|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
As always, we will be using Pixels as our units of measure. Right click on the screen and select Page Options... from the pop up menu. In the Units tabbed section, select Pixels for the Units and 0-255 for the Color Units. In the Grid and Ruler tabbed section set the Major Spacing to 100pix (key it in exactly like this please) and the Number of Subdivisions to 10. Press OK to close the dialog and apply the changes. To see a tutorial on Xara Basics visit Workbook 20. NOTE: You will notice from time to time I apply arbitrary colors to objects. I do this to make the objects easier to see. If I do not specify a fill for an object, you do not have to apply a fill or outline color. When I show an ellipse or rectangle that has just been created, that has no fill, it is because I have set the fill to none before I exported the illustration. By default, all ellipses, rectangles and Quick Shapes have a black outline and a black fill. There is nothing wrong with your copy of Xara. Naming Conventions. I use bold face to indicate the names of tools, galleries, keyboard shortcuts, and dialogs. Items such as unnamed icons and drop down lists, which have names when you let your cursor rest over them for a moment, are displayed in italics. The Infobar is the context sensitive menu at the top of the screen and changes to reflect the options for the selected tool. Some of the tool icons have changed in Xara X1, and this may cause some confusion for new users. If you are using an older version of Xara, click here to see my Rosetta Stone for translating the old buttons into the new. New Users? I have created some quick start mini-tutorials to get you though the basics. Workbook 20, Workbook 30, and Workbook 31 cover the main things you need to know to get started. While you should be able to create all the steps in previous versions of Xara, some of the tool icons have changed, and this may cause some confusion for new users. If you are using an older version of Xara, click here to see my Rosetta Stone for translating the old buttons into the new. |
|||
|
We Xara users can never get enough of Apple's incredible GEL look. (If only Windows had come up with this look instead of Apple—but then Microsoft has never been known for breakthrough design). I have always been intrigued with the Apple QuickTime logo and how they achieved the GEL effect in the round. I was intrigued to the point of obsession to recreate the effect. And my obsession is this month's tutorial. I think I came pretty close. But at the end of the tutorial you can tell me how close I came.
Select the Ellipse Tool (Shift F4). Hold down the Ctrl key (to constrain the ellipse to a circle), and draw a 280 pixels circle. Draw 3 more circles to the sizes shown above. TIP: Drag a horizontal and vertical guideline from the screen rulers onto the page (Ctrl L to display screen rulers). Click the Ellipse Tool at the intersection of the 2 guidelines. Hold down the Ctrl and the Shift keys and drag outward to draw from the center. Here's a quick way to make any ellipse to an exact size. Create any size circle or ellipse. Enter the width and height in the Width and Height text entry boxes (shown above and highlighted in yellow) on the Infobar and press Enter. To make several centered circles such as those shown above, clone the circle (Ctrl k ), change the width and height and press Enter. Repeat for the other circles.
Select the Rectangle Tool (Shift F3) and create a 40 by 120 pixel rectangle. Center the rectangle on the small circle and align the bottom of the rectangle to the horizontal guideline, which is the exact vertical center of the small circle.
|
|||
|
LAST PAGE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 RESPONSE PAGE NEXT PAGE |
|||
|
|
|||
