Resources Docker for CorelDRAW X4 and X5

Many times there are projects going on behind the scenes at Graphics Unleashed. One such project began life nearly six months ago during an e-mail exchange. Thanks to the ability of CorelDRAW X4 and X5 to have custom Dockers and the programming skills of Shelby Moore, I'm proud to announce the availability of the Resources Docker. First, I'll make it clear that it is completely free and it works in both CorelDRAW X4 and X5.

We tried to make it so that the Graphics Unleashed resources that you find most important are all available. You'll find the latest blog posts from the Graphics Unleashed Blog and Jeff Harrison's Daily Diversion. You'll also find links to the bestsellers on Graphics Unleashed Media Marketplace as well as a random selection of other products. Lastly, you'll find links to the most recent topics in the Graphics Unleashed Discussion Forums where you can post questions and get answers. The Docker was designed so that it can be easily updated should other resources become available.

Check out the Resources Docker and download your free copy today!

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The Damage Caused By Ad Blocking

I came across a quote today that I wanted to share with you. I'll include some comments after the quote.

"There is an oft-stated misconception that if a user never clicks on ads, then blocking them won't hurt a site financially. This is wrong. Most sites, at least sites the size of ours, are paid on a per view basis. If you have an ad blocker running, and you load 10 pages on the site, you consume resources from us (bandwidth being only one of them), but provide us with no revenue. Because we are a technology site, we have a very large base of ad blockers. Imagine running a restaurant where 40 percent of the people who came and ate didn't pay. In a way, that's what ad blocking is doing to us. Just like a restaurant, we have to pay to staff, we have to pay for resources, and we have to pay when people consume those resources. The difference, of course, is that our visitors don't pay us directly but indirectly by viewing advertising."

"My argument is simple: blocking ads can be devastating to the sites you love. I am not making an argument that blocking ads is a form of stealing, or is immoral, or unethical, or makes someone the son of the devil. It can result in people losing their jobs, it can result in less content on any given site, and it definitely can affect the quality of content."

— Ken Fisher of Ars Technica says if you value the health of your favorite free sites, at least allow the ads to appear.

***

The Graphics Unleashed site is not nearly as large as Ars Technica, but all of the principles described in the quote certainly apply to us as well. Over the years I've found that the users who are most vocal about wanting us to do something on the site for free are also the users who will do everything possible to prevent us from earning revenue to keep the site alive and well. All I can ask is that you don't use ad-blocking technology and support our advertisers if they provide a product or service of interest to you.

***

When CorelDRAW X5 was released, I told you about a way to save 10% by using the coupon code UNLEASHEDFEB. I was told the coupon would expire at the end of February. Guess what? It still works, though I'm not sure when it will stop working. I also made it quite clear that we earn a commission if you buy CorelDRAW X5 using our links. In exchange, I offered a special DVD to anyone who bought through our links and provided an address. Of those who requested the DVD, 5% did not buy through our links. I don't think anyone was intentionally trying to avoid supporting us. I'm pretty sure that it was ad-blocking and cookie-blocking software that failed to give us credit for the sale. The reason I am telling you this is so you can see how the technology described in the quote can have a real effect. I will still send the disc to even the people who weren't shown to have used our links. I will also send them a note and let them know their ordered wasn't credited to us so that whatever is blocking it on their computer can be removed. If you did not already take advantage of the deal, I'll make it available for the rest of the month of March. Buy CorelDRAW X5 through our links and then e-mail me your order number and the address where we should send the disc. Go ahead and use the coupon and you'll save 10% on the order. For those awaiting the discs, I keep adding more and thus have not finalized the content. We plan to start sending the discs next week and we will send you an e-mail when it has shipped.

Thanks for reading this post. Supporting the sites that provide you with support is the only way that information can be brought to you for free. I definitely appreciate the support we've received over the years and look forward to having all our visitors do their small part to keep the site growing.

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Graphics Unleashed Media Marketplace Surpasses 1000 Products

It was just over a year ago that the Graphics Unleashed Media Marketplace was launched. Now there are more than 1000 products available. Yes, many of them have a cost associated with them. Yet many of the products sell for $10 or less. There are also nearly 100 products that are completely free. If you haven't looked at Media Marketplace recently, give it a look again. Before this time next year we fully expect that we'll be well over 2000 products. I'd also like to remind you that anyone can author products for Media Marketplace. So if you have some content that you feel would be valued by others, consider adding it to Media Marketplace.

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Updates on Purchasing CorelDRAW X5

Many of you have taken advantage of the coupon code I've provided in previous posts and in the Graphics Unleashed Newsletter. I was informed this morning that the code to save 10% is only valid in the US and Canada store. Specifically, it will not work in the UK store. This is completely beyond my control so I'm sorry to those of you outside of North America. In fact it came as a surprise to the Corel folks who helped me coordinate the deal. While I can't offer a coupon code to users outside of North America, my offer of the extra DVD is available to anyone anywhere in the world who purchases CorelDRAW X5 through my links before the end of February 2010. Just use the link I provide above and send me your order number and your shipping address. We should start shipping these discs in another ten days or so.

Corel has also put out a Web page explaining many of the features added in CorelDRAW X5. Probably the highlight is the new ad campaign and the graphic novel that you can download. Definitely check out the Web page and the campaign Corel has put together. Even if you don't upgrade, you can appreciate it as a graphic artist.

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Color Management: CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X5

One of the biggest changes Corel made to CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X5 was in the color management engine. David Milisock had compiled an ebook dedicated to the subject that is a must-read for anyone interested in getting the best color from CorelDRAW X5. Color Management: CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X5 is available for immediate purchase and download from David.

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February 23 Graphics Unleashed Newsletter is Now Available

The February 23, 2010 edition of the Graphics Unleashed Newsletter is now available for reading online and downloading as a PDF file. This edition is loaded with information on CorelDRAW X5 as well as other valuable information.

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CorelDRAW X5 Unleashed In The Works

Many of you have utilized the previous CorelDRAW Unleashed books to become more proficient in CorelDRAW. I've been hard at work on the next series of CorelDRAW Unleashed books to help you get the most out of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X5. Did you catch my wording? I said a series of books.

There will be a total of three books in the series. CorelDRAW X5 Unleashed will cover the features that all users need to understand to get the most out of CorelDRAW. CorelDRAW X5 Unleashed Advanced Topics will delve deeper into CorelDRAW, including many of the production industries where CorelDRAW is used. Corel PHOTO-PAINT X5 Unleashed will cover the Corel PHOTO-PAINT application. The books will be released in the order they are listed above.

At this point I'm not ready to announce a date for the release of CorelDRAW X5 Unleashed though I will let you know that I've completed a large part of the book. While I would love to release it as soon as possible, it is more important to make sure that it contains the most information possible. When a release date is known, I'll pass along that information. The other two books will follow after the first one is complete and again they will be released when I feel they are complete. More details on the three books can be found on the CorelDRAW X5 Unleashed home page.

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CorelDRAW X5 Font List Posted

 A complete list of the fonts supplied with CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X5 has been posted. This list contains both the name of the font and the location/name of the file on the CorelDRAW X5 DVD-ROM. Remember, the full set of fonts is only supplied with the boxed version of CorelDRAW X5. The new release is available for pre-order so make sure to get your copy on order.

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ROMCat Catalog for CorelDRAW X5 Available for Immediate Free Download

If you are already using ROMCat 6.0, it still works just great with artwork created in CorelDRAW X5. What you might want to do is download the catalog for the CorelDRAW X5 clip art collection. For those of you not already familiar with ROMCat, visit the ROMCat home page to learn more about how it works and download a copy for yourself.

