CorelDRAW Unleashed Boot Camp Video and New Dates

Three new fall dates have been added to the CorelDRAW Unleashed Boot Camp schedule. In addition to the upcoming classes on May 7-9 and July 9-11; Boot Camps have been added on October 1-3, November 5-7 and December 10-12. All dates are in 2009.

Not sure if you should attend? I'll share comments from three students at the 100th Boot Camp held earlier this month.

"Your real world examples of your past projects and what you have learned along the way helps me not make the same mistakes. This should save me tons of time. Definitely worth the price and the trip to Arizona."

"Time very well spent."

"Huge help! Great teaching, thanks so much! This was an excellent class!"

Want to get a better idea of what you'll get from CorelDRAW Unleashed Boot Camp? I have just posted a new video on the CorelDRAW Unleashed Boot Camp Web page and you can download a high-resolution copy of the video. We also have a PDF version of the Boot Camp flyer you can download for your own reading or to put on the boss' desk for approval. I hope you will join me soon for three solid days of productivity and creativity boosting training. And while you don't need to tell the boss, you'll have fun in the class!

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CorelDRAW Economic Stimulus Plan

In these tough economic times we all need to find a way to get the most from the products that we sell or products we use on a regular basis. You should also consider ways to make your business more profitable without a lot of added time to your work day. First, I'll tell you a great way to do this and then I'll give you a special discount that is only available for a very short time. I’m sure most of you are aware of the CorelDRAW X4 Unleashed ebook, but how well do you really know how to use the CorelDRAW and Corel PHOTO-PAINT tools and use them to the fullest extent? Here at Unleashed Productions, we have just what you need to become more successful in your business. We have a 3 day class called the CorelDRAW Unleashed Boot Camp. This class will equip you with the tools necessary to increase your productivity and to help you produce a better product. We can show you new techniques and tools that will get you out of the rut you have put yourself in because you just do the same things over and over again. Our classes are offered several times a year and I will be the one teaching you. The class size is limited to 12 campers so you have great opportunity to interact with me and get a tremendous amount of information. Here are just a few of the comments our former camper have written:

"You exceeded my expectations. I’ve worked with Corel for 10 years now, if I had attended your Boot Camp years ago you would have saved me thousands of hours!"

"You packed a ton of learning into those three short days. After using CorelDRAW for so many years, I had fallen into a set way of doing things and just never thought to try anything new. Thanks to you I’ve found my enthusiasm again!"

"LOVED IT! More than worth the money, I should have done this years ago"

Each Boot Camper will receive:

• Full-color handout with over 160 pages of detailed notes on each Boot Camp session.
• Boot Camp DVD-ROM with software and samples to practice what you’ve learned.
• Copy of CorelDRAW X4 Unleashed Premium Bonus Content Edition.
• A Certificate of Completion to show their accomplishment.
• Continental breakfast, lunch and refreshments each day.
• Enjoy a fantastic BBQ dinner on the second night.

Our classes are geared for the intermediate to advanced user of CorelDRAW. We do however accept beginners, if we have advanced notice. We can send you the class information ahead of time for you to go over and get yourself familiar with CorelDRAW.

This class is not only a fantastic way to improve your business, it will open your eyes to endless possibilities with CorelDRAW.

Our April Boot Camp will be the 100th Boot Camp since we started them back in 1996. I want to make sure that every seat is filled so I'm going to give you a $100 discount if you use the code "100CAMPS" when you register. I'll even allow you to use this code for the July camp in case April won't fit on your calendar. This is a very limited time offer and you must register no later than March 20, 2009 or when the classes are full, whichever comes first.

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Boot Camp Cruise Has Sailed

I have had a few e-mails lately asking me where I had been hiding. In a two week span I attended three trade shows (I'll cover those in another post) and then hosted the CorelDRAW Unleashed Boot Camp Cruise as we sailed from Los Angeles to the Mexican Riviera.

