushes repeat shapes along a line and you can now create them using any type of object, which makes it possible to include feathering and extrusions. Art Brushes stretch a vector shape or bitmap along the line.
Text options have been expanded so that users can create a list of abbreviations that will be automatically expanded. Besides being able to replace short bits of text with longer bits of text, the process can expand short bits of text to symbols and fractions. Text manipulation isn't something that most designers will think about, but improved text features in this version include auto-correct and you can add your own words to the list that will be automatically modified.
Xara has added the ability to sync files via Dropbox and Google Drive so edits made on one computer will be reflected in Photo & Graphic Designer on other computers. Both Dropbox and Google Drive maintain older versions of a user's files so that reverting to earlier renditions of the file is possible.
Let's look a bit more in depth.
Scatter brushes can be based either on vectors or on bitmaps and they are a lot of fun. The application comes with several brushes already designed or you can create your own. When you create a brush, you will choose either a scatter brush, which drops copies of the original along a path you select, or an art brush, which draws the brush object along the path you create with a mouse or pen tool.
The scatter brush has been around for a while. Art brushes are new. I started with an 8-pointed shape and used it to create both types of brushes.
The scatter brush dropped evenly-spaced copies of the object and the art brush created a flowing, warped object. This gets even more interesting when you draw the line back over itself.
I wondered what would happen if I started with a photograph. A picture of Tangerine was handy, so I selected it and used it to create an art brush.
You can actually paint a picture and, by moving the cursor up or down as you move from one side to the other, it’s possible to create an impressionistic copy of the photo. Then I tried painting the brush back onto itself and the result was an interesting blend of colors.
Click any of the smaller images for a full-size view.
Press Esc to dismiss the larger image.
Finally, I worked with some of the built-in brushes. Besides modifying the brush, you also specify a width and an envelope for the brush. The envelope controls how the thickness of the brush changes from one end of the line to the other. And if you have a pen tool, you’ll find that the brushes respond to pen pressure and angle.
The liquify tool offers several pixel-pushing functions that change the shape of an object's edge.
I started with the perfect rectangle with a linear fill that fades from blue to red and then applied various liquify functions around the border. The result was the rather unlikely shape that might possibly find some use as a Rorschach test. The versatility of the various liquify tools is obvious and they're easy to use with just a bit of practice.
Word processors have had auto-correct functions for many years and now that capability comes to Xara Photo and Graphic Designer.
The basic automatic corrections are limited to a few fractions, along with ellipses points, the "care of" symbol (rarely used in the US), and the symbols for copyright, trademark, and registered trademark. It's easy to add your own corrections, too. And even to create auto-corrections that place symbols.
Several years ago, when I was writing regularly about the healthcare industry, I found that invariably my fingers typed "hopsital" instead of "hospital" and today I often write "availiable" instead of "available". If there are words you mistype frequently, adding them here would save you some trouble.
When it comes to formatting text, few applications can compare with Xara Photo and Graphic Designer. I started with a bit of text from Through the Looking Glass and searched for a typeface that seemed to be at home with such unlikely words as "brillig", "gyre", and "borogroves". The application's pull-down list shows recently used typefaces, Web-safe typefaces (those that are assumed to be available on any computer, regardless of operating system), Google fonts that are freely available for use, and all fonts installed on the computer.
Note to typography purists: I know the difference between "font" and "typeface", but I've given up on attempting to maintain the distinction. Sorry.
Next, I added a linear fill to the type (orange on the left to blue on the right) and then selected all of the text and increased the line spacing to make it more readable.
I also added a light gray outline to the letters.
After adding the outline, it was clear that the letter spacing (also called "tracking") was too tight, so I added some space. Again, the intent was to improve readability.
Next, I used the shape tool to create a 5-pointed object with points and curved lines, colored it yellow, made it partially transparent, added a drop shadow, and placed it under the right side of the text.
The entire process took just a couple of minutes and the largest chunk of time was consumed at the outset when I was attempting to determine which typeface to use.