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CorelDRAW X5 Announced

Corel has announced the release of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X5. All of the details can be found in the press release. A trial version of the new release is available for download or you can simply pre-order the new release. If you purchase from Corel, you can receive the download version immediately and the boxed version (with all of the extra content) will be shipped to you in March. Please note that the links provided may not work immediately as we wanted to get you this information as soon as possible. If they are not working when you first click, wait a few minutes and try again.

If you purchase the new release from Corel using the links above, I do receive a commission from Corel. If you appreciate the information I provide, I would greatly appreciate it if you could use these links. As a special thank you, I'll even send a special DVD to anyone who buys through my links through the end of February 2010. In order for me to send you this special DVD, you need to e-mail me the order number so that we can verify you ordered through my links and the address where you want me to ship your DVD. What will be on this special DVD? I don't know the exact contents as I'm still adding content. It will definitely contain hundreds of Photoshop plug-ins that can be used in Corel PHOTO-PAINT. The vast majority of them are free. It will also have over 12,000 pieces of vector clip art that you can use in CorelDRAW. I know it will have even more content though I don't know exactly what it will be just yet. Remember this offer is only available if you purchase through my links and only if you buy before the end of February! I'll make it even better, use the coupon code "UNLEASHEDFEB" (use all caps) and you'll save 10% off the price shown. Then add the coupon code "COREL99" in the US or "CORELC99" in Canada and you'll get free ground shipping.

One last note. I highly encourage anyone to purchase the boxed version of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X5 as the downloadable version does not include the extra content supplied by Corel. This includes clip art, photos, fonts, templates, extra software and a printed guidebook. If you buy the download, you won't get all of the extra content and the price is the same for both.

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Free CorelDRAW Graphics Suite Webinars

Corel is promoting a series of free 1-hour Webinars on the CorelDRAW Graphics Suite. The tagline in the promotion is "Discover more than you thought possible". I highly recommend you all sign up for one of these free Webinars as I'm pretty confident they will be packed with valuable information. The first Webinar is only a week away and I'm sure there are a limited number of spots available in each one.

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PaintShop Photo Pro and VideoStudio Pro Upgraded and On Sale Today

Corel has released PaintShop Photo Pro X3 and VideoStudio Pro X3 and special pricing is in place today, January 26th, 2010, for the upgrades.I'll give you a brief overview of the products, but I'd highly recommend you follow the links to check out these new products for yourself.

Corel PaintShop Photo Pro X3 gives you the power to easily organize, edit and share professional-quality photos—fast. Ideal for DSLR cameras, it combines photo organization, easy batch processing, creative projects, sharing, and now HD video slideshows and a new RAW Lab.

• Organize and manage all of your photos fast!
• Edit fast with advanced editing tools, including new Smart Carver
• Fix common problems fast in the Express Lab
• Edit one photo, then apply the changes to many others at once
• Import, make basic edits and export HD video
• Create photo books, HD slideshows, cards and more
• Print, burn to disc, send directly to Facebook®, Flickr™ and YouTube™
• Bonus! Corel® Painter™ Photo Essentials 4

Corel VideoStudio Pro X3 is your end-to-end video production package. Now twice as fast, it delivers express and advanced editing modes, studio-quality templates from RevoStock, improved filters, titles, and powerful real-time effects from NewBlue. Share your movies with HD and Blu-ray authoring, and send directly to YouTube, Vimeo and Facebook--all from one complete package.

• Start with studio-quality templates, real-time effects and royalty-free music
• Edit and render faster with GPU acceleration and multi-core Intel® CPU support
• Author menus and burn to CD, DVD or Blu-ray
• Navigate, assemble clips and edit faster with the redesigned interface
• Share on YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, iPod and more

If you want to kick the tires of either program, you can download trial versions. Links to download the free trial versions can be found on the product pages.

Of course you can also buy the two products bundled together for a special price.

As always, I highly recommend that anyone wanting to purchase the products should choose the boxed versions so they get everything. Pricing for the download and the boxed versions are the same. Corel does note that the boxed versions will ship on February 8. In that case, use the free trial version until your box arrives.

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Happy New Year - Welcome 2010!

Not only has 2009 come to a close, so has the decade of the 00s. So rather than simply recapping the past year, I thought I would look back at the entire decade.

As the clocks rolled over to Y2K, the Internet had started to take hold in many of our lives. Now it is hard to find anyone who doesn't use the Internet on a regular basis. For those of us in the design world, it is an integral tool to our work and many of us are involved in design for the Internet.

Technologies such as garment printing didn't really exist at the start of the decade. Sure, there were sublimation printers that could create artwork to be heat-pressed onto garments, but nothing like the printers we have today. I'm sure the printers will continue to improve in the coming decade as the industry matures.

It has become much easier to communicate with others throughout the globe. That may come through e-mail, VOIP calls or even social media like Facebook and Twitter. In any given day, I will often speak with someone on many different continents. Of course this also means that users around the world can order products from Graphics Unleashed.

The ability to communicate so easily couldn't have come at a better time since air travel has become more and more difficult. It started early in the decade with the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the attacks haven't gone away with the latest attempt taking place on Christmas Day. I used to enjoy taking short plane trips and now I'll drive to avoid the hassles of flying whenever possible. Driving isn't always possible, so I still have to suffer through more flights than the average person. This to me is really sad since I used to enjoy flying.

Corel Corporation has had quite a decade. They were a high-flying public company at the start of the decade and crashed to earth soon afterwards. As the stock found new depths, the company was taken private. Then it was made public again and was once again taken private late in 2009. CorelDRAW has matured greatly and changes are now more incremental than monumental. The most exciting new features are actually created by the many macro developers extending the capabilities of CorelDRAW. This trend is sure to continue in the next decade.

The past two years have been tough for many of us thanks to the collapse of the world economy. My impression is that the worst is behind us and things are starting to improve. As a business owner, I sure hope things will improve. Many of you are also business owners and I hope that you are also starting to see improvement. May we all see a more prosperous 2010 and beyond!

With that, I'll end the first post of the next decade. I wish all of you the best in 2010 and I hope to continue to provide useful information to each and every one of you.

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K.N. Pepper's 2009 Xmas Card

One of the joys each year is when K.N. Pepper posts his Xmas card. It is always good for a laugh and this year is no different. Woven in to the card is some political humor and some of the current events of 2009.

I'd like to extend my wishes to each of every one of you as Christmas is celebrated. I will definitely enjoy a couple days away from my computer with friends and family.

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Corel Saved From the Brink

Here in the United States, it is Thanksgiving. I know that I have a lot to be thankful for and I will be enjoying the day away from work with friends. I also want to give thanks to you, my loyal readers, for constantly sending me notes of thanks for the content I provide to you. Corel may also be giving thanks after making a deal that could have saved the company. First, read the article from PC World. For those who don't wish to take the time to read it, Corel has agreed to sell all of their outstanding stock to Vector Capital. Vector is the same company that took Corel private in 2003 and took them public again in 2006. Prior to this deal, Vector already owned 68 percent of the outstanding stock.

I did a series of blog posts a few months back with my personal marketing ideas for Corel. Links to each of them is provided below.

• The State of Corel Corporation
• Add Publishing Tool to CorelDRAW Suite
• Get CorelDRAW in the Schools
• Convert the Pirates
• Support Third Parties
• Develop More Specialized Versions
• A Recap of Marketing Suggestions for Corel

Since I wrote each of those posts, very little has changed. I will give credit to Corel for finally updating the "Learning Resources" page so that various third-party CorelDRAW training aids are listed. I'm sure the time it took to get clearance for this far exceeded the 5-10 minutes it took to update the page. Also note that all of the "Buy Now" links provided allow you to buy the products from Corel so that both they and the third parties earn some money. So this change will help Corel every bit as much as the third parties. A true win-win situation.