We had a great group of ten students and their guests from as far away as Norway. Others came from Georgia, Texas, Alberta, Arizona and California. While the ship was in motion, we hunkered down in the ship's cinema to go over the ins and outs of CorelDRAW and Corel PHOTO-PAINT. And when the ship docked in a port, we got off the ship and enjoyed the local sights and sounds.

Everyone was encouraged to take lots of pictures. All of those pictures were collected so that we could all share. Then on the last day of class, we found almost 100 of the best photos and applied minor repairs and color adjustments to them. That's right, we fixed 100 photos in less than two hours! That left us with another two hours to put them all into ProShow Producer and create a multimedia movie. You can download a copy of the movie so that you can experience just a little bit of the fun we had. Keep in mind that this movie was created live in class in a very short amount of time. We did encourage students to modify the movie and send us updated versions. So as I get new versions, I'll post them as well.

I've already been asked when and where the next Boot Camp Cruise will take place. At this point I haven't even looked for a time and place. But if you would be interested in joining us, feel free to leave a comment with your suggestion for where and when we should set sail.

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Boot Camp Cruise Deadline Extended

Have you considered joining Jeff Harrison and I on the CorelDRAW Boot Camp Cruise? This is your opportunity to take your CorelDRAW and Corel PHOTO-PAINT skills to a higher level while also enjoying a great vacation along the Mexican Riviera.

Our deadline for booking a space on the cruise was September 19th. That's right, the time has passed. I was able to convince the cruise line to extend the deadline until November 2nd. So you still can sign up for this amazing training experience. Now it is possible the ship will sell out before that date, so don't wait to book your space!

Want all the details in one compact file? Download the PDF flyer and you'll have the info you need. I'll give you a quick overview of how it all works.

First, there are two parts to the registration process. You can't be in the class if you aren't on the ship. So download the registration form for the cruise and reserve your space on the ship. We were able to negotiate some amazing prices. Some of you may be traveling alone. If so, our travel agent can try and match you up with someone else to help you save money on the cruise costs. Many of the people will be traveling with friends or family who will not be taking the class. They are definitely welcome to join us on the cruise.

The second part is the class. Only those who register for the class can be part of the training. You can register for the class online. At right you can see a photo of the room where the class will be held. It is the cinema on the ship complete with a huge screen and a great sound system. Each of the seats has a desk that pops up. Don't worry, we won't come close to filling every seat so every student will have a great view of everything taught.

All of the training sessions are held while the ship is sailing between ports and is spread out over the length of the cruise. We make sure to give you free time to enjoy the activities on the ship and we will not teach during the shore excursions so that you can get off and see the sights! Several of the students from our 2007 Caribbean Cruise have already signed up to join us on this cruise. Yes, they had a lot of fun on the first cruise. It was just as important that they increased their knowledge of CorelDRAW and Corel PHOTO-PAINT. Come along on the cruise. Work on your tan. See the sights and take some great photos. Boost your productivity with CorelDRAW and Corel PHOTO-PAINT. With your improved productivity, the cruise will pay for itself in no time!

For anyone in the apparel industry, you can combine the cruise with the ISS (Imprinted Sportswear Show) Show in Long Beach. Jeff and I are both planning to attend the show after the ship returns to port. While the show would mainly benefit those in the screen printing, garment printing and embroidery markets; it would also give other users a chance to learn more about these industries. You can get a free pass to the show from the ISS Web site.

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Thursday Tip: Right Triangle

Need to draw a rectangle in CorelDRAW? There are several tools you can use for this. The Polygon tool will draw a triangle if you select three sides on the Property Bar. But this is not a right triangle. The Bézier tool or Freehand tool could do it, but getting the nodes in the correct places could be tricky. The Smart Drawing tool allows you to quickly draw it freehand and have it converted into a triangle. This works, but accuracy is certainly an issue. There is definitely a right triangle in Perfect Shapes you can use.

