Jeff Harrison's Daily Diversion

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2010-03-15T10:36:00.001-06:00

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New Macro: GDG Save 'em

2010-03-10T22:46:00.009-07:00

GDG Save 'em allows you to save elements inside CorelDRAW out of CorelDRAW as CorelDRAW files with various settings.

The filter section offers many conditional options to help define elements before saving them.

Simulated Painting Effect

2010-02-27T15:00:00.003-07:00

A user asked me:

"I've seen some stunning work in the community, and at present I am trying to outline a photo to turn it into a digital painting using the Bezier Tool in CorelDRAW. Am I doing this correctly, or am I going about it the wrong way?"

To make a photo look like a painting, I'd use PHOTO-PAINT (not CorelDRAW).

There are many excellent filters to try in this regard. Be sure to experiment with the adjustments inside each filter's dialog box.

Here are some steps:

Cool updates for macro series

2010-02-24T02:47:00.004-07:00

My Sooper Dooper "Must Have" Macros V1 package has some cool updates.

I decided to enhance the Gimme Numbers macro with some extra buttons: I also sped up the code and it offers a single undo.

The other change was was more significant. We now have a dialog box with some new options (and other behind-the-scenes code optimizations):

If you've purchased these before, log into your account and re-download from your order history area.

Corel PHOTO-PAINT X4 shortcut keys list

2010-02-17T21:43:00.002-07:00

A user named Jack Ross took some time to compile a list of shortcut keys.

PHOTO-PAINT has been able to export the list for some time, but often it imported poorly into Excel. So, he had to do some tweaking.

I reformatted it to 8.5 x 11, and put in some gridlines. Then I created a PDF for you, so you don't even need Excel at all. click here to get it.

The CorelDRAW shortcuts are here.

Sometimes it's easier just to rebuild artwork

2010-02-17T15:47:00.006-07:00

One user was having trouble dealing with artwork that may have originally come from Autocad.

I suspect this user spent hours trying to fill the shapes and reconnect the lines so that the shapes could be filled in CorelDraw.

After seeing his file and the examples, I was having a tough time getting some cooperation from the Smart Fill Tool with this particular artwork. Normally it works quite well.

Then I realized that many of his elements weren't complex. They could be re-drawn quite quickly, and then filled with ease.

For example, here is a toilet that needed to be redraw. It took about 1 minute.

The reason my objects are snapping smoothly is because there are vector lines to snap to in the original artwork under my new objects.

Tip: ALT+Z toggles Snap to Object.

Custom Full Color Pattern Fills

2010-02-15T13:37:00.006-07:00

CorelDRAW has features that have been there many years, but are often overlooked.

Recently, a user wanted to fill an area with a dashed appearance. He'd toyed with Postscript Fills, but the one he needed wasn't there. While it's possible to create custom Postscript Fills, it's way beyond the scope of most users.

Instead, Full Color Pattern Fills can meet the needs for some projects. I created a .pat file that can be used as this type of fill. Note: Full Color Pattern Fills don't need to be in color.

This fill type can be interactively tiled as shown, for both scaling and rotation. Since the contents of the original fill are pure vector shapes, the integrity of the image will be excellent at any scale.

I've included the .PAT file in this ZIP:

dash.zip

To use it;

Make a vector shape such as a rectangle or circle, shape must stay selected

Press the G key to invoke the Interactive Fill Tool. Notice the details...

Navigate to where you saved the .pat file.

Try it out! Left-click on mouse and Drag across the face of the object.

NOTE: If you require transparency where the white area is, you'll need the superfill macro.

Basic Monitor Calibration

2010-02-13T17:19:00.002-07:00

If you're wondering if your monitor is set to some decent default values, the utility below will be helpful.

The file below doesn't require an installer to run, so it's handy to put onto a USB thumb drive. Then you can run the .exe file directly.

To use the utility, press ESC to go from module to module. Otherwise, follow the instructions on screen.

You may need to consult the manual for your monitor, to find the controls available for certain parameters.

More information is available on this page, including the official installer.

monitorcalibration.zip

Cool new macro for random functions and artwork

2010-02-09T03:17:00.004-07:00

John-Dan Key's Random Macro offers a variety of unique functions!

See the product page for another animation which shows the Random Object function a bit more.

CorelDRAW X4... are you updated?

2010-02-08T19:34:00.003-07:00

Already have X4? Ensure you're updated, there are many good fixes.