Some of you may be concerned that we've seen the last version of CorelDRAW. That definitely won't be the case. I will ask every user to look at their own situation. If you have a "borrowed" version of CorelDRAW, isn't it time you became legal and purchased a copy? If you haven't upgraded for a few versions, maybe it is time for you to upgrade. If Corel is to continue development, they have to finance the development and that means people need to buy the software. I will remind you that Corel has some great pricing on CorelDRAW right now, so there is not a better time to buy. I will also reiterate the offer I have on the table. Anyone who takes advantage of Corel's Black Friday sale using the above link before the end of the sale (the end of November 2009) simply needs to send me their order number and their address to receive the complete collection of CorelDRAW Unleashed magazines for free. This does not apply if you purchased any time other than during this sale.

If you wish to purchase other Corel products, you'll also find some of them are on sale for Black Friday. In addition, you can use the coupon code of "UNLEASHED12" to save 10% on products that aren't on sale. A list of links to other Corel products can be found at the bottom of the Graphics Unleashed home page.

I wish there were cheery news to support, but we don't have to take this as a negative either. We, the users, need to continue to support Corel Corporation by buying new versions. We also need to encourage others to use CorelDRAW. We can only do so much, so I also encourage Corel Corporation to take a very serious look at their marketing and improve it. Several years of poor marketing have led to the current state of affairs. Let's all join together and give CorelDRAW a push. Next year we can celebrate the great revival over our Thanksgiving dinner!

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CorelDRAW X4 and Color Management Bundles

Corel has put together several holiday bundles that combine CorelDRAW X4 with tools to help you master the art of color management. There are introductory, advanced and professional bundles available and all of them are at special prices good through November 24, 2009. If you want to get an even better deal, use the coupon code "UNLEASHED12" without the quotes to save an additional 10%! Check out all the bundles now!

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New Reviews and New Deals

This post is a bit of a mixed bag of information. I decided to put it all in a single post rather than having two separate posts. Hopefully you'll find all of the information useful.

Those of you who have been reading the content on Graphics Unleashed will remember a very prolific reviewer by the name of Kurt von Behrmann. He has been busy the last few years building his career as an artist and hadn't had the time to write any new reviews...until now. We have two new reviews from Kurt. The first is on the just released Windows 7 and the other is on Act 2010. If you have been considering either one, give the reviews a read to get Kurt's thoughts.

Today there was also a new CorelDeal Alert released with limited time offers on CorelDRAW, Corel Painter, Corel DESIGNER, a two for one deal with Corel Paint Shop Pro X2 and VideoStudio Pro X2 and more. These deals all expire on October 31, 2009 so make sure to take advantage of them now. Read the CorelDeal Alert for all the details!

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Amazing Deals for Windows 7 Release

Last Saturday I told you my thoughts on Windows 7. The release is less than 24 hours away. As a way to capitalize on the release of Windows 7, Corel decided to have an incredible sale on two of their latest products. They didn't plan on this coupon getting out to a wide audience, but I won't tell if you won't. If you use the provided coupon code, you'll get 70% off these products.

Save 70% on downloads of WinDVD Pro 2010 with coupon code P843951. After applying the coupon, it is only $30!

Save 70% on downloads of Corel Digital Studio 2010 with coupon code P843951. That's right, only $30 after applying the coupon!

Remember, this only applies to the downloadable versions of these products. The folks who told me about this coupon also said that it only works for users buying through Corel's US and Canada estores. The coupon expires on October 31, 2009 so take advantage of this while you can.

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Secrets from the CorelDRAW International Design Contest

Earlier this year Corel held the latest iteration of the CorelDRAW International Design Contest with the winners being announced on July 30th. Today they sent out a newsletter with links to some tutorials giving you tips on how some of the artwork was created as well as a link to the winners. Corel has also included some special deals in the newsletter that you'll want to check out.

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Corel Deal Alert Includes One Day CorelDRAW Sale and More

If you aren't a subscriber to the Corel Deal Alert, you definitely want to check out the latest edition. There will be special pricing on CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4 that is only available on Wednesday, August 26, 2009. I have no idea how good it will be, but you'll definitely want to check it out. You'll also find special pricing on my CorelDRAW X4 Unleashed book, CorelDRAW X4: The Official Guide, the ColorMunki color management kit, Wacom tablets and Corel Painter 11. All offers are valid until August 31, 2009 with the exception of the one day special on CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4. Read the Corel Deal Alert!

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Get Painter Magazine with Purchase of Corel Painter

I've never been one who could draw much of anything from scratch. This summer I decided to change that and took a class learning to draw with graphite and colored pencils. I found that I really did have at least some artistic talent.

For those who draw with natural media tools, Corel has a great program in Painter. Pair it with a Wacom tablet and you will feel like you have a pencil, paint brush or piece of chalk in your hand. Of course, having a great learning resource always helps you learn new software better. Through August 18th, 2009 you can get a one year of Corel Painter Magazine on DVD. That's 12 issues with 940 pages of expert advice!

The Academic version of Painter is only $99, while the upgrade of the full version starts at $199. Get your copy now before this special offer expires.

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CorelDRAW Beta Testers Wanted

If you have ever wanted to have a role in shaping future versions of CorelDRAW, the call for beta testers of the next version is now open. Before you apply, make sure to read the requirements and the testing agreement carefully. Testing a new version involves a healthy time commitment and there are certainly rough patches along the way. It is also a chance for you to influence the release and make sure the features important to your workflow are addressed.

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Gas Powered Blender

Some of you might ask what this has to do with computers and graphics software. Absolutely nothing! Every now and then we all need to take some time away from the computer to enjoy with our friends and family.

I got the idea for the post while watching a television segment on Key West, Florida where a guy had rigged up a blender to the top of an old outboard boat motor. That was pretty elaborate and probably not very portable. A friend of mine has a gas powered blender and it is always the hit of the party. In fact, he usually has the whole party yelling "fire in the hole" right before pulling the starter cord. Heck, we even had a little license plate sublimated with "fire in the hole" so everyone knows the name of the blender.

It will whip up a pitcher of margaritas or daiquiris in no time. For kids or those who don't want alcohol, whip up a smoothie from your favorite fruits. It is a lot more fun when you pull a starter cord and twist the handlebars to get the drink blending.

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E-Mail Subscribers to Get Post Titles in E-Mail Subject

I've had a number of e-mail subscribers ask me if I could include the title of blog posts in the e-mail subject line. Starting with the e-mails going out on July 22, 2009 there will be post titles included. As an example, the subject will read "Graphics Unleashed: Blog Post Title". Where things get tricky is how this is handled on days where I have more than one post. In those situations, the last post made will be used in the title and the subject will indicate how many more posts are included.

Remember, you will get no more than a single e-mail per day that includes all posts made since the previous e-mail. Typically I post only once a day. Maybe two or three times each month I'll post more than once a day.

For those who aren't already receiving the daily digest e-mails, you can subscribe by providing an e-mail address. This address is only used for the blog digests and will never be used by anyone else for anything. The same changes have been made to Jeff Harrison's Daily Diversion blog. If you aren't already subscribing to Jeff's blog, you can also subscribe via e-mail and again your address won't be used by anyone else for anything.

While I'm discussing changes, there have also been some changes made on the Graphics Unleashed Web site that will make it easier for you to find the information you need. The navigation bar that resides at the top of each page of the site now includes a "Search Site" box. Type in your search words and press the button to get all results for that term on the unleash.com site. We've also added a button just below the navigation bar that makes it very easy for you to bookmark or share the page you are viewing. That includes sending the page to Facebook, putting it on Twitter, Digging it, e-mailing to friends, printing it and much more. I hope that you find both of these changes to be useful. If you have other suggestions how we can improve the site further, post a comment and let me know.

