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chris v · Dec 2, 2001, 10:18 PM

I just downloaded and installed it a few minutes ago, so I haven't had much of a chance to poke around, yet.

What I noticed-- new Table tool, more gradient options in the color pallette, which seems better overall. I'm sure there's tons more-- I saw a Style Sheets pallette, but don't know much about it.

Not OS X native....*sigh*

CV

MikeM32 · Dec 3, 2001, 03:16 PM

I haven't tried it yet, but supposedly there's now built-in layering capabilities. It's supposed to have some web publishing stuff built-in but from all I've heard it's still no match for *real* web publishing stuff like DreamWeaver, etc., etc.

One thing that upsets me is apparently there's no multiple undoes yet

(maybe you can confirm this, although you only have the beta). I think rather than tossing so much into trying to give it web publishing capabilities they'd have at least bought it up-to-date. "Multiple undoes" is something that almost every other graphics app. out there already has and has had for years

I'm curious if the Pantone spot colors have been updated yet also. Supposedly Pantone has added several new colors which weren't available in Quark 4.11.

Other than the things you mentionned and the layering capabilities I really don't see what makes version 5 a vast improvement over version 4. After so many years of development I'd think they'd have "stuffed" alot more into it. But with something like QXP people will upgrade to stay on top of the game regardless.

As for OSX compatability, Quark has mentionned several times that version 5 wouldn't be OSX native until a future update (possibly a Quark "5.1" or "5.5" or something). Apparently the whole program would practically need to re-written from the ground-up to get a carbon or (hopefully) cocoa version out. It'd be nice to think that such an update would be a "freebie" but with all the work required to just build it I'm not too optimistic about that.

If they're smart they'll go for a true cocoa version and get a jump on the competition which mostly only have carbon versions out right now. Lot's of the die hard OSX adopters are anxious to see real cocoa versions of thier favorite app's sometime soon but so far I don't think there really are any.

As a beta tester do they provide you with options for feedback to Quark inc.? If so I strongly urge you and anyone testing the software to bug them about the lack of multiple undoes. Hopefully they'll release an updater to add that functionality to it as it's probably too late to build it into the final version by now.

Mike

godzookie2k · Dec 3, 2001, 04:29 PM

You can download the quark 5 beta from quarks site and there is a feedback address around there somewhere. (don't feel like looking up an address right now, sorry

)

Nick

bluehz · Dec 3, 2001, 04:44 PM

I used it for a bit - but had to stop to get some work done. Main gripe - none of the plethora of XT's I am required to use (because Quark won't build in the most basic of functionality) do not work. They will have to be updated. Other than that it works pretty well.

MikeM32 · Dec 4, 2001, 06:32 PM

Oh man.......XTensions not working will not be good

I didn't even consider that possibility.

Mike

chris v · Dec 4, 2001, 08:12 PM

I poked around a little more last night. It does make HTML documents, but I don't know what you'd do with them. You can copy/paste elements from a regular Quark document to an HTML document. This could be really handy if you've got old Quark files you want to upload to a web page.

There's a new Bleed tab in the Print... dialog. You can now tell whether a color is spot or process by a little icon next to the swatch in the colors panel. The toobar's been rearranged a bit, but nothing new on it, that I can see. Overall, it just "looks" a little better, but the differences are mostly just a tidying up.

The main differences appear to be web functionality, tho I doubt I'd use that much, since the only web pages I mess with are my personal stuff, which I do in GoLive, which can't open a Quark HTML page.

I don't think for page layout, this is much of an upgrade. They could have called it 4.5 and been more accurate. The Beta seems stable, and functional and I'm sure there's some really great features I haven't found yet, like something labelled "super step and repeat" in the Item menu.

It'll be interesting to see if it catches on at all with web designers.

CV

chris v · Dec 4, 2001, 09:05 PM

Ooh, this is kind of a biggie! (for me). With a picture box selected, under Style menu, you can now select
4 new options.. Center Picture, fit picture to box, fit picture to box (proportionally), fit box to picture.

No more endlessly dragging re-size points trying to make pictures and boxes fit one another. I like that.

CV

bluedog · Dec 5, 2001, 01:13 AM

Originally posted by chris v:
Ooh, this is kind of a biggie! (for me). With a picture box selected, under Style menu, you can now select
4 new options.. Center Picture, fit picture to box, fit picture to box (proportionally), fit box to picture.

No more endlessly dragging re-size points trying to make pictures and boxes fit one another. I like that.

CV

These are keyboard shortcuts for QuarkXPress that have been available since at least version 3.32. Simply select the box with the content select tool (the insertion point in a box -- second one down from the top) and then using these shortcuts:

Center Picture -> Cmd+Shift+M
Fit Picture to Box-> Cmd+Shift+F
Fit Picture to Box Proportionally -> Cmd+Shift+Option+F
Fit Box to Picture -> No equivalent I know.

These aren't really new features, just available for more than those 'experts' aside from the "fit box to picture" option.

Unless I misunderstood your description.

chris v · Dec 5, 2001, 08:52 AM

Originally posted by bluedog:


These are keyboard shortcuts for QuarkXPress that have been available since at least version 3.32. Simply select the box with the content select tool (the insertion point in a box -- second one down from the top) and then using these shortcuts:

Center Picture -> Cmd+Shift+M
Fit Picture to Box-> Cmd+Shift+F
Fit Picture to Box Proportionally -> Cmd+Shift+Option+F
Fit Box to Picture -> No equivalent I know.

Oh. I, uh, new that

Maybe I should read the f'ing book... Then again, those keyboard shortcuts are so intuitive....

These aren't really new features, just available for more than those 'experts' aside from the "fit box to picture" option.

Unless I misunderstood your description.

Fit box to picture does what it sounds like-- make a large box, drop a small picture in it anywhere, and the box boundaries snap to the edges of the picture, without moving or resizing the pic.

Hey, ya learn something new every day around here.

CV

jack daddy · Dec 5, 2001, 09:54 PM

i used quark 5 to design most of a simple brochure for my company. i am a junior designer who does web and print ( so far). the brochure got squashed after unorganization by my superiors but...this is what i got out of it

1. web tools suck. why did they even bother? are they trying to compete with golive or dreamweaver? hahaha...no way. the tools make me think they are trying to...but it'll never happen. What they should have done was try to make some sort of tools that would compete with Fireworks. Fireworks is like imageready but simpleler, and more vector oriented. that sounds like the direction they should have went towards.

2. they should have went after adobe indesign more. the adobe website has a PDF made specifically to insult quark and how indesign is 500 time better. Although indesign offers unnecessary tools in lieu of important professional features, everybody sees that they try very hard to produce something really great.it's been so long since 4.1 came out that quark 5 should be beyond awesome. but it's not. it feels like quark 4 and looks like quark 4.1 on a pc. thats the truth. i wasn't blown away and neither will you.

thats it.