Monster Media 1993 #2/Image.iso/magazine/ctm9306.zip/ART6

Text File | 1993-05-27 | 9KB | 157 lines

                             CorelDRAW! 3.0
                              for Windows

                             by Tony Curro


    The name does NOT say it all! CorelDRAW is an integrated package. It
    is a draw program. But, it can also do charting, presentations, and
    much more.

    The version I received came with a CD-ROM. This was a joy, and worth
    the extra money, if you have a CD-ROM drive. The program also came
    with a set of floppies. The floppies contain the complete program,
    and some fonts. The CD-ROM contains: the complete program, over 250
    TrueType and Type 1 (ATM) fonts, 12,000 clipart and symbol files,
    more chart templates, more flicks, and CorelPHOTO-PAINT samples.
    CD-ROM users can insert the disk and have the complete program
    installed, without the need to keep changing disks, as floppy-based
    users will have to. However, not all the files are installed from
    the CD. Some fonts are added; you can install others later on. The
    clipart is also not copied. That would require a huge hard drive. As
    it is, depending on what you install, you would require 12-45MB of
    hard disk space. Floppy-based systems require a maximum of 20MB hard
    disk space. The additional files are only provided to CD-ROM users.
    However, if you choose to run CorelDRAW from the CD-ROM, you will
    only require about 1MB of hard disk space, plus space for the
    installed fonts. When you see what you can do with CorelDRAW, you
    may be able to delete some of the other programs that currently
    reside on your hard disk.

    The heart of Corel is broken down into four main programs:
    CorelDRAW, CorelCHART, CorelPHOTO-PAINT and CorelSHOW. Other
    programs include: CCCapture, CorelTRACE and CorelMOSAIC.

    After installation you should run the tutorial. But, before you do
    that, enjoy a video. Yes, the package includes a 54 minute video
    that covers the four major portions of CorelDRAW. I found the video
    informative; explanations were concise, and slow enough for a user
    to actually see what was being done. It was very easy to follow.
    Now, after enjoying the video and popcorn, you should run the
    tutorial. Look at the video as a trainer, and the tutorial as
    hands-on experience. The tutorial takes you through 11 lessons, that
    cover the vast majority of the program.

    I was overwhelmed, when someone mentioned CorelDRAW. I always
    thought of this huge, complex, hard-to-use program. I would even opt
    for a low-end package that would be easy to use. Boy, was I
    off-base. Yes, the program is huge. It is complex, in the fact there
    are several programs interconnected. No! It is not hard-to-use.
    After the video, and part of the tutorial, I was doing things, that
    I thought would have taken weeks or longer to learn.

    Now lets take a look at the parts of CorelDRAW:
    CorelDRAW, allows you to manipulate text by kerning, skewing,
    rotating, change perspective, and various other effects. This can be
    done on a line, or a paragraph. In addition it includes: spell
    checker, thesaurus, hyphenation and column creation. Each letter can
    be manipulated, by changing color, or otherwise moving it off the
    text path and place it above, below, or at an angle to the other
    text. You can have unlimited layers on a page for complex drawings.
    Objects snap for precision alignment. All this, and the ability to
    import text and graphics.

    CorelCHART allows you to create pictographs, true 3D charts, line,
    bar, pie and more charts. All charts can be edited for a variety of
    effects. In a pie chart, for example, you can have a detached
    portion in a variety of degrees, or you can choose not to have such
    a portion. It has OLE server capabilities. There are also DDE links
    to: Excel, Lotus 123, etc. Import data from: Excel, Lotus 123,
    Harvard Graphics, dBase, and more. When using data from a
    spreadsheet, there is an icon on the top of the screen. Clicking on
    it pops up the spreadsheet. Make any changes you wish, and the
    charts are updated immediately.

    Both CorelDRAW and CorelCHART support the following IMPORT/EXPORT, in
    addition to those mentioned above:

        Import: PCX, TIFF, BMP, DXF, AI(EPS), GEM, PIC, HPGL, CGM, PIF
    (GDF), PICT, WMF, GIF, TGA

        Export: EPS, WMF, PCX, TIFF, DXF, CGM, PIF (GDF), GEM, HPGL, AI,
    PICT, SCODL, WPG, PFB, TTF, BMP, GIF, TGA
    Color and grayscale bitmap exports, with user defined resolution.

    CorelSHOW allows you to show presentations in slide show format. OLE
    client -- use information from other popular OLE packages. Use
    libraries of professionally designed backgrounds. Slide Sorter
    allows you to rearrange the slides after you create them. Again, as
    with the previous mentioned, you can use a variety of effects on
    slides. Use animated flicks, MIDI, etc.-- to add that extra touch.
    Included is a run-time version of CorelSHOW. You can distribute
    this, and place it on systems that do not have Corel. This way, with
    the run-time version, you ALWAYS make your presentation.

    CorelPHOTO-PAINT supports PCX, TIFF, GIF, BMP, TGA and MSP files for
    import or export. It will also export EPS, and has 24 bit true color
    capability. The airbrush feature will only work in 24 bit or
    grayscale modes. If you load a picture in 256 color mode, you can
    convert it. Some of the other features include: paintbrush, pen,
    paint roller, blend, smudge, sharpen, smear, tint, and more. I had a
    graphic, which I created by a screen capture. It had the mouse
    pointer in the center of the screen. Using Paint, I was able to
    erase it,  then match the background color, and paint the area.
    Using some of the tools, you can not tell it was altered.

    CorelMOSAIC allows you to preview Corel applications files, BMP,
    Windows DIB, EPS, GIF, GIF, PCX  and TIFF. It will even read a Kodak
    Photo CD. In all cases it will show you thumbnails of all files in a
    directory. You can then print copies of these to your printer.

    CCcapture is a small and useful utility. To enable it you double
    click its icon. To disable it, you do the same. When it is running,
    it will capture the desktop, screen, or window client area. This is
    saved to the clipboard. Then you can bring it into the program you
    are using, and edit it.

    All the programs feature unique editing tools called ROLL UPS. Each
    of these, as the name implies, rolls up out of the way, yet still
    available with one mouse click. In this way you do not clutter you
    workspace with multiple windows overlaying each other. They place
    themselves in the upper left and right corners above your work area.

    There is one other feature I have not mentioned. It is the on-line
    help. Corel provides extensive context sensitive help in every area
    of its product. By dropping down the Help menu, or pressing F1, you
    are presented with help. In the CD-ROM version, there is a book of
    several hundred pages, that shows all the clipart, symbols,
    backgrounds, and other things that are on the CD. This book is
    almost as large as the User's Guide, which by the way is also well
    done, and easy to wade through.

    As of this writing, I understand that shortly there will be a
    CorelDRAW v4.0, with even more graphics, fonts, and enhancements. I
    hope to do a review on this in a future issue.

    CorelDRAW changed my mind about itself. It is a powerful program,
    but yet it is also friendly, and a joy to work with. I highly
    recommend  this package to all. Even if you do not use all the
    programs, it should still be worth the price of admission. With the
    advent of Corel Draw 4.0, which wasa scheduled to be released, May
    24, the price of 3.0 has been reduced.


                          Product Information

                             CorelDRAW! 3.0
                              for Windows

                           List Price -- $199

                           Corel Corporation
                          1600 Carling Avenue
                     Ottawa Ontario, Canada K1Z 8R7

                              613-728-8200
                           613-728-9790 (FAX)