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iShadow

When you create a drop shadow in Corel PHOTO-PAINT, it is solid shadow that fades at the edges. Today's macro, iShadow, allows you to create shadows based on the translucency of the original object. The interface allows you to adjust the shadow in a number of ways. Sure, you'll want the solid shadows on some occasions. But with iShadow you'll have a different option.

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Astronaut with Space Background

It was forty years ago today that the Apollo 11 mission passed behind the moon and went into lunar orbit. A day later, the first man set foot on the moon. Clearly this was a very historical event and it is one that is part of my earliest memories. You see, I was at the launch on July 16, 1969 when the mission to the moon started. I can't say I remember it in vivid details since I was a pretty small guy at the time.

In honor of this mission, I thought I should hunt down a space related piece of artwork for today. The result is a really nice vector graphic of an astronaut with a space background. For those who want to see some pictures from the mission, NASA has a nice archive on their site. Higher resolution versions of many photos are also available. Those of you who enjoy space images can literally spend hours on the site looking through the many photos.

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Serif WebPlus X2

This post will be fairly short. I just finished a full review of Serif WebPlus X2. If you are looking for a low-cost WYSIWYG Web editor, give it a look. Check out the review for all the details.

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Bleeding Cowboys

In the last couple of weeks I've spent a fair amount of time around cowboys. The most interesting was attending the "world's oldest rodeo" in Prescott, Arizona on July 4. If you've ever been to a rodeo, you know that the animals seem to win about as often as the cowboys. That led me to today's font, Bleeding Cowboys. As with many new fonts, it has a grunge aspect to it. In fact, I'm not really sure where the reference to cowboys comes from. I just know it is a very unique font that could make for some new headlines in the right project.

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Scale Images Before Posting on the Web

When different people look at a Web page, there can be a valid debate as to whether the site is attractive or not. Not everyone likes the same thing. Yet there are technical aspects of the site that can not be disputed as to whether they are right or wrong. Today I'll talk about the horrendous practice of including pictures directly from a digital camera on a Web page.

Before we continue with this discussion, I want to get one thing out of the way right now. Resolution is an absolutely meaningless number when it comes to Web graphics. Don't believe me? Stop right now and read K.N. Pepper's DPI, PPI, Pixels - Facts and Fallacies tutorial.

Today I was providing a critique for a client about a local business' Web site. On one of the pages was an image that was obviously taken directly from a digital camera and posted on the site. The file was a 3.5 MB JPG file with pixel dimensions of 3000 x 4000 pixels. The site "designer" allowed the browser to scale the image to 130 x 173 pixels. Sorry, I struggle to call the "designer" by that title since this is just one of a number of severe technical errors made in putting together the site. And yes, they are charging the client for their skills.

I opened the image in Corel PHOTO-PAINT and used the Image | Resample command to change the number of pixels to the same 130 x 173 pixels specified in the HTML code. The file I saved was 21 KB. That's smaller than the original file by a factor of about 1500 and it looks better! In fact, I can get the file even smaller by removing the EXIF data stored in the file. To do this we'll use the Stripfile utility I mentioned a few months ago in this blog. After stripping the extraneous data, the file was 7.84 KB. So the original file was 458,147 times larger than the file that was created properly. My finished image is shown at right.

Using extra large files on a Web site will causes pages to load very slowly. This slow speed could scare away visitors. Losing visitors will cost you. Plus it adds a vast amount of unnecessary bandwidth and that can also cost you. Make sure to scale your images to the proper size before posting them on a Web site. That extra minute or two you spend can save you a lot of money in the long run!

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Memory Card Reader

So many devices these days come with some sort of memory card. The two devices that immediately come to mind for me are digital cameras and cel phones. Unfortunately there are a wide variety of memory card types and you might get cards from friends, co-workers or clients that you need to load on your computer. That makes it a necessity to get a memory card reader that can handle all of the most popular memory card flavors. One of the best deals right now is the Kingston USB 2.0 19-in-1 Flash Memory Card Reader. It sells for only $13.99 at Amazon so you can even get one for your laptop and one for your desktop. I keep a card reader in my traveling bag and have another on my desk so I'm always prepared for whatever card type I receive. Make sure you are prepared for the next memory card you receive.

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Have a Virtual Beer on Me!

There are some tools in CorelDRAW that are very tough for me to master. The Mesh Fill is one of those. Luckily there is an amazing tutorial that shows you how to create a beer mug full of beer that is so realistic that you will try to grab it off your screen to take a drink. Unfortunately the original tutorial is in Russian and therefore hard for anglophiles to understand.

Thanks to automatic translation tools, we can read the tutorial in English. It may sound a little strange due to the computer translation, but you should be able to follow along and download the finished mug to explore.

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Corel's July Deals Deliver a Free Pantone Huey

If you've been waiting for a good reason to upgrade to CorelDRAW X4, Corel's super hot July deal may be that reason. If you buy CorelDRAW X4 from Corel before midnight (Eastern time) on July 20, you'll get a free Pantone Huey device for color calibrating your monitor. You'll find that deal and all the rest of the July deals below. Just remember that they turn into a pumpkin at midnight on July 20, 2009.

• Free Pantone huey monitor calibrator with CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4. Starting from $199. Sale ends midnight 07/20/09. Buy CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4 now!
  
  
• Save $50 on Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 Ultimate. Was $99.99, now only $49.99! Sale ends Midnight 07/20/09. Buy Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 Ultimate now!
  
  
• Save $30 on WinDVD 9 Plus. Was $79.99, now $49.99! Ends midnight 07/20/2009. Buy WinDVD 9 Plus now!
  
  
• Save $50 on Corel VideoStudio Pro X2. Was $99.99, now $49.99! Sale ends Midnight 07/20/09. Buy Corel VideoStudio Pro X2 now!
  
  
• Save $30 on Corel Painter 11. Full from $369, upgrade from $169! Sale ends midnight 07/20/09. Buy Corel Painter 11 now!
  
  
• Save $40 on WordPerfect Office X4. Was $299.99, now $259.99! Upgrade for $129.99! Sale ends midnight 07/20/09. Buy WordPerfect Office X4 now!
  
  
• Save $30 on Corel Photo & Video Bundle. Was $149.99, now $119.99! Includes Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 Ultimate, VideoStudio Pro X2, photo recovery software, Corel Painter Photo Essentials 4, a 2 GB USB flash drive and WinDVD! Sale ends Midnight 07/20/09. Buy Corel Photo & Video Bundle now!
  
  

Remember these deals last less than a week so make sure to place your order now to take advantage of the special pricing!

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Sancho CDR Preflight 5

When you output a file, how much does it cost you if the first attempt fails? And the second attempt? Clearly the costs can add up quickly if you are wasting time and materials. If you could prevent those errors, it would clearly save you both time and money.

Today's macro, Sancho CDR Preflight 5, gives you the ability to take a detailed look at files to find the problems that could occur during output. It will probably pay for itself the first time you save yourself from output failures by fixing the problems in advance. To get all of the details, download the help file and read it over.

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Ten Amazing Skull Vector Designs

It seems like every t-shirt I see these days has a skull on it somewhere. So I set out to find some vector artwork of skulls to use in my projects. I came across the Ten Amazing Skull Vector Designs which are supplied in SVG format. Each of them has a different style and there is definitely a skull for everyone in this collection.

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TweetDeck

Today I'm going to step away from the graphics world briefly to talk about some cool software. It seems like everywhere you turn someone is talking about or talking on Facebook or Twitter. Trying to keep track of all those messages can be troublesome if you have to constantly visit Web sites. Some of you are probably happy to not follow all those messages and I completely understand.

Those who want an easier way to follow messages and to post your own should check out TweetDeck. It allows you to follow a number of different accounts in different panels. You can also post messages directly to Facebook and Twitter at the same time. Don't forget to add Graphics Unleashed on Facebook and follow me on Twitter.

