Working with text and objects

To create an object with a shape tool

Open the Shape Tools flyout and click the Ellipse tool.
Click the Render To Object button on the Property Bar.
If the Property Bar for the Ellipse tool does not appear, enable the View menu, Property Bar command.
Click the flyout arrow at the bottom of the on-screen Color Palette.
Drag a yellow color swatch from the on-screen Color Palette to the Fill color swatch on the Status Bar.
Hold down CTRL, and drag the Ellipse tool in the Image Window to create a large, yellow disk.

Note

If the Marquee Visible command in the Object menu is enabled, a marquee surrounds the new shape.

Tip

Enable the Render To Object button to create a shape as a new object, and disable it to create the shape as part of an existing object.

Use the Image Sprayer tool to spray on ready-made objects in your image.

To create an object with the Image Sprayer tool

Ensure that the tab for the Objects Docker window appears in the Application window.
If it doesn't, click View menu, Dockers, Objects.

Drag the tab of the Objects Docker window fully across the CorelTUTOR window.
When you release the mouse, the Objects Docker window is undocked from the Application window so you can see it and CorelTUTOR at the same time.

Open the Paint Tools flyout and click the Image Sprayer tool.
Click the Load Image Sprayer List button on the Property Bar.
If the Property Bar for the Image Sprayer tool does not appear, enable the View menu, Property Bar command.
Double-click the Clouds.cpt file in the Load Image List dialog box.
Click the New Object button in the Objects Docker window.
Drag the Image Sprayer tool outside the disk to create a cluster of clouds.

Tip

You must click the New Object button every time you use a paint tool to create a new object. Otherwise, the tool will add the artwork to the last selected object.

The mask tools let you select part of an existing object, and turn it into a separate object.

To create an object from a mask selection

Enable the Mask, Marquee Visible command.

Open the Object/Mask Tools flyout and click the Object Picker tool.
Select the yellow disk.
Open the Mask Tools flyout and click the Circle Mask tool.
Drag the Circle Mask tool from inside the upper left quadrant of the disk, to a point past the perimeter of the lower right quadrant.
Click Object menu, Create, Object: Cut Selection.
Drag the new object to view it separately from the original object.

Tips

To copy a new object from the mask selection and leave the original object intact, click Object menu, Create, Object: Copy Selection.

To delete the new object, select it and click the Delete Object button in the Objects Docker window.

You can combine two or more objects to move or edit them as a single object. Combining is a permanent operation, so do it only when you are satisfied with the position of the objects to each other. Combined objects also require much less file space than individual objects.

To combine objects together

Open the Object/Mask Tools flyout and click the Object Picker tool.
Drag the clouds object to partly cover the yellow circle.
Hold down SHIFT, and click the yellow circle.
Click Object menu, Combine, Combine Objects Together.

You can create an object simply by copying another object to the Clipboard. As long as the information is in the Clipboard, it appears as a new object every time you click the Paste command.

To copy an object

Open the Object/Mask Tools flyout and click the Object Picker tool.
Select the moon and clouds object.
Click Edit menu, Copy.
Click Edit menu, Paste, As New Object.
Click and drag the duplicate object to view the original underneath.

Tips

When copying an object to another document, open the new file and click Edit menu, Paste As New Object.

When copying an object in the same document, you can also click the Object menu, Duplicate after selecting it.

You can transform an object in Corel PHOTO-PAINT by separately sizing its width and height, or by scaling the object to a percentage of its original size. You can also transform an object by rotating it, distorting it, skewing it, and adding perspective to it.

Adding perspective to an object

Sizing allows you to change the width and height of an object independently of each other.

Scaling changes an object to a percentage of its original size, so that the height and width are always in proportion to each other.

To size an object

Open the Object/Mask Tools flyout and click the Object Picker tool.
Click inside the object.
Place the cursor on the center handle along the right side of the object until a crosshair appears.
Drag the handle to the right to size the object horizontally.
Place the cursor on the center handle along the top of the object until a crosshair appears.
Drag the handle upwards to size the object vertically.

Tip

You can also size the object horizontally by dragging the left center handle, and size it vertically by dragging the bottom center handle.

You skew an object by dragging one side of it to give the object a slanted effect.

To scale an object

Open the Object/Mask Tools flyout and click the Object Picker tool.
Click inside the object.
Place the cursor on a corner handle of the object until a crosshair appears.
Drag the handle away from the object to increase its size proportionately.

Tip

You can also drag a scaling handle into an object to reduce its size proportionately.