Your version from the factory MAY already have service packs applied.

Check to see the version you're running before you download the updates from this page.

How to check?

displacement map for water effect

2010-02-07T21:38:00.004-07:00

This effect in PHOTO-PAINT is achieved with this workflow...

click for larger image

Here's the displacement map I'd used:

Distribution of shapes around a circle

2010-02-07T14:21:00.003-07:00

Note that I check 2 special options for the blend (out of sight in the video):

blend along full path
rotate all objects

After fitting blend to the path, you can rotate or scale the master shapes as needed. :-)

More older older videos here

Simple Exports for web graphics

2010-01-24T14:13:00.002-07:00

Sometimes a simple thing like exporting a selected logo out from CorelDRAW can confuse people.

Yes, there are several screens of parameters to get through. But they're available for a reason, and I'd rather have these options than not.

Here's a movie to export a GIF file for cases where there are less than 256 hues.

Making a simple floor plan

2009-12-16T17:34:00.002-07:00

Many years ago, Foster had a tutorial for doing this.

I could not find it, maybe if he still has it he can post it.

Anyway;

make some thin rectangles
align them to each other using R, L, T, B Shortcut Keys
weld certain rectangles together as needed
trim into them with another rectangle slightly wider than the walls

PHOTO-PAINT over-scroll tip

2009-12-16T12:29:00.005-07:00

Here's a great tip that eluded many I suspect, including me. (Thanks Huib.)

Sometimes you'll need to zoom into the corner of an image, but there's no "breathing room" around that corner for you to use masking, paint or effects tools the way you'd like.

Try this:

load any image into PHOTO-PAINT.
maximize the image window and PHOTO-PAINT itself.
zoom into the corner.
watch the animation below to see the difference.

Art comes in many forms

2009-12-08T23:10:00.004-07:00

A Story to Tell + Sand + Fingers + Real Skill = this:

A note on creating attractive images with a Paletted bit depth

2009-11-25T19:47:00.000-07:00

Study these settings, and give them a try on your next GIF or Paletted PNG.

A few changes make a huge difference...

AM Halftone dot integrity for conversions to 1-bit monchrome

2009-11-23T19:33:00.002-07:00

A quick test I made... interesting how 3 programs convert to 1-bit. I love Photo-PAINT, but hopefully the next version will have better integrity relative to the others shown.

I intentionally used a low line screen to reveal the circle integrity.

Imposing single documents to single print stream

2009-11-11T03:04:00.000-07:00

Notice how separate documents are selected in the print engine for the print range.

click on image for a clear view:

Cut Contour lines with bleeds

2009-11-10T02:58:00.004-07:00

This will make sense to CorelDRAW users with print/cut devices.

If you seek outlined text with a bleed, have a look at these steps:

How to make an eye shape

2009-11-03T01:23:00.002-07:00

Here's an easy way to do it:

Well, 2 ways. ;-)

The first way, I go a little quickly. Here are the steps:

make 2 circles
overlap them
press the intersect icon on property bar, a new shape is made where circles overlapped
delete 2 circles

Converting to 1-bit monochrome inside CorelDraw

2009-11-02T01:51:00.000-07:00

Some industries require a coarse AM halftone dot for reproductive purposes.

Also, some designers simply like the look of the dots.

When converting to grayscale, it's important to convert with ICC off so that the solid black areas in the original art stay pure black.

Note that the conversion quality is a bit rougher than the results from GhostScript or PhotoShop for the very same conversion parameters. I'm going to need to suggest this improvement to Corel... ;-)

The Envelope Please

2009-11-01T01:43:00.002-06:00

It's possible to have a shape (or group of shapes) be enveloped by another Closed Curve.

Tip: add nodes to shapes and make all segments curve segments for easier conforming to a new shape.

I'm not using the envelope docker at all. Tip: click on the edge of the shape to have the envelope apply.

Hopefully the next version will have an apply icon on the envelope property bar for more intuitive operation.

You can also save an envelope for the future to apply to other shapes.

New Swatch Macro

2009-10-31T21:18:00.001-06:00

Color Spectrum Pro is available, for making variable CMYK swatches around a known value.

Live Fillet update

2009-10-05T20:18:00.002-06:00

NEW! You can now operate on selected nodes with this amazing new update.
It now comes with a toolbar icon, and also a bit larger spinner buttons.
Live Fillet... it's awesome!