|
|
|
|
||||
© 2000 by Ruth Huking. All Rights Reserved.
|
|
So you succumbed to Foster's pitch to buy the Hemera Photo Object Collection. Now what are you going to do with it? I was very fortunate to have the collection given to me as a gift. When I received it, I was very impressed and my first thought was to do a picture with the objects similar to a Symbol picture. Most of you will use these graphics for something other than a picture, but take a break and try a picture sometime.
I was very impressed with how easy it is to use the program. As recommended, I did the typical installation. The little thumbnails are nice and clear and come up in an instant. The chart above the thumbnails tells you what disk you need to get the thumbnail you have selected. If you don't have the right disk inserted, you will get a message telling you which one you need. The one thing that I recommend you do before starting to put the graphics on your computer is to make a Folder for where you want to put them. I am a big Folder maker so I made a Hemera Still Life Folder under my Tutorial Folder.
I started looking for the fruits and found the apple on Disk 4. When you double click on the apple, the Export Image window comes up. Click on GRAPHIC APPLICATION that supports 32 bit images with a transparency mask. I don't think it matters what shows under the SLIDE PRESENTATION Software unless you check it, which I didn't. This is just going to be a picture. Click Next and the Resize Window comes up. As you will be using many different fruits, make the size of the apple 1" and Adjust the Image resolution to professional quality printing [300 dpi]. Maintain original aspect ratio should already be checked. Click Next and Save As to find the folder where you want to save your apple. Close that window and get your next piece of fruit.
After you have your fruits selected, look for a vase or urn in which to put them. If you don't like my urn, pick another one. Do the same with the frame, cheese board, knife, wine glass and plate. I left the urn and the frame the same size when I saved them as I figured they would need to be larger. The graphics I used are shown at right. I think you can find everything but the Frame without me giving you the numbers. The frame is #42.
Now we are ready to create the picture. Have your new page in Portrait mode and put guidelines on your CorelDRAW page to make an 8" x 10" picture. You are working with bitmaps with transparent backgrounds. At left are the images from the first figure in Wireframe where you can see the transparent boxes around the bitmaps. The only trouble I had was with the frame. It is transparent when you see it on the page but when it is in front of the other objects in the picture, you can't get to them. Editor's Note: Alt-clicking on the objects will allow you to select objects hidden beneath them in CorelDRAW 8 or 9. The center of the frame is transparent but it is still "solid." You can get to the things in the frame by going into Wireframe. When in Wireframe, you will have to click on the edge of the boxes around the other objects to move them. The other option is to move the frame off to the side until you are just about finished, but remember how wide the frame is as you place your objects.
These objects can be sized, stretched and rotated just like a Symbol and they can be moved forward and back. I have shortcut icons on my tool bar for To Back, To Front, In front of and Behind. They can be found under Tools, Options, Workspace, Customize, Toolbars, Arrange, and Order. At right is a screen shot of where they are and what they look like. The blue glow surrounds an example of the finished toolbar. When you click on Behind, for instance, you will get a black arrow that you can point to the object that you want your original object to go behind. Trust me, it works!
At left you'll see the fruit arranged in the urn. As you can see, I have stretched the width of the urn to accommodate all the fruit. The lemon fell off! Arrange the other objects approximately where you want them. The tablecloth is a Two Pattern Fill with the width and height set at 0.5. The green background is a Texture Fill, Midnight Velvet under Samples 7.
Now wasn't that easy! I wanted to see how it would print and as I usually do, I made a card from the picture. Group the whole picture and shrink it to about a quarter of the page. Then copy it. Under Layout, Page Setup, click on Layout and click the down arrow and select Side Fold Card. (If you were working in Landscape mode, you would have to change the paper under Size before Layout. Just for future reference.) Click OK and you will have the card format, which looks much like your regular full size page. Paste your picture and size it so it fits the page. Under Arrange you will find the Align and Distribute box where you can center your picture (or just hit the P key). Use your Control key and in Wireframe, click on the Tablecloth. Change the width and height to 0.25, which will make the checks smaller. Check your Print Preview to be sure that the whole picture is in the printable area as the picture will be in the bottom right corner of the page and most printers have a larger margin on the bottom of the Portrait page. You can print it now or if you want to add something inside the card you can click on the plus sign to get three more pages. At right is how my card looks when I print it.
HINT: Use this tutorial to help you make your next Christmas or Hanukah card!
Do you have any suggestions for future tutorials? I'd love to hear them. Just send me an e-mail and tell me what you'd like to see.
Hemera Photo Objects Christmas Card · Still Life with Hemera Photo Objects · Draw to Paint in the Style of Seurat · Flowers in a Pitcher · Flowers for Foster · Symbols from CorelDRAW to Corel PHOTO-PAINT · Camping in the Woods · Quick Christmas Ornaments with CorelDRAW · In The Blink of an Eye · Creating Needlepoint and Cross Stitch Patterns with CorelDRAW · Old MacHughking Had a Farm · Dancing in the Dark in the Park: A Fantasy with Symbols · Creating Stacking Boxes in CorelDRAW · Creating a Basket Weave Fill in CorelDRAW
Copyright © 1995–2013 Unleashed Productions, Inc., All Rights Reserved.
