Troubleshooting > Troubleshooting CorelDRAW files

 

Troubleshooting CorelDRAW files

 
Requirements for importing CorelDRAW files into FreeHand

Files must be saved in uncompressed CorelDRAW 7 or 8 for Windows format.

CorelDRAW files using either Graphics or Bitmap compression will not import properly; bitmap images are imported as empty containers, but vector objects are unaffected.

When opening CorelDRAW files using FreeHand for Macintosh, the CorelDRAW files must have names containing fewer than 32 characters and must have Corel's CDR extension.

 
Guidelines for success

When creating CorelDRAW documents for import into FreeHand, keep the following in mind:

On the Macintosh, for faster performance, copy CorelDRAW files to a local drive before opening them in FreeHand.

To open CorelDRAW clip art, stored in the proprietary format (CMX), save them in CorelDRAW 7 or 8 format and then import them.

All unsupported CorelDRAW strokes are converted to 100% black strokes when you import them. Stroked paths with the Scaled with Object attribute may lose their scaling; arrowheads and calligraphic strokes are not retained; path direction is sometimes reversed; dashed lines may not appear as specified.

All unsupported fills become 10% gray on import. FreeHand cannot import colored patterns; PostScript, pattern, texture, and bitmap fills are not retained.In addition, graduated fills are limited to 32 colors and the edge pad is simulated; clockwise and counterclockwise color sweeps are replaced with straight-line color transformations; non-50% midpoints are approximated; and radial fills are substituted for conical and square fountain fills.

Color handling. In a color space other than RGB and CMYK, bitmaps are imported as X-boxes and vector components are converted to 10% gray. In addition, non-PANTONE spot colors (Spectramaster, for example) are converted to 10% gray. Previews of imported documents with Hexachrome colors do not include the orange and green components, but they will color-separate correctly. In composite images or when separated as RGB or CMYK separations, Hexachrome colors reproduce as 100% black. Onscreen color shifting may occur due to subtle differences in the applications' color management systems.

 
Import limitations

FreeHand can import CorelDRAW files, but may not retain all illustration elements. The following sections describe known limitations when importing text and images from CorelDRAW files.

 
Text

Overall, subtle differences in word wrap, justification, and kerning introduce slight visual differences when importing text from CorelDRAW.

The following inconsistencies occur when converting CorelDRAW text:

Multiple-width columns within a single text block are converted to fixed column width.

Custom tab settings are lost.

The Tab characters are retained; however, CorelDRAW's custom Tab settings revert to the FreeHand default settings when the document is imported.

Vertical text has slight inconsistencies in spacing and alignment. For best results, adjust using a percentage of point size instead of a percentage of character height.

For custom text-wrapping to render properly onscreen after it's imported into FreeHand, objects within a text container must be manipulated in some way in order to force the screen to redraw.

Vertical text justification is lost.

Text bullets may shift position.

Drop caps may shift position.

A single text container or series of linked text containers can contain a maximum of 32,000 characters.

Text created with CorelDRAW 7J is ignored.

Non-uniform-filled text is converted to 100% overprinting black fill.

FreeHand converts to normal text rotated characters within a text block, artistic text with the Envelope effect, All Caps and Small Caps text. Paragraph text that is attached to a path is imported, but any special formatting, such as vertical positioning, is ignored.

Text pasted within a compound path flows into a separate text container; text attached to a closed path or attached to a path and then removed from it may lose some text formatting.

 
Importing Images

Because FreeHand and CorelDRAW support different color spaces, CorelDRAW bitmaps in the LAB color space are imported as empty text containers.

To accommodate cropping, bitmaps are defined by CorelDRAW as paste insides. These paste inside attributes are retained on import.

CorelDRAW color masks are lost when files are imported.

 
EPS

EPS images placed into CDR files cannot be imported, only the TIFF headers will translate. EPS images without TIFF headers appear as gray boxes containing the EPS file names.

 
OLE

CorelDRAW OLE client objects are ignored when they are imported.

 
Pagination

FreeHand does not import objects on the CorelDRAW pasteboard, custom CorelDRAW imposition, and ruler guides. Objects placed on facing pages may be displaced.

Object dimensions may reflect a rounding error.

If the artwork contains a guides layer, FreeHand creates a background layer called Corel Guides. Layers imported into FreeHand open in Preview mode and are set to match the first page; page-specific layering is not supported.

 
Custom effects

FreeHand does not support Fisheye, Wireframe, Color Add, Color Limit, Heat Map and Custom Color Map lenses. Unsupported lens effects import with 0% lighten attribute.

For blends and extrudes, for optimal effect translation, select the option Save Blends and Extrudes with the File to read intermediate steps and save them as a group of static objects. When importing extruded objects, the basic objects are preserved, but shading data is lost.

FreeHand does not support CorelDRAW perspective data, envelopes, distortion, URL functions, or drop shadows.