You rotate an object around a point at the center of the object's highlighting box. The center of rotation is represented by a bull's-Eye icon in the Image Window.

Click here to open a sample image

To rotate an object

Open the Object/Mask Tools flyout and click the Object Picker tool.
Click twice inside the object so the rotation handles appear.
Rotation handles are the curved, double arrows in the corners of the highlighting box.
Place the cursor on a rotation handle until a crosshair appears.
Drag the rotation handle clockwise to rotate the object 90 degrees.

Tip

You can drag the center of rotation to a new position in the highlighting box.

You can give an object a sense of depth and make it look three-dimensional by adding perspective to it.

To skew an object

Open the Object/Mask Tools flyout and click the Object Picker tool.
Click twice inside the object so the skewing handles appear.
The skewing handles are the straight, double-headed arrows located along the sides of the highlighting box.
Place the cursor on the top skewing handle until a crosshair appears.
Drag the top skewing handle to the right.

You distort an object by dragging a transformation handle away from it for a stretched effect, or into it for a squashed effect.

Click here to open a sample image

To distort an object

Open the Object/Mask Tools flyout and click the Object Picker tool.
Click three times inside the object so double-headed, diagonal arrows appear at each corner of the object's highlighting box.
Place the cursor on the lower right arrow until a crosshair appears.
Drag the arrow away from the object.

To add perspective to an object

Open the Object Mask/Tools flyout and click the Object Picker tool.
Click four times inside the object so the circular perspective handles appear in each corner of the object's highlighting box.
Place the cursor on the lower right perspective handle until a crosshair appears.
Drag the handle down and away from the object. The first handle counter-clockwise from the handle you drag moves opposite to the dragging direction.

Editing objects means many things. It includes adding or removing parts of an object, filling an object with a different color, changing only parts of an object's color, and altering object edges through processes such as feathering. You can also create a drop shadow around the edges of an object.

Adding parts to an object

Removing parts of an object

Filling an object with a new color

Changing the color of parts of an object

Feathering an object's edges

Creating a drop shadow

When you add parts to an object, they do not have to be visually attached to it in the image. When you move any part of the object, however, the other sections move with it.

To add to the shape of an object

Ensure that the tab for the Objects Docker window appears in the Application window.
If it doesn't, click View menu, Dockers, Objects.

Open the Object Mask/Tools flyout and click the Object Picker tool.
Select the object.
In the Objects Docker window, disable the Lock Transparency check box.
Open the Paint Tools flyout and click the Paint tool.
Click the flyout arrow at the bottom of the on-screen Color Palette.
Drag a green color swatch from the on-screen Color Palette to the Paint color swatch on the Status Bar.
The color name appears on the Status Bar when you place the cursor on the color swatch.
Move the Nib Size slider on the Property Bar to a value of about seven.
If the Property Bar for the Paint tool does not appear, enable the View menu, Property Bar command.
Paint a long stem from the bottom of the clover almost to the bottom of the Image Window.

Note

If the Marquee Visible command in the Object menu is enabled, the marquee expands to include the new parts of the object.

You remove parts of an object by making them fully transparent to reveal the background or another object underneath.

To remove parts of an object

Open the Object/Mask Tools flyout and click the Object Picker tool.
Select the object.
Open the Undo Tools flyout and click the Eraser tool.
Click the Round Nib button on the Property Bar.
If the Property Bar for the Eraser tool does not appear, enable the View menu, Property Bar command.
Type a value of about 10 in the Nib Size box on the Property Bar.
Type a value of zero in the Transparency box on the Property Bar.
Drag the Eraser tool over the lower half of the stem to remove it.

Note

If the Lock Transparency check box in the Objects Docker window is disabled, the object marquee changes to fit the new shape of the object.

You can change all of the pixels in an object by filling the object with a new color, texture, or pattern.

To fill an object with a new color

Open the Object/Mask Tools flyout and click the Object Picker tool.
Select the object.
Open the Fill Tools flyout and click the Fill tool.
Click the flyout arrow at the bottom of the on-screen Color Palette.
Drag an orange color swatch from the on-screen Color Palette to the Fill color swatch on the Status Bar.
Type a value of zero in the Transparency box on the Property Bar.
Zero makes the new color fully opaque, 99 makes it fully transparent.
If the Property Bar for the Fill tool does not appear, enable the View menu, Property Bar command.
Click the Normal Color Tolerance Mode button on the Property Bar.
Type a value of 100 in the Color Similarity Level box on the Property Bar.
Click inside the object to change it to the selected Fill color.