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Bete Noir

Ever since the movie Jurrassic Park came out, I've been fascinated by fonts that had some sort of internal design element. Sometimes it is just a highlight that follows the outer curves and other times it is a more complex pattern. That is the case with today's font, Bete Noir. It contains a zig zag pattern within each character. According to the description it is a Retro font although I don't remember seeing anything like this in days gone by.

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Create Your Own Palettes

I'm not sure the exact number of color palettes supplied with CorelDRAW, but there are at least fifty of them. Probably even twice that many. Yet there are times it seems like you just can't find the color you want. Or maybe there are projects that require a specific set of colors. The good news is that there is an easy solution: create your own palettes!

Select Window | Color Palettes | Palette Editor to get the Palette Editor dialog box. Once there, you can modify an existing palette or simply create a new one from scratch. Add colors, delete colors, choose how the colors are sorted and much more. Over the past couple of years, I've create several custom palettes for my projects and it has made things go much more smoothly. Now I only have the colors I need in the palette and I can quickly select exactly what I want. For more details on the process as well as a movie showing the feature in action, get a copy of my CorelDRAW X4 Unleashed book.

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Another Look at Graphics Tablets

I covered graphics tablets almost a year ago and today I want to look at them in a different light. This comes about because of several questions that have come up in the last few days. As we talk about tablets, I'll answer those questions.

On its most basic level, a graphics tablet is a pointing device just like a mouse, trackball or pointing stick. For me, the tablet is the only pointing device I use on my desktop. Yes, I have a mouse somewhere until the pile of stuff on my desk. I might touch the mouse once a week for a few seconds, but I never use it for daily work. On my laptop, I have a touchpad that I do use from time to time when I am not doing graphics work. But when I do graphics work, I switch to the tablet. There is no reason you can't have two or three pointing devices connected at the same time. You just can't use them all at once.

The first question that came up was how to use the tablet in CorelDRAW (or substitute any other software in the question). Once a tablet has been installed into Windows, you don't have to do anything to use it in any software package. There will be some adjustment if you aren't used to a tablet since the tablet uses absolute positioning and the mouse uses relative positioning. When I made the switch it took a couple of days and that seems to be the normal timeframe.

There is one feature in CorelDRAW that uses the pressure sensitivity available in tablets and that is the Pressure variation on the Artistic Media Brush. While I love using Artistic Media, I rarely if ever use the Pressure variation. Corel PHOTO-PAINT can do more with pressure if it is turned on in Brush Settings. Some users like to use the pressure with their brushes, I tend to avoid it.

The other question was the preferred size. Smaller tablets have lower price tags. So if you don't need a bigger size, I can understand why you wouldn't want to get a tablet bigger than you need. My preferred size is 6" x 8" or 6" x 9". I find anything bigger than that to be too big. The smaller tablets are typically 4" x 6" and I have used this size with great success in the past. But, I prefer a little more size. Other users have larger tablets and they set the tablet up so only a small area of the tablet controls the whole screen. It is just a matter of personal preference. If you have a chance, work with someone else's tablet before you make a buying decision. The biggest must is purchasing a Wacom tablet and not another brand. They are the best and nothing else even comes close!

One user who recently switch made the comment that his mouse finger has stopped hurting after only a single day of tablet usage. This can also be true of your wrists if you have the early stages of carpal tunnel. To me it isn't a question of whether you should get a tablet, but which one you should buy. Graphics Unleashed has a full listing of Wacom tablets on our site that you can purchase online. Find the one that is right for you!

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Getting Reliable Output

Not a day goes by that I don't see a user having problems getting their CorelDRAW file to output properly. Some of these users are so upset that they threaten to give up on CorelDRAW and move to Adobe Illustrator. While their frustration is understandable, the problem won't go away by switching to alternative software.

The key is to properly prepare your files for output! Some effects are always going to cause problems so they must be simplified. Fonts can sometimes get lost in the transfer resulting in bad substitution. Of course there can also be color shifts.

Jeff Harrison covered the steps for getting reliable output in a recent blog post. This will take a little bit more of your time up front. But how much time do you waste if the file causes problems? How much money is wasted on materials if the file doesn't output properly? Getting it right the first time will save you time and money and Jeff has it all covered for you.

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Jeff's Extract Alpha

For me, there is no feature more important in Corel PHOTO-PAINT than masking. It is something I always emphasize when teaching users how to be as productive as possible. Today's macro is something that can help you when working with masks and objects. It will extract the alpha channel (just another name for a mask) from either a masked area or from a floating object in Corel PHOTO-PAINT. Jeff's Extract Alpha doesn't have a huge feature list, but it does make one task very easy.

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Ten Amazing Vector Backgrounds

Typically the focus of a design is the artwork in the foreground. But it can be just as important to have a great background. Today I've found Ten Amazing Vector Backgrounds in SVG format that you can download. Since they are vector, there may be edits and color changes you want to make to get it just right for the project at hand. There are definitely some cool images included and I think you'll find something that you can use.

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PhotoZoom Pro 3

How many times have you gotten a photo that just doesn't have enough resolution/pixels for the project at hand? Sometimes this problem can be resolved by finding an original copy of the image that has more pixels. Even then, it still might not be enough.

Yes, popular image editors have the ability to upsample images. To increase the size just a little bit, that might work just fine. But if you really need to enlarge the image, you might want to look into a product like the just-released PhotoZoom Pro 3. It was designed for upsampling images with their patented S-Spline technology that provides a much-higher quality than what you find in image editors. The latest version of S-Spline is the S-Spline Max found in this new version.

In addition, there is now support for multi-processors so that images can be processed much quicker than in previous versions. You can run PhotoZoom Pro 3 as a standalone or you can use it as a plug-in with image editors that support Photoshop automation and export plug-ins. While I have not yet tried the new version, previous versions worked great with Corel PHOTO-PAINT X4.

A product like this is especially useful for those outputting large prints or signs. But it can also come in handy if you have a fairly low-resolution original that simply isn't good enough. I've had great results with the previous versions and I'm anxious to get a copy of this new release.

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Hawaii Lover

I'll be the first to admit that I love Hawaii. Of the islands I have visited, Maui is my favorite. Hawaii is also the newest of the 50 states in the United States so I felt it might be night to salute it just before we celebrate Independence Day. The Hawaii Lover font combines a script and a grunge font into one really cool font. Some of the characters even include what looks to be a grungy orchid. Just looking at it has me thinking of a trip to the islands.

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Run Your LCD Monitor at Native Resolution!

I covered the topic of running LCD monitors at their native resolution a little over a year ago. It is an extremely important topic that I'm going to discuss again today because of a phone call I had recently with a student from a previous CorelDRAW Unleashed Boot Camp.

This gentleman had spent over three hours on the phone with a tech support representative from Corel and they weren't able to find out why the edges of rectangles were distorted. At the end of the call, the support representative suggested that he give me a call. That definitely made me feel good!

Anyways, I tried the steps outlined by the customer and I had absolutely no problem with the rectangle showing distortion. Plus the customer had both printed and laser engraved the rectangle and it output without distortion. It was very obvious that the distortion was a function of the monitor.

We checked the monitor's settings and it was set to 1024 x 768 because his "eyes aren't as good as they used to be". Believe me, I understand that reasoning as much as anyone since I'm pretty sure bifocals are in my near future. I had him change his resolution to the native settings of his LCD monitor and the distortion was magically gone.

I just can't stress enough that you must run your LCD monitors at the native resolution or you will have problems! The upside is that you are able to get more information on the screen at the higher resolutions. I run mine at 2560 x 1600 on a 30" screen and absolutely love that I can have so much stuff available at all times. Or I have lots of extra room for designing, laying out documents or whatever else I'm doing at the moment.

