ART121.rev corelART121.rev corel, DESIGN, March 2006 Computer Arts Issue 121 PDFs, CA121
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REVIEWS | MAC No PC Ye s PRICE £386; upgrade £175 CONTACT Corel 01628 589800 www.corel.co.uk ABOVE: The CorelDRAW interface is clean, despite a wealth of new features FEATURES • Corel PowerTRACE added • Pixmantec RawShooter essentials added • 100 templates, 1,000 OpenType fonts, 35 Windows Glyph List 4 fonts • New hints system and extended handbook • Interactive Fit Text To Path tool • Overprints preview • Open or create password- protected PDFs • New Vector Crop tool • Image adjustment lab in PHOTO-PAINT • Over 400 enhancements and 40 new features BELOW: Raw image processing is now provided by RawShooter essentials ABOVE: PHOTO-PAINT’s effective bitmap editing tools complement CorelDRAW, putting a pretty comprehensive image-editing suite at the disposal of users CorelDRAW X3 SYSTEM • Pentium III 600MHz, 256MB RAM, 200MB hard drive • Windows 2000, XP, XP Tablet PC AN IMPRESSIVE-LOOKING SUITE OF TOOLS, BUT HOW DOES IT COMPARE WITH THE BIG GUNS? L aunched over 20 years ago, particular styles such as line art, clip art or low/high quality. The results are every bit as impressive as those you can get in Illustrator, although more detailed conversions can be numeric values, and the integrated fi le browser enables you to easily access images and apply batch edits. But it is still the vector application CorelDRAW itself that forms the heart of this suite, and there are plenty of improvements to be found. Fit Text to Path is now a standard feature in such software, but X3 introduces a new level of performance that enables you to dynamically position the text away from the path. The Smart Fill feature is intelligent enough to recognise which sections of an image you’re trying to fi ll without requiring a perfectly enclosed path, and the Crop tool presents another range of options not found in Illustrator with its ability to remove unwanted areas without the need to ungroup objects, break linked groups apart or convert objects to curves. The range of features on offer may not quite match that provided by Adobe Creative Suite, but you do get some powerful core tools for your money. Corel’s bundle will continue to be popular among students and those who are on a budget but still require professional results. CorelDRAW Graphics Suite has continued to fi nd favour among designers across the world, despite stiff competition from the big names in vector illustration. Compared with Illustrator, its approach to creating vector graphics is simplifi ed and this has led many to believe CorelDRAW isn’t quite as capable. As its many users will testify, however, this simply isn’t true. In fact, Corel adopted the ‘integrated suite’ approach long before Adobe ever did and new applications have been added over time, including the powerful PHOTO- PAINT for bitmap image editing and CAPTURE, a useful screengrab tool. The vector animation program R.A.V.E. has fi nally been dropped, having proved little competition for the likes of Macromedia Flash, but this X3 bundle sees the introduction of two additional products: PowerTRACE and Pixmantec’s RawShooter essentials. PowerTRACE provides a range of effective methods of converting bitmap images into vectors, from a simple quick trace through to more FOR • Value for money • Powerful tools • Self-contained suite of related applications YOU’LL GET SOME POWERFUL TOOLS FOR YOUR MONEY IN X3 AGAINST • Lacks the range of features available in Creative Suite • PHOTO-PAINT is still no match for Photoshop almost too precise, with numerous unnecessary nodes created. Corel is one step ahead, however, and has added a tool that effectively reduces the number of nodes should you require this to bring your image back within editable reach and lose that more recognisably traced fi nish. RawShooter retains its original Pixmantec interface, which takes time to get used to. But once you do, you’ll fi nd the software is much more intuitive than Adobe’s Camera Raw plug-in for Photoshop. Edits are applied in real time, so you can gauge the amount of editing required using sliders rather than entering RESOURCE VERDICT If you regularly use templates you’ll appreciate the extended downloads available through the Community section of the Corel website (www.corel.co.uk), where you’ll also fi nd tutorials and some handy tips A keen price and some powerful new features should ensure that CorelDRAW will remain popular with new and existing users working on a tight budget. The inclusion of PHOTO-PAINT and RawShooter essentials will appeal to those wishing to work with bitmaps and digital photos ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ N/A BETA PREVIEW | 85 April 2006 ART121.rev_corel Sec1:85 28/2/06 5:23:49 pm [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |
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