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The first step was to create the rounded rectangle
shape that would have a 3D bevel effect and a bitmap fill. Under "File
- Page Options" you can set the size of the document, grids and
rulers, Plug-ins available, speed and memory options and more.
I set my document to 600 px by 180 px and activated my grid with
'snap to grid.' I then select the rectangle tool, choose the 'curved
corner' icon and created a shape 580px by 100px. You can edit the
curve of the rectangle by dragging the anchor points or entering
info in the 'Curvature' text field.
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Creating rounded rectangles
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Now to add thickness to the line I select 8 pt from
the drop down menu at the top. Now I convert this line into an
editable shape. This is one cool feature that allows designers
to convert any line into a shape with anchor points at every corner.
Go - Arrange - Convert Line to Shape. I now bevel the new shape
selecting the 'bevel' icon on the toolbar. Now I can select a preset
bevel style from the drop down menu, and edit the size, contrast,
light angle and light elevation to achieve a number of different
beveling styles.
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Beveling a shape is a breeze
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To add the xara logo to the document, I start a new
layer clicking the 'layer gallery' icon on top. I select the type
tool and enter the first part of the name - xara at 96 pt. I space
my text using the kerning commands, and then I ungroup it so I
could reshape the 'x' letter. I select the two anchor points in
the top right part of the 'x' and dragged them further out. The
last 'x' will be created using the bezier tool. This 'x' shape
was created in two parts and then combined into one shape. The
bezier tool is a pleasure to use and the combining, subtracting
and intersecting of shapes is easy.
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Combining bezier shapes is a snap
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