Create Beautiful Bevels Fast with CorelDRAW

By Steve Bain

Applying bevels to graphics with older versions of CorelDRAW® was certainly not simple and easy, and the results were arguably less than impressive. However, all that changed with the introduction of the bevel effects in version X3. In recent versions of the program, you can now add a third dimension (see below) and customize your bevels with depth, color, and lighting options.

 

Master Close-Cropping with PHOTO-PAINT’s Cutout Lab

By Steve Bain

The Cutout Lab introduced in Corel PHOTO-PAINT® X3 enables you to extract or copy photo elements from any digital image with precision and relative ease. Much more than just a quick selection tool, the Cutout Lab accurately detects almost any shape and preserves the fine details of an image. It automatically applies transparent edge-feathering, and it enables you to decide whether your cutout will be an object without a background, an object on top of the original image, or a clip mask attached to the original image.

Design Your Own Picture Frames in Corel PHOTO-PAINT

By Steve Bain

Whether you use the majority of your digital photos for personal scrapbooking or albums or whether you’re a professional layout artist, you can add interest and creative flair to your digital images by applying frames. You can do this quickly and easily in Corel PHOTO-PAINT by using a simple filter effect. To demonstrate the effect, I’ve used the tragically cute candidate shown here.

Cool Tricks with Paragraph Text in CorelDRAW

By Steve Bain

These days, there’s no excuse for churning out plain-looking text layouts. Using recent versions of CorelDRAW, there are so many ways you can make text more interesting to read, it’s a shame not to take advantage of them. In this tutorial, we’ll explore a few tricks that you can use with paragraph text to produce more visually appealing and professional-looking text layouts. Although this tutorial depicts a previous CorelDRAW release version, these tips are valid throughout virtually all recent versions of the program.

Create Classic Masterpieces in Corel PHOTO-PAINT®

By Steve Bain

Looking to add a little magic to your digital images? Corel PHOTO-PAINT® provides many different ways to apply weird and wonderful creative effects to ordinary digital photos. One bitmap filter stands out as an excellent creative tool. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to use it and reveal the tricks to navigating and selecting the numerous options.

Faking Depth-of-Field Effects in Corel PHOTO-PAINT

By Steve Bain

Blurry or out-of-focus pictures aren’t usually very appealing in a layout. But strategically applying blur effects to an image can sometimes work to your advantage. Blurring specific areas of a picture enables you to clean up messy background clutter and focus in on the subject at hand. This technique is also great for exaggerating depth-of-field created naturally when using a wide camera lens aperture.

Cut Down Your Color Printing Cost without Sacrificing Your Color Options

By Steve Bain

Budget-challenged print designers and small business owners who create their own printed color brochures and marketing material are always looking for creative and resourceful ways to stay within budget without comprising their design or the reproduction quality. Fortunately, your CorelDRAW Graphics Suite includes resources that will help you do just that. In this tutorial, we’ll explore a few color techniques you can use to maximize your color options without maxing out your costs.

Create Cool 3D Chiseled Graphics (part 2)

By Steve Bain

In part 1 of this 2-part tutorial, we learned how to create the illusion of chiseled effects in CorelDRAW using very basic shapes. Now we’ll explore how to work with more complex shapes. We’ll also reveal how to add realistic color schemes to simulate various lighting levels.

Create Cool 3D Chiseled Graphics (part 1)

By Steve Bain

In this visit to the CorelDRAW toolbox, you’ll discover a technique you can use to create perfectly chiseled shapes. It’s an effect that will enable you to create the 3D illusion of shapes which appear either recessed into – or raised above - a flat surface. Your success will depend on your object’s shape, your skill at node editing and path commands, and of course how closely you follow these tutorial steps.

How to Design Better Newsletter Layouts in CorelDRAW

By Steve Bain

Not only is CorelDRAW one of the most robust illustration tools around, but unlike other graphics programs, it can also be used to create multipage layouts. This nifty feature makes it the perfect choice for designing projects like booklets, brochures, and newsletters. While expecting to create a 2,000-page catalog with CorelDRAW isn’t realistic, handling a few dozen pages with CorelDRAW is a breeze.