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Photo/Digital Video Lighting Kit

One of my goals this summer was to increase my photography skills. To that end I've completed one course in using a digital SLR and I will be starting another course next week. The quality of my pictures is already showing improvement.

An important thing to consider when taking pictures is to get good lighting. Last August I told you about the Portable Lighting Studio for shooting smaller objects. Just as the name implies, it is very portable. I have one and use it quite often. Today I'm going to focus on something a bit larger. The Pro 100 watt "Cool-Flo" Fluorescent Photo/Digital Video Lighting Kit provides you a total of four 300 watt equivalent lights with two reflective umbrellas and stands. While it is not nearly as portable as the Portable Lighting Studio, it does come with cases for the umbrellas and stands. I ordered a set for myself and am looking forward to doing some shooting with them in the near future.

They are fluorescent lights, so the color is a bit "cooler" than incandescent lights. It is easy to adjust the color temperature in your camera or RAW processing software to compensate for this. You'll also be able to avoid the heat and the electricity costs associated with incandescent lights. The lights are also designed for those who are filming video. So no matter the reason you need the lights, you might want to check this set out.

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Contrast Masking with Corel PHOTO-PAINT

Hunter Elliott has a really interesting tutorial for Corel PHOTO-PAINT. It in he takes a cool picture and makes it even better by boosting the contrast in only part of an image. The process is called Contrast Masking and is a great way to make good images into great ones. Even better, it is a fairly simply process as long as you have a picture that lends itself well to this type of adjustment.

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LineArt

I still remember the Christmas where I received a Spirograph. I flipped through the book that came with it and was fascinated with all of the cool patterns that could be created. The sad reality is that I never once was able to complete any of the patterns without the gear slipping or the pen running dry. I even scuffed up my knuckles a few times as they rubbed against the edge of the gears. In reading the reviews of the current version, the current version seems to still be cursed with the same problem.

The good news is that we can now create even better patterns with CorelDRAW. They work every time and your knuckles aren't any worse for the wear. To automate the process even further, give the free LineArt macro a try. Now if you click on that link, you may be a little lost since the site is in Russian. Luckily Google can translate the pages into English for those of us who don't understand Russian.

As you can see from the screen shots on the Web site, there are four different types of mathematical patterns that can be created. Each of the patterns allows you to adjust some variable to create a nearly endless supply of patterns. I wish I could tell what the words on the four tabs are in English so that we could all better understand what the variables might do. If any of you understand Russian, please post a comment with the translations.

The Web site claims the macro is for CorelDRAW X4. I have not tested it in earlier versions, but it is possible that it may work in them as well. If anyone tries in an earlier version and has success (or failure), post a comment and let us know.

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Chinese Dragon

I was recently searching for vector dragon images. I came across a dragon I really like, even though it wouldn't work for the project at hand. Just in case I downloaded a copy of it so that I would have it for future usage. The file is supplied in SVG format and it will import just fine into recent versions of CorelDRAW. Included are both a full color version and a black and white outlined version. No matter what you need, you'll find it in this file.

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Windows 7 Upgrades

It might be considered a stretch to call an operating system upgrade a widget. While Windows does include widgets, it is the base upon which all of your other software will run. Well, except for those of you using Linux, Mac or another operating system. Just a few days ago I was discussing the earliest versions of Windows with someone. Things were much different back then as you only ran Windows to run a Windows-specific program. For the most part the tide began turning with Windows 3.1.

The general perception of Windows Vista hasn't been a positive one. Admittedly I'm still happily running Windows XP on all but one machine. While I have the licenses to install Vista on these machines, I can't find any good reason to install Vista on them.

By contrast, I've yet to hear much negative information about Windows 7. The media has had a very favorable view of it and advanced users who have tried the beta versions have reported great success. As I don't have a spare machine to use for testing, I have not yet installed it here in the office. I fully expect to switch my Vista machine over to Windows 7 and I'll be due to get a new computer in the next six months and it will definitely get Windows 7.

Microsoft has said that Windows 7 will become available on October 22, 2009. To make sure that the new operating system gets off to a great start they are making pre-orders of upgrades available at very enticing prices. From what I understand, these prices are only in place until July 11 or until some unspecified number of copies are sold. So if you are going to upgrade, get a pre-order now and save some serious money.

The Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade has a list price of $119.99 and can be purchased in this early window for only $49.99. In Canada, the list price is $129.95 and the early purchase can be made for $64.99. Due to legal hurdles Microsoft is facing in Europe, there isn't a pre-sale available there right now.

Users wanting more features can go for the Windows 7 Professional Upgrade. The list price is $199.99 and the pre-order price is only $99.99. It can also be purchased in Canada where the list price is $249.95 and the pre-order price is $124.99.

Since many of you are CorelDRAW users, you are probably asking how well CorelDRAW will run on Windows 7. Top CorelDRAW users who have been running the beta releases of Windows 7 have had no problems with CorelDRAW X3 and X4. And you can bet that Corel's developers have been running Windows 7 through its paces and that future versions of CorelDRAW will be developed with Windows 7 in mind.

Are you ready to upgrade right away or will you happily stay with what you have? Post a comment and tell me your opinion.

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LaPointe's Road

Sometimes I find it hard to categorize the styles of fonts. Today's font is listed as a Calligraphic font and I certainly don't think that it wrong. Yet that doesn't really seem to properly categorize it. It does look like handwriting with a lot of nice flourishes and swashes. Check out LaPointe's Road and let me know your description of it.

On the page you will see an old time photograph with a sample of the font at the bottom. I really love how this font fits with the image. It does have an "old time" feel to it. I think you'll find it a cool font to add to your arsenal.

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Know Your Output Device

It is a common complaint. Users are frustrated at the colors they get from their printer. Understanding color management is definitely an important part of the process and something every user needs to understand. Before you can set up color management, you have to know more about your output device. For the sake of this post, I'm color to call them all printers though we could be referring to a laser engraver, a vinyl cutter or some other method.

First it is important to know if the device works with PostScript. Go to the Print dialog box in CorelDRAW. Do you see a tab labeled PostScript? If so, you are printing to a PostScript printer. If you don't see it, it is a non-PostScript device. A basic distinction that makes a big difference in how you design your files.

I realize that you probably have CMYK inks in your printer, but if it isn't a PostScript device then Windows will send it RGB data. If you design your file using CMYK colors, Windows will convert it to RGB and then the printer will convert it back to CMYK. See a problem? To get the best looking output, you need to design in RGB! Also keep in mind that many printers have even more colors of ink. To get the most out of all those extra colors, you still want to design in RGB. This allows the printer to use the extra inks to get the widest range of colors.

Only when you will be printing to a PostScript printer do you want to design in CMYK. Now if you've set up your color management properly, you can still design in RGB and allow CorelDRAW to do the conversion to CMYK when you print.

This is a major part of your printer's capabilities, but you should also get to know all of the other settings. The more you know, the better you can design files to take advantage of everything your printer can do.

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Headphones

Earlier this week I had to make a very quick trip to New York City and back. While on the trip, I made a few observations.

The most amusing observation was a t-shirt. Those of you who have been to a Boot Camp have gotten to experience Cave Creek, AZ. It is a small western town on the North edge of the Phoenix metro area. One of the most famous products to come from Cave Creek is Chili Beer. So when I saw someone wearing a Cave Creek Chili Beer t-shirt in Times Square, I got a big chuckle.

Another observation was that the lights in crosswalks are nothing but a suggestion to New Yorkers. If they see an opportunity to cross, they'll do it. Of course the cabbies don't slow down just because there are pedestrians. I always made sure I had a couple of other people crossing with me so I wouldn't be the only victim.

