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Rather than try
to explain, why don't I just show you Xara X's amazing proficiency with
fills.
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For this example I took shapes I created for the previous page and simply applied solid color fills to them. You get precise control over each shape's line color, line thickness, and its fill color. Colors are easily selected and applied. You can even limit your color choices to web-safe colors.
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Smooth graduated fills can be applied at any angle. Unlike most other graphics programs that permit gradations, Xara X makes it really intuitive. See it applied to the shape as you create the gradation - no guesswork. Because it is so intuitive, it is easy to learn and easy to master.
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Your fill can be circular. You determine where the center of the fill should be. Intuitively determine what the radius is to be before the first color has completely faded to the second. The fill always remains fully editable! At any time you can modify the fill or change it to another type of fill. You can even copy it and paste it to another shape!
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This one is also a circular fill - with one additional click I instructed Xara X to cycle through the colors as it went from the chosen start color to the chosen end color - sort of a rainbow effect. Groovy eh?
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For this example I applied the above fill to some text and overlaid it on my first example of a circular fill. The text remains fully editable despite its complex fill. All the fills remain fully editable too. It really is fun!
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This example shows an elliptical fill pattern. As with most other transitional-type fills, elliptical fills can fade from one color to another or use a rainbow-like transition as illustrated above.
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Examples to the left demonstrate conical fills. The center of the conical fill can be anywhere you want it to be - even outside shape to which you are applying the fill.
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Another possibility is to apply a diamond fill pattern. In this example it simply fades from white to blue. It is a thing of beauty!
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Three color fills are just as easy as the other fill types. Choosing colors is particularly intuitive because the fill is applied to the shape in real time without a confusing dialogue box like most graphics programs. Drag and drop colors onto a line or shape!
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If three color fills aren't flexible enough for you then go for a four color fill. The fill is always fully editable allowing you to easily fine tune your color selections at any time.
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Xara X can easily use bitmaps as fills! For my example I filled a shape with a bitmap of an imaginary landscape that I generated in an old version of the great freeware program Terragen. I could have just as easily used a scanned image or some clipart - practically any bitmap can be used including gifs and jpgs. In my example, the shape only allows you to see about 50% of the bitmap. The unseen portion is still there. The shape doesn't actually alter the bitmap and I can at any time reposition the image or resize it. Xara's proficiency with bitmaps really makes it stand out from other vector illustration programs.
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You can also apply a fill type Xara calls "fractal clouds". The example has 7 shapes - each of which has been filled with the cloud type fractal fill. Interactively edit the fractal's pattern and its colors. It is extremely flexible and easy to apply.
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Xara X's last fill type is called "fractal plasma". For this image I simply changed each fill in the previous example from the cloud to plasma type. You get a somewhat smoother transition between colors than you get with the cloud fill. The plasma fill is also extremely versatile - numerous interesting effects are achieved easily.
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Xara X's proficiency with fills gives you remarkable flexibility. It gives you that power without being overwhelming. Its interface is clean and simple. So well designed in fact, you'll find the learning curve unusually short. In no time flat its flexibility will be empowering you to create a masterpiece. On the previous page I introduced you to lines and shapes. On this page you saw Xara X's options for filling shapes and text. On the following page I'll introduce you to Xara X's ability to apply transparency effects to the objects you create. Doing so isn't just a powerful design tool - it is a lot of fun!
Proceed to my page on using transparency effects in Xara X... |
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