Xara Photo & Graphic Designer 7 – Edit pictures

Enhance your pictures, enrich them with professional filters and effects, or design unique photo & graphics creations. Everything works on a non-destructive vector basis for professional results (original photos remain unchanged).

The integrated real-time image editing enables ultra-fast, loss-free editing of pictures – even for very large image files.

NEW! RAW support for current camera models

In addition to all standard image file formats, Xara Photo & Graphic Designer supports the import of over 130 new raw formats (RAW) of current camera models (over 400 in total). Including, for example, popular models such as Canon EOS 600D, Nikon D 5100 and Olympus E-PL1.

Benefit from improved image quality and richness of detail to get the most out of your photos during editing and optimization.

View list of camera models

Create the perfect photo in just a few steps:

Whether cropping, brightness, contrast, color temperature, saturation, or sharpness – optimize your photos in no time.

Thanks to white, grey and black balance and the powerful level correction tool, you can create photos in unprecedented image quality.

Practical:

• Save time and edit all selected photos at once.
• Copy effect and filter settings onto similar photos.
• Save disk space in projects with many photos by automatically reducing file size and resolution.

Red-eye correction

You may also quickly correct red eyes caused by the camera flash.

Correct perspective

"Converging lines" on photos usually refers to those lines and edges that tend toward each other, even though they are parallel in reality. This effect usually occurs in pictures of buildings. This 1-click correction feature enables pictures like this to be quickly and easily repaired.

Panorama montages

Combine individual images seamlessly to create panorama pictures. Includes automatic focal distance recognition and correction of lens distortions.

In mask mode you can select and edit image areas (so-called object mask), while the rest of the image remains unchanged.

If desired, you can edit only specific image areas. For example, brighten selected shadows or increase the blur in the foreground or background to highlight the subject in the center. Adjust brightness, contrast, color saturation, sharpness, and color temperature to meet your needs.

Also ideal for artistic effects

Intensify colors of individual image elements, create dynamic color gradients, recolor the sky in landscape photographs or create graduated effects.

HIGHLIGHT! Realistic photo retouching has never been easier!

Simply highlight the object you want to remove, click ‘magic erase’ and the unwanted object is automatically replaced with pixels sampled from the photo, with incredibly seamless results.

You will hardly be able to produce faster or more precise results with standard cloning methods offered in other image editing programs, or only with much time and effort*.

You will be amazed! This new and powerful auto clone tool is perfectly suited for many creative purposes.

Areas of application:

• "Magic" delete function for unwanted objects of any kind
• Enhance nature photos (e.g. delete clouds)
• Remove unwanted sections from snapshots (e.g. when taking photos out of a driving car)
• Remove unimportant image elements that distract from the main subject of the photo
• Remove elements covering the main element of a photo (e.g. in front of tourist sights)
• Remove unwanted shadows (e.g. caused by the person taking the photo)
• Remove modern objects from nostalgic settings
• Smooth wrinkles, remove pigmentation and moles on portrait photos
• Remove cracks, scratches, wrinkles, or stains on scanned photos
• Virtually "repair" buildings or objects on photos

TIP: You can also create creative photo montages with the copy function by placing image elements at different positions.

View examples

Practical:

• The areas that need to be retouched usually only have to be roughly selected
• To achieve realistic results, even large areas are filled with a multitude of smaller pixel clusters
• The new background is inserted into the environment seamlessly with flowing transitions
• If desired, repeated use provides alternative results

*Note: The results depend on the composition of the image element (matching pixels can only be found if they are available).

With the manual clone tool, you can remove selected image areas by copying/moving other sections into the free area using the mouse.

Practical:

• With the magnetic drawing tool, you can create precise masks for high-contrast contours.
• Thanks to the feathering tool, the new background can be added with seamless results.

Highlight: The image areas you want to add don't have to be from the same photo, but can be taken from any photo! This makes it possible to use the feature for many different purposes.

View before-and-after example

For example, delete unwanted objects

Delete unwanted objects, such as power lines or signs.

For example, improve group images

Hardly any group photo features everyone looking their best; someone always has their eyes closed, is looking away, or is smiling strangely. If this is the case, simply combine the best parts of multiple group photos and create a perfect one!