That leads to an observation that deals with the subject of today's post. Both on my flights and on the streets of New York, I saw a lot of people with white earbuds. Many of those people probably had an iPod though I'm sure other models were mixed in here and there. What surprised me were how many users stuck with the awful white earbuds rather than spending a few extra dollars for better headphones. One of the most popular ear buds available are the JBuds which sell for under $20 at Amazon. For a little bit more, the Sony MDR-EX75 ear buds provides even better sound quality. If you want really great sound, check out the Shure sound isolating earphones.

Personally, I prefer over the ear noise-canceling headphones. When I was shopping two years ago for mine, I settled on a pair from Sony similar to the Sony MDR-NC60 headphones. While I've never had the opportunity to hear some for myself, the Bose QuietComfort 3 headphones have gotten rave reviews from some of my friends.

Regardless of which headphones you choose, I think you'll find most anything will give you more comfort and better sound than the headphones that came with your music player. Of course you can also use them with your computer and anywhere else you need headphones.

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Removing the White Box Revisited

This is a tutorial topic that we've already visited before. Yet it remains the question I hear over and over again. How do I remove the white box around my images? So today we have two tutorials that address the issue. First is my Getting Rid of That Darned White Box tutorial. Jeff Harrison has a similar tutorial showing how to cut out a cow and to even recolor the cow. He even throws in the cow for free. Oh, and there is a movie that goes with it. These tutorials show you the basic technique, but it is this same technique that is used for even the most complex situations where you need to cut something out.

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Alexander Penkin's LED Tool 2

Everywhere you turn is yet another product filled with LED lights. So who is the person in charge of designing where to place each of the tiny lights? I can only imagine the difficulty of such a job. At least until now. With Alexander Penkin's LED Tool 2 macro, you can put LED lights along a path or fill an area and much more. You can even pick the color of the LED to be used in your graphic. Definitely a cool tool if you are working with LED lights. I have a feeling that this might be useful for those of you in the sign business.

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Signs of the Zodiac

As the sun brings those of us in the Northern Hemisphere the longest day of the year, why not find some artwork that deals with astronomy. To that end I found artwork with variations on each of the signs of the zodiac. Two symbols are provided for each sign and they are supplied in vector EPS format. Download and enjoy!

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Bibble 5 Preview Version

In the last few months I have spent quite a bit of time trying to improve my photography skills. Good equipment definitely helps. Learning to have an eye that sees a good image is just as important. Heck, a good camera won't help you if you still shoot boring stuff. Part of my educational journey is learning what all of the settings on the camera mean so that I can use the correct settings for each and every picture. Some of those issues can be adjusted by shooting images in RAW format and then later processing them on the computer. That will be the focus of today's post.

Those of you who shoot photos in RAW format know that Corel has added support for working with many RAW formats in CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4. Typically you will also receive software with your camera that will work with the specific RAW format used by your camera. It is a great choice but won't help you if you get a photo shot by another brand of camera. I like the RAW Lab that Corel supplies, but it is so painfully slow that I find myself unable to use it on a regular basis.

When I have a number of images to edit, I use Bibble Pro. The current version is long overdue for an upgrade. Not that it doesn't do a good job right now. Just that the developers have been talking about the next version for well over a year. Finally they have released a preview version of Bibble 5. One of the biggest complaints about the current version is the interface and it is greatly improved in the new version. It is also lightning fast! I saw a demo of it a few months ago and was amazed at what it could do. So if you are shooting in RAW, download the preview and give it a try. If you purchase the current version, you get upgraded for free to Bibble 5 when it is released.

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Frog II

When I went searching for this week's font, I didn't have any particular font in mind. I just let the search flow where it might. Those of you who remember the Frogger game from the 1980s will remember how you had to guide your frog through the flow of traffic on the river. So the result of my search is a dingbat font full of frogs. There are many people who just love all kinds of frog images and decorations. How about decorating a document with some of the frogs in this font?

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Limit Your Pages

I got an emergency e-mail from someone yesterday that sounded all too familiar. This user had spent fifteen hours creating a nine page file. Now the file won't open because one object in the file was corrupt. Of course it was needed immediately. Since I know this user fairly well and know how their files are used, it really was due immediately and is used by multi-millionaires on a regular basis.

Believe me, Corel should make their files foolproof so this doesn't happen. The reality is that file corruption can be a problem and it can also be avoided. In all my years of using CorelDRAW, I've yet to have a file go corrupt except in the case of a physical hard drive failure. And in that case I had backups. Whew!

So now for me to rant a bit about the way you use CorelDRAW. There are many users who want to use CorelDRAW to lay out long documents. Some users even proudly profess how they created documents with hundreds or even a thousand pages. Even if file corruption wasn't an issue, you are wasting hours upon hours of time by using the wrong software for the job. CorelDRAW is illustration software that has the ability to lay out short documents. Yes, you can have up to 9999 pages (heck, it may be more). But when you push the limits, you get burned!

Typically I suggest keeping documents to no more than four to eight pages. I might make an exception if the pages contain a limited number of objects. If you must create a longer document, make it up as a series of files limited to four pages. Then create a master document to import each of the smaller documents or simply combine the files together when you print or Publish to PDF.

I also highly recommend you create your files in stages. Every hour or so, rename the file with a new name. This way you can always go back to a slightly older file if the most recent goes corrupt. Of course you should also have a backup strategy for all of your artwork, but that is a topic for another day.

Those of you creating long documents on a regular basis should really look at using CorelDRAW for its strengths (graphics) and then combining that with a program designed for laying out documents. My favorite has always been Corel Ventura but I am slowly migrating to Adobe InDesign due to a lack of Corel support for Ventura. Even Serif PagePlus is a nice lower-cost alternative that is better suited to longer documents.I think this is a problem Corel should address by reviving Ventura. Unfortunately I don't think that is going to happen.

Many users say Corel should add features to CorelDRAW to make it work better for long documents. They want page numbering, headers/footers and more. I really think it would be a disaster to go down this road. CorelDRAW may become better at longer documents by doing this. But have you heard the term "jack of all trades, master of none"? These features would undoubtedly bloat the program and it wouldn't be as good for the areas where it is great today. You don't use a chain saw to cut boards do you? It might work, it just isn't the best tool for the job!

I'd love to hear your thoughts. Post a comment and tell me what you think.

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Digital Presses

In the last month, I did a whole series of printers. Today we're going to look at some truly massive printers in the form of a digital press. Unless you own a print shop or have a large in-house print shop, this isn't something the average user will be buying. Yet it is something that you should understand as it could be something in use at your print shop.

There are two digital presses with which I am familiar and I'll tell you a little bit about them. I'll also mention another one that has been mentioned to me, though I don't know much about it.

The digital press I know the best is the Xerox DocuColor 5000 as it is what my printer, JC Printing, is using for many of my jobs. It can print as large as a 12" x 18" sheet and uses toner to imprint the pages. Basically it is a very high-end color copier. For short-run print jobs, it is really cost efficient. Files are processed by a RIP (raster image processor) and there are several different models available. In short, you send PDF files to the DocuColor and it gives you back printed pages. A few times I have even run the machine as a favor for my printer and I had less than five minutes of training.

Next up is a machine I saw demonstrated last week. The HP Indigo line of presses has different sized models and I saw both the 5500 and the 7000 in action. One thing I really liked was that they used ink instead of toner. The 7000 allows up to seven colors of ink to be loaded, including spot colors! Yes, it costs significantly more than the DocuColor 5000. I'm guessing that the per page cost is also a bit lower. The key is having enough volume to justify an Indigo.

Several of the printers in attendance at the Indigo demo were talking about the Kodak Nexpress and I have had the suggestion that I should see one in action. For comparison purposes, I'd love to learn more about it by seeing a demo.

