I should have added that all the features shown on the video are in the non-Pro version. Unless you have need of the Pro features or already have a Pro version (so the upgrade price difference isn't totally significant) then you may as well stick with the cheaper version.
Having said that I am not sure if the full Flash export function is in non-Pro. Any one testing the non-Pro download that can check this out?
[Edit] There is a feature comparison page at
here and Flash generation is included in the non-Pro version [/Edit]
I think the photo editing is much improved by inclusion and the speed with large files is amazing compared with other flagship products such as PhotoShop. OK it isn't PhotoShop but for quick manipulation within a working document it is second to none.
Text flow, I have to agree, is the best new feature - and that fact that with CSS and HTML you can generate webpages with 'bent' text frames is great.
There is also a new Panorama Tool - haven't tried it yet (see the video in my post above for a quick look).
I haven't done enough with it yet to look at the efficiency of the HTML code but given that Xara seems to excel at producing highly efficient and fast software gives me some hope that their HTML engine would be reasonably efficient too. I'll have a play when I get a minute and report back.
I agree that Xara3D isn't the greatest of tools (though it does have its uses) but if you are going to use those features it is great that it is now available within Xtreme rather than importing from another app.
The main thing that strikes me every time with Xara software is that increments are small between versions but there is never a loss of quality and as features are added the app doesn't feal like it is succumbing to feature bloat like so many other products from rival software house.
One further comment on the comparison between Corel Draw and Illustrator - don't forget to compare the price!
Xara Xtreme 4 $89US (upgrade $39 or $59 depending on version)
Xara Xtreme Pro 4 $249 (upgrade $49 or $69).
Corel Draw X4 ($429US, upgrade $199)
Adobe Illustrator CS3 ($600US, upgrade $199).
I have used the Corel and Adobe products in the past (and have Illustrator CS2 installed on my system) but invariably come back to Xara when I want to do something because it is so much faster and much more intuitive than either of the others with excellent built in video tutorials. Even if the feature set isn't as complete as the Adobe or Corel products the software still gives them a close run and is better value - especially for non-pro usage where the pennies count.
Personally I think the small development team have done an amazing job over the last 20 or so years. How many people work on the market leading pro applications in comparison?
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