We Give Thanks

Last week I provided you with a link to the 4YEOTHANKS dingbat font as one example of Thanksgiving designs. With the holiday less than a week away, we need another appropriate font to use. We Give Thanks is another dingbat font with some really intricate designs appropriate for the holiday. Now that we have the fonts we need, it is time to start thinking about all the great food to be shared.

Select All Tricks

When working in CorelDRAW, as well as most any other software, pressing Ctrl + A will select all. By default in CorelDRAW, it select all objects in your drawing. But there are a few tricks you can use to select other things. If a guideline is selected when you press Ctrl + A, it will select all guidelines. If a node is selected, it will select all nodes. Of course this information is included in my CorelDRAW X4 Unleashed book, but I have forgotten it until I was reading one of the chapters today.

Canon 7D DSLR

It seems like everywhere I go these days, the signs of Christmas are quite evident. So in my next few Hump Day Hardware posts I'm going to talk about some toys that you might want to get yourself as a present. We'll start out with a great new DSLR from Canon, the Canon 7D. The link goes to the version with a 28-135mm lens, but you can also buy it without a lens.

Inside you'll find an 18.0 megapixel CMOS sensor to capture high-resolution photos. So that your shots are clear, there is a 19 point autofocus system. It also can shoot video in HD. For those who like to shoot in low light, you can set the ISO as high as 6400.

If you are in the market for a DSLR, this is definitely a camera that should be on your short list!

Using OpenType Features: Figure Styles

Today we're going to return to a tutorial teaching you more about fonts. Using OpenType Features: Figure Styles gives you a wonderful description of the different types of figures and ways to use them in Adobe InDesign.

To use special characters like this in CorelDRAW, open the Insert Symbol Character Docker (Ctrl + F11) and navigate to the font of your choice. The bad news is that CorelDRAW just flat out can't access every character in an OpenType font. That means you may not be able to use all of the cool characters described in this tutorial. While I can't give you magic access to these characters, I do encourage you to let Corel know you want the ability to access all characters in an OpenType font. The more they hear about it, the more likely we'll get this problem rectified in the future.

GDG Click-It! Contours and Shadows

When you are working with Contours in CorelDRAW, the options provided don't give you a choice for the type of corners you want. GDG Click It! Contours & Shadows allows you to choose between rounded and beveled corners. You can also apply a Contour to multiple shapes at the same time instead of being limited to only a single object. This gives you more flexibility and allows you to work faster than the built-in options. On top of that are three different options for adding shadows to objects. That's a lot of great features in one package!

Fashion Graphics Women

If you design garment graphics, you definitely want to check out YouGraph's Fashion Graphics Women collection. It includes a total of 30 fantastic designs that are ready to use or even to modify. Not sure if it is right for you? Download a free sample and check it out.

Wilcom DecoStudio e1.5

Not all users are aware of the amazing fashion designs that can be created in CorelDRAW. A really cool product for creating multidecorations is Wilcom DecoStudio e1.5 and now is a great time to give it a look if you haven't already. Why is it a great time? Because Corel is throwing in the DecoStudio PowerPack if you purchase before December 31, 2009!

First, let's go over what you get with Wilcom DecoStudio. I see it as two major components with the first one being CorelDRAW X4. CorelDRAW can be used to design artwork that will be digitized and/or artwork that will be printed on a garment. If you already know how to use CorelDRAW, you won't find that it works any different inside of the DecoStudio package. The other part is Wilcom's contribution and that is the embroidery digitizing software. You can design directly in DecoStudio or you can have your CorelDRAW artwork digitized automatically. Of course you can edit the digitized version after the conversion. When the design is all ready, it can be saved as a stitch file compatible with popular embroidery machines. If you want to see what it can do, visit the DecoStudio page for a video tutorial and more.

For a limited time, Corel is including the DecoStudio Power Pack (a $995 value) for free. So what exactly do you get? I've pasted the information below.

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As a helpful addition to Wilcom DecoStudio e1.5, the DecoStudio PowerPack is for those who want to add a bit more power and control. It is packed full of great tools! DecoStudio PowerPack includes:

• Power Lettering Tools
  
  • Team Names
  • Letter Spacing
  • Stitch Method control
  • Vertical Baseline
  
  
• New! Knife tool - cut whole shapes into separate objects, automatically re-sequencing the objects to avoid trims and cuts
• Bonus! 6 month subscription to Wilcom ConceptShare™ 

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So if you have been thinking about digitizing artwork with CorelDRAW or switching from another flavor of embroidery software to DecoStudio, there couldn't be a better time to do it. You might even find that you can get a discount if you are trading in other embroidery software. Get all the details of Corel's special sale!