Importing files

To import a file:

Select "File" > "Import" - This normally merges the file's contents into the existing document. With some formats you get the choice of importing the document into the current page or adding it as a new page. With some other formats you are given the option of either importing the file data conventionally, or adding a link to the file and including it in your published website.

Or select "File" > "Open" - This opens the file as a new document.

Xara supports drag and drop import of files. If you drag a file from your File Explorer onto an open Xara Designer document it will import the file and place it on the current page, centered on the drop point. Or drag & drop a suitable file from Windows Explorer onto any bar or the title bar of Designer's window - it will open the file as a new document.

Importing a Photoshop PSD file

To import a PSD file, import the file as normal with "File" > "Import", or just drag and drop the .psd file into Xara Designer.

A dialog opens asking you if you want to import the Photoshop layers as objects - this is the default, or if you want to import the layers as layers.

It's recommended that you use the default option, where PSD layers become Xara objects, because whereas in Photoshop effects like transparency are applied to layers, in Xara layers are simply containers for objects and different objects on the same layer can have different transparency and other settings.

The default DPI setting will be the one at which the PSD file was created.

The file will open on your workspace. View the file/object structure by opening the Page & Layer Gallery.

All the Xara transparency modes (apart from the Enhance mode) are compatible with the equivalent Photoshop blends and will remain editable in in Xara using the Transparency Tool.

Photoshop calls it Opacity, but it's the same thing as Transparency (just the other way around), i.e. a 90% opacity value in Photoshop becomes a 10% transparency setting in Xara.

Tip: if you have separate objects in Photoshop that you wish to be able to move and change independently of one another in Xara, place them on separate layers in Photoshop before exporting.

Attention: Only Xara Designer Pro & Photo & Graphic Designer can import PSD files with 16bit colors or CMYK color model.

TIFF Import

Xara's TIFF import supports a much wider range of TIFF file types, including:

CMYK TIFF files (Photo & Graphic Designer and Designer Pro only)
Fax TIFF files (black and white images. Multi-page faxes will be imported as multiple pages).
TIFF with transparency (if exporting a TIFF from Photoshop (Save As) you can select the Save Transparency checkbox).
Mac or PC byte order TIFF files.
TIFF with layers and transparency (if saved from Photoshop the rules for blend mode compatibility are the same as for PSD files).

JPEG in TIFF (transparency is not possible in this case).

Usually TIFF files have a file extension of .tif.