For example, delete moving image content

Let's say you took several photos of a monument, but each time tourists pass in front of the camera or a car drives by? What to do? You can use the manual clone tool to remove moving objects from a series of photos.

For example, photo montages

Create creative collages and arrange persons in front of a new background. It's perfect for creating unique invitations, greeting cards, and gifts for friends.

Intelligent scaling

Change image width & height without distorting important image content ("content-aware rescaling"). Important outlines, structures, and shapes – e.g. persons – are automatically recognized and remain unchanged (manual protection is possible, too). The rest of the image can be made smaller or larger, without stretching or squashing protected elements.

Areas of application:

• Rotate portrait pictures into horizontal formats, or vice versa.
• 4:3 to 16:9 widescreen format or vice versa (e.g. for TV slideshows)
• Create panoramas from regular pictures
• Unique formats for brochures
• Crop images and retain a screen-filling format (e.g. for monitors or prints)
• Create unique loss-free image formats (e.g. for special print products)
• Push important elements from the edge of the image into the center (people, etc.)
• Make room for text in the picture (for greeting cards, etc.)
• Create header graphics for websites

Intelligent zoom

The central subject is located too far in the background, and you can hardly see it?

The intelligent zoom enables a central subject to be zoomed from the back into the front, without changing the format or distorting the photo, since important image content can be protected. This keeps all of the details of the background intact, which certainly isn't the case with cropping.

It's also useful for creating artistic distortions!

Artistic image design

Over 50 creative effects allow you to transform everyday photos into small works of art:

Painting, pencil drawing, canvas, crayon, pastel, wrinkled, television, fisheye, newspaper, waveform, shutters, and much more.

Photo caricatures

Whether caricatures, over-the-top "body styling", or artistic distortions: use the "liquid paint" function to give cranky colleagues big ears, have a friend sport big muscles, or your boss look out from a frame with droopy eyes.

Turn your photos into graphics

Turn pictures into individually customizable graphics. The integrated "Bitmap Tracer" vectorizes image files into lines and shapes that you can edit freely. It's also ideal for logos and digital photo art.

Texture stamp & opacity mask

Transfer a stamp of a texture from one photo or graphic to another object.

Use over 500 individually customizable templates for photo albums, calendars, invitations, brochures, greetings cards, vouchers, flyers, certificates, business cards, CD covers & labels, letterhead, picture frames, poetry albums, wedding scrapbooks, and much more.

Or you can illustrate documents and design your own logos using more than 2,500 vector graphic objects (clip art items). You can customize all colors and properties and, if desired, use only individual elements for further editing.

NEW! Over 100 photo clip art items with transparent background from different subject areas (nature, people, technology, food & drink, etc.).

Powerful graphic design

Discover the world's fastest vector graphic engine and create graphic elements in real time.

Enjoy next-generation graphic design throughout the entire process thanks to diverse drawing tools for freehand drawing (brush), shapes, graduated colors, fills, transitions, contour and relief effects, and easy drag & drop handling. Users with artistic ambition can use Xara Photo & Graphic Designer to turn demanding design ideas into a reality.

View practical examples (xara.com)

Drawing tools & line gallery

Discover numerous vector drawing instruments and support features. Automatically smooth wobbly lines drawn freehand.

Let your creativity run wild with structure lines like airbrush, sponge, crayon, chalk, VanGogh brush stroke and many more.

In addition to these natural structures, you may also opt for more extravagant lines that look like feet, pins, petals, hair, spray, etc.

Shadows & transparency

Add shadows to graphics, images, and text or arrange them transparently. The intensity of the transparency may be easily adjusted with a slider. Even transparency gradients may be created in a flash.

Color gradient & distortion

Create color gradients, rainbow effects, or metamorphoses between objects of any shape or size that may be edited in detail regarding aspects such as the number, gradient, or alignment of individual color values.

Or distort objects with any number of kaleidoscope effects.

Do you need nice titles on your photos for your album? Or would you like to design multi-page brochures to present your company? Take advantage of the unique design freedom and arrange elements any way you want.

Includes formatting, text flow around shapes and images, multilingual spell check, support for all installed fonts incl. live preview and find and replace function.

"Flowing text"

The "flowing text" function substantially simplifies document design. Simply move elements and images to wherever you want them and the text flows around the object automatically. That also makes it quick and easy to create round text flows that would otherwise only be possible with a lot of time and effort.