If you are in a print shop and have needs for one of these devices, I'm sure you get called by sales reps more often than you like. End users who simply want to educate themselves more on the output process may want to find local printers who have digital presses. Learn how they work so that you can better prepare files for output. Along the way, you might also find that outputting your files on a digital press can save you money. If you have no plans to actually buy a press, let the vendor know up front that you simply are there to learn more. They'll still invite you, but you won't get a sales pitch.

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Tutorial Tuesday: T-Shirt Artwork Simplified

Great Dane has always been known for creating some fantastic images for the garment industry. Now Dane Clements has put together a book, T-Shirt Artwork Simplified for CorelDRAW and Corel PHOTO-PAINT, showing techniques that users can follow to create great work in CorelDRAW and Corel PHOTO-PAINT. You'll get a full-color printed book with over 200 highly illustrated pages and a disc with over 30 minutes of tutorial movies and some of Great Dane's artwork. If you are creating art for t-shirts, this book is a great addition to your training library.

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Macro Monday: Coupon Creator

If you have ever tried to create the border for a coupon in CorelDRAW, you might have gotten very frustrated. When using the dashed lines, it is extremely difficult to get the corners to line up perfectly. I created a coupon for CorelDRAW Unleashed Boot Camp by thinking outside the box and not using outlines at all. If you want the coupon, it comes inside my CorelDRAW X4 Unleashed book.

The folks at MacroMonster.com have come to the rescue with the Coupon Creator macro. It will create perfect corners on your coupon every time. It will end round the line caps on the dashes! Do you want a fill in the background? It can create the background rectangle for you! Do you want a scissors icon? Yes, you can do that too!

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Sunday Stock: Abstract Halftones Vector Pack

Users are always wanting a way to create vector halftone patterns. This is especially true for those creating artwork for apparel. We at Graphics Unleashed are happy to be working with Go Media to bring their artwork collection to you in CDR format. The first of the packages available is the Abstract Halftones Vector Pack. More packages will be added in the Graphics Unleashed Media Marketplace once they have been converted to CDR format.

In this pack you will find a series of halftone patterns that can be used in your artwork. Simply pick from one of the 23 patterns and PowerClip it into the ship where you want a halftone. Heck, you can even mix and match various patterns or modify the existing patterns to create your own.

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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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Video Tour of CorelDRAW X4 Unleashed Now Available

When users think of an ebook, they aren't always sure what exactly that means. Of course there are many different flavors of ebooks on the market.

If you are using CorelDRAW X4, the CorelDRAW X4 Unleashed ebook is the best learning tool available. So that you can see exactly how it works, a video tour of the book was developed. You can watch it on the CorelDRAW X4 Unleashed Web page, on YouTube or you can download a high-definition version to watch on your computer. Whichever method you choose, I think you'll realize the power of this training resource.

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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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Special Deal on CorelDRAW X4 Software

Corel has a special deal available on CorelDRAW X4 upgrades and the full version. The full version sells for $399 ($30 off the list price) and the upgrade sells for $189 ($10 off the list price). Please make sure to buy the boxed version so you get all of the fonts, clip art, photos manuals and more. These are not included with the download version and the boxed version has the same cost.

In addition to the price savings, you get a copy of CorelDRAW X4: The Official Guide. This 892 page page normally sells separately for $49.99. Of course, I'd love it if you would also consider getting my CorelDRAW X4 Unleashed book as it not only has the written material, but also 11.5 hours of video tutorials.

This is a limited time offer so if you are wanting to upgrade, make sure to take advantage while you can. It is a great way to not only get the software at a discount, but also to get a third-party training resource to help you get the most out of it. Get CorelDRAW X4 and CorelDRAW X4: The Official Guide now!

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Tutorial Tuesday: CorelDRAW Unleashed User Conference Handout and Disc

The staff of experts at the CorelDRAW Unleashed User Conference put together some amazing sessions for those in attendance. If you weren't able to join us at the conference, we are now making available the Conference Guide and the Conference Disc.

This isn't just a single tutorial, it is a collection of information that took three days to present. The Conference Guide is 152 printed pages of full color information. On the Conference Disc, you'll find the Conference Guide as a PDF file complete with links to tutorial movies on many of the subjects covered. We then loaded the disc with clip art, plug-ins and other content of value.

You can get just the Conference Disc or a package with both the printed Conference Guide and the Conference Disc. Note that if you order the printed Conference Guide that your package will not ship until October 30th. Orders for only the Conference Disc will ship right away.

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CorelDRAW X4 in Simple Steps and CorelDRAW X4 Unleashed

Dreamtech Press just announced the release of CorelDRAW X4 in Simple Steps. Below is the publisher's brief description of the book.

CorelDRAW X4 in Simple Steps offers you a quick and easy way to learn and master CorelDRAW X4. Simple language and step-by-step approach with lots of illustrations make this book an ultimate reference book. Some of the topics covered in the book are:

• Basics of CorelDRAW X4;
• Working with shapes, lines and colors;
• Working with different tools to convert, format and edit objects and text
• Understanding Layer Management in CorelDRAW;
• Handling bitmaps; adding special effects to bitmaps and managing color displays.

Now I need to add some clarification. Dreamtech is located in India and right now the book is only available in India. I have asked the publisher if the book will be available elsewhere and they are hoping to work out distribution deals for Europe and North America. They did provide a Web site for placing bulk orders. This link is for someone who wishes to place a bulk order, not for single copies.

For those of you wanting a CorelDRAW book available worldwide, please consider CorelDRAW X4 Unleashed. It comes in two editions. Each edition comes with a 932 page ebook along with 11.5 hours of tutorial movies. The Premium Bonus Content Edition adds the 125 page Corel PHOTO-PAINT X4 Unleashed with two more hours of tutorial movies and Jeff Harrison's top 37 Powertips with another hour of tutorial movies. We also load up the DVD-ROM of the Premium Bonus Content Edition with clip art, plug-ins and other valuable content.

The standard edition of CorelDRAW X4 Unleashed is shipping now. The Premium Bonus Content edition will begin shipping on August 5, 2008. We have a huge number of pre-orders so any new orders will not ship until a few days later as it will take us time to catch up on the existing orders.

As I mentioned earlier, we can ship CorelDRAW X4 Unleashed anywhere in the world. The best price for shipping outside of North America is less than $2 more than shipping within the United States. Get your copy now and start getting more out of CorelDRAW X4!

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CorelDRAW X4 Unleashed Premium Bonus Content Edition Nearing Completion

For us, it seems like a good news and a bad news situation. The vast majority of orders we have received for CorelDRAW X4 Unleashed are for the Premium Bonus Content Edition. That's awesome and we think you've made the right choice. The bad news is that it takes longer to complete than the Standard Edition.

Not a day goes by that someone asks us why they haven't received the copy they ordered a while back. We clearly labeled the product page to say that it wouldn't ship until the end of July and that we would not charge credit cards until the book was ready to ship.

Today we hit another milestone towards completion. All writing is finally finished. Given that I started writing last September, I am thrilled to have the writing done. That just leaves some minor editing and the physical production. We are still targeting a shipping date of July 31 though it is possible that it will slip to August 5 or 6 at the latest because of the time it takes to produce the discs, package them and prepare them for shipping. If you have already ordered a copy, we'll send you an e-mail as soon as your copy has shipped. If you haven't ordered a copy yet, get your order in now so you get your copy as soon as possible.

Where else are you going to get over 1100 total pages of written instruction and over 14 hours of video training at such a bargain price? In the days of CorelDRAW 9, you would have paid over $400 for a package like this and we sell it for only $74.95. Wow, all of this writing must have affected my sanity to allow such an awesome resource to sell at such a low price.

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