Thursday Tip: Web Safe Colors

There has long been a misconception that only a limited set of colors were "safe" on the Web. That just isn't the case, all RGB colors can be used on the Web. I've even seen mention that only Hex colors were Web safe. No, hexadecimal is simply another numbering system. In CorelDRAW, RGB values are shown in the decimal numbering system and range from 0-255. Hexadecimal represents those same numbers from 00-FF. There are a couple of tools that can help you use Hexadecimal numbers inside CorelDRAW. The first is Draw Color Helper and the other is wOxxOm Hex Color. Just remember to use RGB colors when designing for the Web and you'll be "safe".

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Macro Monday: Draw Color Helper

I guess this one doesn't technically count as a macro since it is a standalone EXE file. But the main function of the program is to allow you to more easily enter both decimal and hex colors in CorelDRAW. Separate versions are available for CorelDRAW 11, CorelDRAW 12, CorelDRAW X3 and CorelDRAW X4.

Draw Color Helper is a free download. Read the instructions provided to learn how to install and use the program. Since Corel doesn't give us the ability to work directly with hex colors in CorelDRAW, this is a tool that will fill in until Corel gives us the feature. Enjoy!

If you have suggestions for macros that I should feature, please drop me a comment and make suggestions.

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Monday Macro: Dizzy: Channels

Do you work with color separations in CorelDRAW? If so, today's macro could be just what you need. Dizzy: Channels allows you to quickly turn various colors on and off so that you can preview the separations using that color right on screen.

After installing, you'll find that it gives you a small dialog box on screen listing each of the colors used in your document. Just like the Layers Docker in CorelDRAW, you can turn colors on and off by clicking on an eyeball icon. This makes it super easy to preview the color separations right on screen. Even if this saves you making one error on press, the macro has easily paid for itself.

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Thursday Tip: Tint Your Fills and Outlines

Yesterday's post was really long, so I'm going to keep today's post really short. That's just fine as this tip gives you a lot of bang for your buck.

You've filled an object in CorelDRAW with a solid color. The color looks good, but may be wish it was a little darker or a little lighter or had more yellow in it. No problem. With the object selected, hold down the Ctrl key and click on a color in the palette. It will add around 10% of the color you clicked to the existing fill. So click on black to make it darker, click on white to make it lighter, click on Yellow to add more yellow, etc.

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Macro Monday: wOxxOm Hex Color

Anyone designing graphics for the Web can certainly appreciate the need to specify RGB color values as hexadecimal numbers. When you use color on a Web page, you use hex numbers. Yet when you are working in CorelDRAW, the colors are all specified as decimal numbers. In the end you get the same color, but translating between the two numbering systems can be quite frustrating.

That's where today's macro, wOxxOm Hex Color, can really save you time and trouble. It allows you to easily specify fill or outline colors using hex values. To get a better understanding of how the macro works, watch the movie showing it in action. For those developing art for the Web, Hex Color is a real lifesaver of a tool.

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Thursday Tip: Expand Your Palettes

If you look at the default color palette in CorelDRAW, it only appears to have around 100 color swatches. Sure, there are a number of palettes that come with CorelDRAW that can be used if you want more colors. But did you know that there is a very easy way to get to many more colors?

Hold your mouse button down for a few seconds when left-clicking on a color. This will bring up a pop-up palette showing the original color and 48 other variations in hue and saturation as shown at right. Once you see this palette, release your mouse button completely. Now left-click on the color you want to use for a fill or right-click to use it for an outline. If the palette you are using is for spot colors, the pop-up palette will only have ten variations representing 10% increments of tint for the color. Using this trick expands the default palette to thousands of colors!

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More Revived Tutorials

Yesterday I told you about some of our older tutorials that had been revived recently. Today I'll give you a list of three more that have recently been revived.

One of the most common tasks that CorelDRAW users face is converted lousy bitmap logos into vector artwork. The Converting a Bitmap Logo to Vector in CorelDRAW tutorial shows some of the basic techniques on a relatively simple logo.

If you need to draw in isometric views, Constructing Isometric Grid Paper will show you how to set up a grid system for doing it. For the occasional project, this tutorial will definitely get you going in the right direction. If isometric drawing is something you need regularly, check out the EZ Metrics add-on for CorelDRAW that creates isometric views with a single click.

Do you need to print color charts for color matching? Calibrating Your Printed Colors with a Color Chart tells you why it is important to do this and it provides pre-designed palettes you can download plus instructions for creating your own charts automatically.

I'll be away for a few days hosting the CorelDRAW Unleashed User Conference and then I'll return with more revived tutorials and even more goodies! You can expect some blog updates from the conference when I can find a free minute.

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Great Source for Color Combos

As a designer, you are always trying to find colors that work well together. I ran across a free tool today that can help you create color themes and I want to tell you a bit about it.

Kuler is a free tool on the Adobe Web site. One of its features is that it can create color themes (five color combos) from images posted on flickr. I don't know about you, but I've not used flickr. One of these days I'll have to give it a try.

The great part is that you can see all the themes that have been created right on the kuler Web site. If you have an Adobe ID, you can even download the themes as an Adobe Swatch Exchange (ASE) file. If you have Adobe's CS2 or CS3 suites, you can use the themes.

I'm a CorelDRAW guy through and through so I wanted to get some of the themes into CorelDRAW. So I used the Eyedropper in CorelDRAW to "Select From Desktop" and snag the colors from the kuler Web site. Once I had captured the five colors from a theme, I could tell CorelDRAW to create a palette from the document and I was all set.

So, visit kuler and create palettes from your favorite themes. Next thing you know, you'll have a nice library of palettes to use in your projects.

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Mystical Painter Bundle Provides Great Value

The folks at Auto FX have put together a special bundle of products at an unbelievable price. The Mystical Painter Bundle is comprised of six separate software and training products valued at $900. With this special bundle, you can get them for only $349 until August 31, 2008.

Corel Painter X is the centerpiece of the suite. By itself, Corel Painter X has a list price of $429 and sells for $379.99 at Amazon. Even if all you want is Corel Painter X, the bundle is saving you $30! The next piece of the bundle is the Mystical Lighting plug-in from Auto FX. It has a price of $179. You also get the Mystical Tint Tone and Color plug-in from Auto FX. It also has a price of $179. Add to that a training video from Jeremy Sutton on using Corel Painter which sells for $65. There are also training videos for both Mystical Lighting and Mystical Tint Tone and Color. Each of those series is $29 each when purchased separately.

For those who are looking for a way to unleash their inner artist, this special bundle gives you the software and the training you need to "paint" on your computer. Remember, the special expires on August 31, 2008 so don't miss out!

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