Desktop publishing (DTP)

Publish straight from your desk – flexible and quick!

The DTP workflow covers the entire layout and output process for high-quality publications consisting of text and graphics elements, such as multi-page documents, flyers, or business cards.

Export your projects, so they can be used in multiple ways and support all major formats, whether for printing at home, for professional processing in a print shop or as a PDF file.

NEW! Magic Snap (Quick arrange)

Aligning elements (photos, graphics, text) is even easier and faster – with 100% precision.

Dynamic "Snap lines" display the corners of existing objects and the center of the page (horizontal, vertical, diagonal) when placing your content. Elements can be docked to these lines (just like a magnet), so you no longer need to align objects using manual guidelines.

Multiple objects can be aligned in relation to each other simultaneously, for example, to create identical intervals between them.

Enhance presentations, documents, brochures, websites, and much more with 3D objects. Turn text, shapes, graphics, and photos into impressive 3D objects in real time with the world's fastest 3D tool. Includes realistic light reflections, shadows and detailed settings options.

Perfect for designing great logos, special icons, lettering and eye catchers that are sure to attract attention.

Create animations with ease and embed them in websites as Flash® videos (.swf) or animated GIF graphics (.gif) – for example as interactive banner ads, special headings or happy faces.

Including graphics, photos, text, flowing transitions between individual image elements (automatic "morphing") and interactive buttons and links.

NEW! Export animations and standard photo, text and artwork as video files (.avi) – even including transparent background (alpha channel). Perfect as a creative complement to video editing and slideshow software (e.g. MAGIX Movie Edit Pro and MAGIX PhotoStory on CD & DVD): Create detailed opening/closing credits, professional titles, thematic chapter dividers, unique decorative elements, etc.

Own a tablet or touch PC? Then you can operate the program with your finger or a pen instead of using the mouse.

Benefit from the advantages of touch-sensitive graphic tablets and pens. High pressure creates thick, dark strokes, while soft pressure produces fine, bright lines. Perfect for realistic drawings.

Note: Support for touch & tablet PCs as well as graphic tablets requires Windows® 7

Free Online Album

Impress others with photos and graphics on your very own album website on the Internet and share your precious moments with the world.

NEW! Now available as an HTML 2.0 version (View example) with flexible setting functions and various additional options: Choose between display as a gallery or as a slideshow with zoom function and effects. Integrate video players, visitor counters, download and Facebook links, add background music to your images, or give selected persons a guest access. Includes iPhone and iPod support.

More information

Online Print Service

Experience your images in brilliant quality on premium photo paper and as high-quality photo gifts. Including lighting-fast delivery to any address you like!

More information

All-in-one solution

Benefit from the most flexible software solution for image editing, illustration, text layout, desktop publishing, and animations.

Save time, money and effort!

Edit different projects comfortably with just one program and export them in various formats. You only need to purchase and learn a single product, and you save yourself costly switching between different programs.

Simple & direct

The intuitive user interface, uncomplicated menus, useful wizards, and direct drag & drop operation makes using the program child's play.

Free collages

It's your choice: Intuitively align photos and graphics on top of each other ("all on canvas") or classic layer technology.

Power & quality

Enjoy ultra-fast, resource-saving processor use and increased stability – at home and on the go!

Also ideal for older PCs, laptops, and netbooks. Save valuable time and work on your pictures, presentations, and creations while on the go. The outstanding vector anti-aliasing feature offers maximum image quality and a remarkable monitor display.

Fast & practical

• Thanks to real-time image editing, changes are displayed right away.
• The program creates only small project files, since internal conversion into uncompressed files is not necessary.
• Non-destructive photo editing: If desired, original photos remain intact.

Various areas of application

In addition to its use as an independent program, Xara Photo & Graphic Designer is the ideal companion to other software:

• Image editing: Processing of prepared photos to detailed collages or multi-page documents, preparing photos for other programs.
• Slideshows & videos: Image compositions, animations, chapter dividers, DVD menu backgrounds, 3D objects, subtitles for overlay with a transparent background.
• Graphics: Additional editing of projects from other programs, preparation for further editing in other programs.
• Websites: Animations, banners, buttons, graphic elements, logos for websites, blogs, CMS systems, and much more.
• Text & presentations: Convert conventional text, graphics, and diagrams into 3D.