My answer? I cheat! Draw a rectangle, convert it to curves (Ctrl + Q) and delete the corner node that you do not want. This leaves you with a right triangle. Sometimes you'll find the best tool for the job is the one that does not exist.

How would you like to get three straight days of tips like this? Come join me at our CorelDRAW Unleashed Boot Camp and that's exactly what you'll get. Or join Jeff Harrison and I on the CorelDRAW Unleashed Boot Camp Cruise and you can get tips from both of us throughout the seven days of the cruise. No matter which Boot Camp you choose, your productivity will soar from all the great new tips you learn!

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CorelDRAW Boot Camp Cruise Price Drops

I got an e-mail yesterday from someone asking about the CorelDRAW Boot Camp Cruise to be held in January, 2009. This person claimed that rates for the cruise on another Web site were $200 lower than what we offered. This just didn't sound right to me so I did some research on my own and also consulted with the travel agent who set up the cruise portion of the Boot Camp.

The discrepancy turned out to be a misunderstanding by the person who contacted me. The rates we list include all of the "extra" costs that cruise lines typically list in small print. Those include port taxes, government taxes and a fuel charge which total $240.23 per person. So it turned out that our fares were already cheaper when properly compared. That was good news to hear.

Today I got even better news. Our travel agent checked with the cruise line and there had been a reduction in prices. Even better, we can pass that reduction on to anyone who joins us on the CorelDRAW Boot Camp Cruise. Prices for balcony cabins have dropped $50 per person and outside and inside cabins are $100 less per person. That was great news to hear!

The CorelDRAW Boot Camp Cruise is your opportunity to have a great vacation while boosting your productivity with CorelDRAW and Corel PHOTO-PAINT. Since it is a business trip, you may even be able to write off some or all of the travel costs on your taxes! Check with your tax adviser on this.

I look forward to seeing you on the cruise for some serious learning and some fun times on the Mexican Riviera.

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Learn CorelDRAW While Enjoying the Tropics

In January 2007, Jeff Harrison and I led a group of Corelians through the Eastern Caribbean while learning the hottest tips on CorelDRAW and Corel PHOTO-PAINT. The CorelDRAW Unleashed Boot Camp Cruise is back and this time we're visiting the Mexican Riviera in January 2009.

For those who aren't familiar with how the cruise works, I'll give you a brief description. We set our Boot Camp classroom on the Norwegian Star cruise ship and share our best tips on getting the most out of CorelDRAW and Corel PHOTO-PAINT while the ship is moving. When we dock in port, you are free to explore the port on your own or a group of us can explore together. We also make sure to give you plenty of free time to enjoy all the fun activities on the ship.

We worked really hard to find the exact itinerary that would give us plenty of teaching time and also gives us exciting ports to visit at a very affordable price. In fact, you might find it less expensive to spend a week on a cruise ship than to come to our land-based Boot Camps in Arizona. For those of you who suffer through cold winters, there is the perfect getaway. You get warm weather and even hotter CorelDRAW training! Make sure to get your reservations in early as the ship most likely will sell out. If you would like to invite friends and family, they can also take care of the great rates on the cruise.

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Registration for Spring Boot Camps Now Open!

Yesterday I told you that we had introduced a new registration system for the CorelDRAW Unleashed User Conference. Today we have the new registration system hooked up to the CorelDRAW Unleashed Boot Camps as well. Along with the new system comes the official announcement of our Spring 2008 Boot Camp schedule. Boot Camps will be held on March 31-April 2, April 24-26 and May 8-10. With only 36 total spaces, we expect all three classes to fill up very fast.

There are a number of new things on the Boot Camp page. Graphics have been updated to our new theme. The Boot Camp slideshow has gone through a huge update with a bunch of new photos and we published on YouTube so you can share it with every CorelDRAW user you know. We hope to see you in a Boot Camp soon!

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