The simplest way to change the color of parts of an object is to paint over them with the Paint tool.

To change parts of an object's color

Ensure that the tab for the Objects Docker window appears in the Application window.
If it doesn't, click View menu, Dockers, Objects.

Open the Object/Mask Tools flyout and click the Object Picker tool.
Select the object.
Open the Paint Tools flyout and click the Paint tool.
Click the Round Nib button on the Property Bar.
If the Property Bar for the Paint tool does not appear, enable the View menu, Property Bar command.
Type a value of about 20 in the Nib Size box on the Property Bar.
Click the flyout arrow at the bottom of the on-screen Color Palette.
Drag an orange color swatch from the on-screen Color Palette to the Paint color swatch on the Status Bar.
Enable the Lock Transparency check box in the Objects Docker window to maintain the object's shape.
Drag the Paint tool over the parts of the object that you want to change to the new color.

Feathering softens the edges of an object by gradually increasing their transparency, so that they appear to blend in more softly with the image background.

To feather the edges of an object

Open the Object/Mask Tools flyout and click the Object Picker tool.
Select the object.
Click Object menu, Feather.
Type a value of 10 in the Width box in the Feather dialog box.
The greater the value, the wider the feathering from the edge of the object.
Select Linear in the Edges list box.
Linear increases the feathering in even increments of transparency.
Curved gives the feathering a more concentrated effect.
Click the Preview button in the Feather dialog box to see the effect in the Image Window.
Do one of the following:
Click OK to apply the feathering to the object.
Click Cancel to remove the feathering from the object.

A drop shadow is an object that looks like the shadow of another object. It is grouped with the object by default, so that the object and drop shadow move together.

To create a drop shadow

Open the Object/Mask Tools flyout and click the Object Picker tool.
Select the object.
Click Object menu, Drop Shadow.
Click the Flat button in the Object Drop Shadow dialog box.
Type a value of 0.125 in the Offset box to set the length that the drop shadow extends from the object.
Disable the Constrain 45 check box, and type a value of 35 in the Degrees box.
Move the Opacity slider to a value of 100.
Zero makes the drop shadow completely transparent, 100 makes it completely opaque.
In the Feather section, move the Width slider to 10.
The greater the value, the wider the feathering from the edge of the object.
Select Outside from the Feather Direction list box.
Do one of the following:
Click OK to apply the drop shadow.
Click Cancel to remove the drop shadow.

Tips

Click the Preview button in the Object Drop Shadow dialog box to view the drop shadow in the image as you select the settings.

The drop shadow is black by default. You can select other colors from the Color Picker in the Drop Shadow dialog box.

You can edit an object's transparency globally to change all of its pixels by a uniform amount, or locally to vary the transparency of its pixels. You can edit transparency locally on an object by applying brushstrokes to it, by making selected colors transparent, or by making an object appear to fade into the background. A clip mask lets you change transparency without affecting any other component of an object, and restores an object to full opacity.

Changing an object's global transparency

Applying transparency with brush strokes

Making some object colors transparent

Fading an object into the background

Adding a clip mask

Restoring opacity

When you edit an object's global transparency, you change the grayscale value of all of its pixels by an equal amount to reveal the background underneath.

To edit an object's global transparency

Ensure that the tab for the Objects Docker window appears in the Application window.
If it doesn't, click View menu, Dockers, Objects.

Open the Object/Mask Tools flyout and click the Object Picker tool.
Select the object.
Move the Opacity slider at the bottom of the Objects Docker window to 65.
The Opacity slider ranges from 1% which makes objects fully transparent, to 100% which makes them fully opaque.

You can change the transparency of only some pixels in an object by painting over them with the Object Transparency Brush tool.

To change the transparency of some object pixels

Open the Object/Mask Tools flyout and click the Object Picker tool.
Select the object.
Open the Transparency Tools flyout and click the Object Transparency Brush tool.
Click the Round Nib button on the Property Bar.
If the Property Bar for the Object Transparency Brush tool does not appear, enable the View menu, Property Bar command.
Type a value of 20 in the Nib Size box on the Property Bar.
Type a value of zero in the Transparency box on the Property Bar.
The value ranges from 0 (transparent) to 99 (opaque).
Move the Transparency Brush Opacity slider on the Property Bar to 25.
The Transparency Brush Opacity slider ranges from 0 (transparent) to 255 (opaque).
Brushing over the same pixels restricts their transparency to this level.
Brush over the pixels that you want to make more transparent in the object.

