Xara Webstyle 2
October 3, 2001
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When Xara first introduced Webstyle, I thought it was a
great program for Web builders without much artistic flair. With
version 2, Webstyle offers so many options that it makes sense
for anyone of any artistic level to use, simply to save time.
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That is because Webstyle 2 offers about any basic graphic entity
needed to build Web sites, and — despite being template-
based — offers an abundance of choices for altering the
graphics to meet the users' needs.
As you can see from the interface shown on the right, Webstyle 2
adds banner ads, navigation bars, logos, 3d headings and theme
sets to the mix. It continues to offer buttons, bullets,
backgrounds, headings, and dividers. Further, because each can be
altered in terms of color, style, text, and more, the end result
is thousands of possibilities for Web builders.
At startup, the main interface opens, and users can choose the
type of graphic they wish to create.
That will open a screen similar to the one on at the right, with
the menu shown on the left of the same interface.
When the user chooses, in this case a navigation bar setup, it
will appear in the top viewer. Please note that the selections
here are just one of the 23 pages of choices the program offers
for navigation bars alone. Further, when you purchase the
program, you receive a CD with even more templates for each
entity. Additionally, Xara will periodically release template
packs that will boost the number of choices.
The user can then go the menu on the left and make all the
desired changes in terms of colors, textures, and sizes. By
choosing the "NavBars" button on the menu, the user can
then add and change text on the buttons (including font, size,
and color), add links to each button, make changes to the
default, selected, or mouseover state of the buttons, assign URL
links and targets for each button, and provide alt text to the
button.
What makes it particularly easy for users is that the HTML coding
and JavaScript are both exported with the navigation bar, and
then can simply be copied and pasted into an existing HTML
document.
Equally impressive is the program's handling of animated banners.
There are about 20 pages of those within the program, and they
offer the opportunity to change the message, have a second or
third line flash into the scene, and — like all graphics
created by the program — render quickly.
Webstyle 2 now offers users the ability to bevel some
graphics, while others can have bitmap textures for an added
effect.
The program also enables users to choose from the 192 Web-safe
colors, either by point-and-click method or by inserting the hex
code in the selection dialog box.
Yet another advantage offered by Webstyle 2 is that most all of
the graphics are vector, enabling users to alter the size without
losing quality as they would with bitmaps.
All graphics can be saved either in .GIF, .JPG, or .PNG format.
The .PNG and .GIF formats allow for transparency, with the .PNG
format enabling users to save their work in graduated
transparency. That can be found on the advanced save options.
Further, when exporting or saving graphics, users can choose the
color depth wanted, whether the graphic is diffused or without
dithering, and either transparent or interlaced.
Xara has consistently produced top-quality software, and the
improvements between Webstyle and Webstyle 2 just proves the
company is getting better and better. Considering the time
Webstyle 2 can save, the quality of its output, and its price, the
program is a steal.
| What is it called again? Xara
Webstyle 2 |
| Where can I get it?
http://www.xara.com |
| How much does it cost? $69;
$29 for upgrade of previous version. |
| System requirements? Windows 95 or higher;
Intel-compatible 486 or higher; 32 MB RAM, 40 MB available hard
disk space. |
| How big is the download?
5 MB |
| Do I recommend it? It doesn't make sense to
pass it up. |
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