Xara offers several applications that seem generally to be built on the same foundation: Xara Designer Pro X11 is the all-encompassing application at $300, followed by Web Designer 11 (basic at $50, pro at $100), Photo & Graphic Designer 11 ($90), and Page & Layout Designer 11 ($90). Upgrades from previous versions are all priced considerably lower and the company periodically offers discounts for new users. All of the applications are available for download in trial versions that include all of the program’s features except for certain add-ons that are available only to users of paid versions.
The most difficult part is figuring out which one to buyIf I could suggest one thing to management at Xara, it would be this: Reduce the number of products you offer. Keep Designer Pro X11 and one of the other applications. You’re confusing potential customers with so many choices. Maybe you should offer Designer Pro X11 and Designer X11 (which would exclude the page layout and photo features), and Illustrator X11 (with just page layout and photo functions). Given so many choices, confused consumers might simply decide to look elsewhere. And that would be a shame because one of the options is probably just what they need.
Additional details are available on the Xara website.
Even if you use Microsoft Office and you're anxiously waiting for the new version that will be released in September, downloading and installing LibreOffice is a good idea because LibreOffice can open files that Microsoft applications can't, sometimes even damaged Microsoft files.
Let's say that you have an antique Lotus 1-2-3 file that you need to open. Excel can't do it unless you first process the file with a Lotus conversion application. Or maybe a Write Now file (that's a word processor that was included with the original Apple Macintosh back in 1984). Don't try to get Word to open it. LibreOffice Calc can open old Lotus files and LibreOffice Writer can open old Write Now files.
LibreOffice, developed by The Document Foundation, split from OpenOffice.org in 2010, so both OpenOffice and LibreOffice have roots in the Sun Microsystems StarOffice suite. Oracle acquired Sun Microsystems, released the StarOffice code to the open-source community, and discontinued the StarOffice suite.
Although LibreOffice can read most competing file formats and can write files in some of those formats, its native file formats follow the international ISO/IEC standard OpenDocument file formats. That means documents prepared in LibreOffice will be fully compatible with Apache OpenOffice and NeoOffice and they can be opened and edited in Wordperfect Office or Microsoft Office.
By fully compatible, I mean that no features will be dropped as documents are migrated from one system to another and the OpenDocument file format is supported by commercial office suite applications such as those by Microsoft and Corel Wordperfect. LibreOffice is generally compatible with files from Microsoft and Corel Wordperfect, but some layout features and formatting attributes are not supported or are handled differently.
LibreOffice users can open the individual applications from the Start Menu, but there's also an option that's called LibreOffice. Select that and you'll find links to all of the applications on the left and your most recent documents, regardless of type, on the right.
Likewise, if you choose New from this screen or from any open document, you can choose the type of document to create. You could be working on a spreadsheet and realize that you need to include a document that explains the sheet. Instead of opening the word processor and creating a new document, just select New from the menu and select Text Document.
While it's true that the word processor's interface appears to offer a lot less than Microsoft Word, you'll find that most features are actually present.
In addition to the menu and the tool bar, there's a section on the right that provides access to a wide variety of formatting functions and even more functions are offered when you click a small icon at the right of the sub-sections within the major sections.
The spreadsheet looks a lot like Excel prior to when the Ribbon was added. I happen to like the Ribbon, but that's not true for everyone. It you utterly loathe the Ribbon, switching to LibreOffice will allow you to avoid it.
Formulas are entered just as they are in Excel and Excel users, whether power users or neophytes, should have no trouble understanding how the various functions work.
Microsoft Office doesn't have a drawing tool. LibreOffice does. The interface may remind you of an early version of Corel Draw, but relatively robust functions are available.
It's not Xara Designer, Corel Draw, or Adobe Illustrator, but the Drawing application should be sufficient for those who need to create a basic illustration for use in a text document or a presentation.
And speaking of presentations, LibreOffice Impress comes with several program templates. After selecting one, you can add slides much as you would with Powerpoint.
And if the built-in themes are insufficient, you can choose from more than 300 additional templates that are available from the LibreOffice website.
Some versions of the Microsoft Office Suite include a database application called Access. Most home users and many office users will never need a relational database management system. If you're maintaining a list of CDs or a Christmas card list, you'll be much happier using a spreadsheet.