You can make all pixels of a selected color value fully transparent to give a multi-colored object the appearance of eroding or disintegrating.

To make some colors in an object transparent

Open the Object/Mask Tools flyout and click the Object Picker tool.
Select the object.
Open the Transparency Tools flyout and click the Transparent Color Selection tool.
Select the Normal Color Tolerance Mode button on the Property Bar.
If the Property Bar for the Transparent Color Selection tool does not appear, enable the View menu, Property Bar command.
Type a value of 40 in the Color Similarity box on the Property Bar.
The value determines the range of pixels you want to make transparent based on similarity of color.
Type a value of 20 in the Transparency Smoothing box on the Property Bar.
Smoothing softens the edges of the transparency. The greater the Smoothing value, the more smoothly the surrounding colors and transparent pixels blend together.
Click a blue pixel anywhere in the object.

You can apply a gradient that gradually changes the transparency of an object, so that it appears to fade into the background.

To apply a transparency gradient to an object

Open the Object/Mask Tools flyout and click the Object Picker tool.
Select the object.
Open the Transparency Tools flyout and click the Object Transparency tool.
Select Linear from the Type list box on the Property Bar.
If the Property Bar for the Object Transparency tool does not appear, enable the View menu, Property Bar command.
Drag the gradient arrow's start node in the Image Window to the outside edge of the object's nose.
Move the Node Transparency slider on the Property Bar to zero.
Zero makes the node fully opaque,100 makes it fully transparent.
Drag the end node of the gradient arrow in the Image Window past the edge of the object's tail.
Move the Node Transparency slider on the Property Bar to 100.
Zero makes the node fully opaque,100 makes it fully transparent.
Click Apply on the Property Bar.

Tip

Move the slider at the center of the gradient arrow to move the halfway point of the transparency range.

The clip mask allows you to vary the transparency of pixels in an object without working directly on the object. The advantage is that you can cancel changes to the transparency even after saving the image.

To edit transparency with a clip mask

Ensure that the tab for the Objects Docker window appears in the Application window.
If it doesn't, click View menu, Dockers, Objects.

Open the Object/Mask Tools flyout and click the Object Picker tool.
Select the object's thumbnail in the Objects Docker window.
A red border appears around the object thumbnail, and a blue bar highlights the object name.
Click Object menu, Clip Mask, Create, To Show All.
A separate thumbnail for the clip mask appears next to the object thumbnail, and is surrounded by a red border.
Open the Paint Tools flyout and click the Paint tool.
Click the Round Nib button on the Property Bar.
If the Property Bar for the Paint tool does not appear, enable the View menu, Property Bar command.
Type a value of 20 in the Nib Size box on the Property Bar.
Type a value of 0 in the Transparency box on the Property Bar.
Drag a color swatch from the on-screen Color Palette onto the Paint color swatch on the Status Bar.
The clip mask translates colors as shades of gray; the darker the shade of gray, the more transparent it makes the object pixels.
Brush the Paint tool over the object to edit the transparency of its clip mask.
Click Object menu, Clip Mask, Combine to apply the transparency to the object.

When you make transparency changes directly on an object, you can create a clip mask to cancel the effect on pixels that have a grayscale value of at least one. Pixels that have a grayscale value of zero are totally transparent, so the clip mask does not restore their opacity.

Ensure that the tab for the Objects Docker window appears in the Application window.
If it doesn't, click View menu, Dockers, Objects.

To restore opacity

Open the Object/Mask Tools flyout and click the Object Picker tool.
Select the object's thumbnail in the Objects Docker window.
A red border appears around the object thumbnail, and a blue bar highlights the object name.
Click Object menu, Clip Mask, Create, From Object Transparency.
A separate thumbnail for the clip mask appears next to the object thumbnail, and is surrounded by a red border.
Click Object menu, Clip Mask, Remove.

Tips

You can also right-click the object thumbnail to create a clip mask from the object transparency.

You can right-click the clip mask thumbnail to remove the clip mask.

You can create a clipping group to display the color or texture of objects within another object. You can view objects in the clipping group one at a time, and adjust their transparency to reveal all or some pixels of the object underneath. You can also change the stacking order of objects to change the shape of a clipping group.

Creating a clipping group

Viewing objects in the clipping group

Changing the stacking order of objects

Changing the global transparency of a clipping group

Changing the local transparency of a clipping group

A clipping group consists of a parent object and one or more child objects. An object is always the parent of the objects above it in the Objects Docker window. A clipping group clips the pixels of the child objects to the shape of the parent object.

To create a clipping group

Ensure that the tab for the Objects Docker window appears in the Application window.
If it doesn't, click View menu, Dockers, Objects.

Open the Object/Mask Tools flyout and click the Object Picker tool.
Drag the rose onto the pinata.
Click the column directly to the left of the rose thumbnail in the Objects Docker window.
An icon of a paper clip appears in the column, and the text thumbnail indents.
Hold down CTRL and click the pinata thumbnail in the Objects Docker window.
Click Object menu, Arrange, Group.
The rose and pinata are now grouped to move together.
Drag the pinata onto the clover.
In the Objects Docker window, click the column directly to the left of the pinata's thumbnail.
An icon of a paper clip appears in the column.

When you create a clipping group with two or more child objects, the highest child object in the stacking order covers child objects that are lower in the stacking order. You can view each object in the clipping group by hiding the child objects above them.

Click here to open a sample image

To view each object in a clipping group

Ensure that the tab for the Objects Docker window appears in the Application window.
If it doesn't, click View menu, Dockers, Objects.
Drag the tab of the Objects Docker window fully across the CorelTUTOR window.
When you release the mouse, the Objects Docker window is undocked from the Application window so you can see it and CorelTUTOR at the same time.
Open the Object/Mask Tools flyout and click the Object Picker tool.
Click the background thumbnail in the Objects Docker window.
Click the Eye icon next to the rose thumbnail in the Objects Docker window.
Click the Eye icon next to the pinata thumbnail in the Objects Docker window.

Note

You cannot hide the active object.

Tip

Click each Eye icon again to reveal its associated object.

You can change the stacking order of a clipping group to always display the same child object. Changing the stacking order is useful when you want to reveal a particular child object by changing the transparency of the child object above it, or when you want to change the clipping group to a different shape.

Click here to open a sample image

To change the stacking order of a clipping group

Ensure that the tab for the Objects Docker window appears in the Application window.
If it doesn't, click View menu, Dockers, Objects.
Drag the tab of the Objects Docker window fully across the CorelTUTOR window.
When you release the mouse, the Objects Docker window is undocked from the Application window so you can see it and CorelTUTOR at the same time.
Open the Object/Mask Tools flyout and click the Object Picker tool.
Drag the pinata thumbnail onto the rose thumbnail in the Objects Docker window.
The pinata is now at the top of the stacking order.
Drag the rose thumbnail onto the clover thumbnail in the Objects Docker window.
The paper clip icon next to the rose thumbnail disappears.
Click the column to the left of the clover thumbnail in the Objects Docker window.
The rose is now the parent object, and the clover becomes a child object in the clipping group.

The Opacity slider makes all pixels of a child object more transparent, to evenly reveal the object beneath it in the clipping group.

To edit the transparency of a clipping group globally

Ensure that the tab for the Objects Docker window appears in the Application window.
If it doesn't, click View menu, Dockers, Objects.

Open the Object/Mask Tools flyout and click the Object Picker tool.
Click the rose thumbnail in the Objects Docker window.
Move the Opacity slider at the bottom of the Objects Docker window to 65.
The Opacity slider is based on a scale of 100% for opaque to 1% for transparent.

You can edit the transparency of a child object locally to reveal only some pixels of the object beneath it in the clipping group.

Click here to open a sample image

To edit the transparency of a clipping group locally

Ensure that the tab for the Objects Docker window appears in the Application window.
If it doesn't, click View menu, Dockers, Objects.

Open the Object/Mask Tools flyout and click the Object Picker tool.
Click the rose thumbnail in the Objects Docker window.
Open the Object Transparency Tools flyout and click the Object Transparency Brush tool.
Click the Round Nib button on the Property Bar.
If the Property Bar for the Object Transparency Brush tool does not appear, enable the View menu, Property Bar command.
Move the Nib Size slider on the Property Bar to 20.
Type a value of zero in the Transparency box on the Property Bar.
Move the Transparency Brush Opacity slider on the Property Bar to zero.
Brush over the pixels that you want to make more transparent in the child object.

You can add text to an image and set its attributes such as font, size, and color as you create it. Most text procedures are performed with the Text tool, but you can move text, align it, and vary its color the same as any other object.

Changing the color of text

Adding text to an image

Changing text

Moving text

Aligning text

Adding text is as simple as typing it into the image. Text is created in the current paint color. If you change the text settings later, the changes appear in the image as you select them.