But sometimes you need a database with multiple tables. For example, you might have a clients and projects database that would include several tables such as:
Database design is complicated, but if it's a process you understand, you won't have any problem using LibreOffice Base. There are advantages to using a multi-table relational database and there are also disadvantages. My usual recommendation is to use a flat table (spreadsheet) unless you understand the advantages and disadvantages of a relational database, know how to build and associate the various tables, and can write the queries needed to extract information from those tables.
LibreOffice isn't Microsoft Office, but it may be just what you need.Free is a very good price and that's one of the primary considerations when it comes to using open source software. It's not the only consideration, though. Microsoft Office applications use proprietary file formats that are subject to change at any time. Open source applications use the international OpenDocument format. When considering office suite applications for your home or office, don't forget to look at the open source options.
Additional details are available on the LibreOffice website.
Several years ago, city government in Munich, Germany, decided to switch to Ubuntu Linux for municipal workers. The city migrated about 15,000 computers to a custom-version of Ubuntu. Proponents say that this saved the city a great deal of money, but a couple of city council members now complain the computers are too hard to use and they want to return to using Microsoft operating systems.
You've heard a lot from me over the past several months about Windows 10 and in my estimation Windows 10 is the best that Microsoft has ever released. The company is clearly trying to create a usable operating system that pleases users, but Windows is not the only operating system. Apple's OSX is well designed and easy to use (particularly if you understand Unix). There are also many variations of Linux and most of them are highly functional, if not flashy.
Two influential politicians from Munich's conservative CSU party say that Ubuntu is "cumbersome to use" and "of very limited use". They want the city to convert back to Microsoft operating systems and applications.
City council members Otto Seidl and Sabine Pfeiler say they are unable to use the computers for tasks such as word processing or making video calls. City council members aren't always the sharpest matches in the six-pack, but Seidl and Pfeiler seem to be uncommonly lacking in intelligence when they say "There are no programs for text editing, Skype, Office etc. installed and that prevents normal use." [Source: Tech Republic]
I prepared this report in LibreOffice Writer 5, the latest version of an office suite that is available on any computer running Linux, Windows, or OSX. The city council members say that open source software is "running behind the proprietary IT vendor's solutions." Generally speaking, that's accurate, but open source software clearly accommodates users' basic needs. What functions are missing from LibreOffice (or OpenOffice) that Seidl and Pfeiler think are essential?
Skype not available? Message to Seidl and Pfeiler: The special version of Linux installed on your computers (LiMux) came with Skype already installed. If you have somehow managed to delete the application, Skype for Linux can be downloaded from here: http://www.skype.com/en/download-skype/skype-for-linux/.
What Windows or Mac applications do these city council members need to do their jobs? According to Tech Republic, the city council members wrote "These devices have already cost a lot of money to acquire. Many town councillors are using their own private notebooks because of the problems." As a result, they claim that "a large number of the devices are going unused."
Should people who are so incompetent that they are unable to determine which applications are actually installed on their computers be entrusted with the management of a city?
The M in LiMux refers to Munich, which is the third-largest city in Germany. The city government chose to migrate their systems from Microsoft products to open-source software and completed the changeover in 2013. In all 15,000 personal computers and laptops of public employees were migrated. LiMux includes LibreOffice as the primary productivity software. Initially, the computers had OpenOffice installed. The city reported software savings of some $16 million.
Microsoft needed more than 6 months to get 100 million Windows 8 updates installed, but now just a month after the Windows 10 release, already 75 million computers are running the operating system. Granted, users had to pay for the Windows 8 upgrade and the Windows 10 upgrade was provided without charge.
As an indication of just how complex the process it, Microsoft says that Windows 10 has been installed on 90,000 unique PC or tablet models. Every one of those models has the potential to break in a way that Microsoft might not have encountered in testing.
The goal is 1 billion PCs and tablets with Windows 10 within 3 years.
And the next big thing for Microsoft will be the release of Office 2016. Although Microsoft hasn't confirmed it, the rumored launch date is the 22nd of September. The 2016 version of Office is already available for Apple computers and has been for about 2 months.
More touch-related features will be present in the new version, search has been improved, and Microsoft says that e-mail performance is better in Outlook.
Probably the most significant change in the 2016 version is the introduction of real-time co-authoring. Although previously available in mobile versions of Office, this will be its first appearance on the desktop and it should enable more collaborative uses.
