POLISH-JAPNESE INSTITUTE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Warsaw, 2000

Henryk A. Kowalski, M.Sc.

CorelDRAW 8

Lesson 2 ver.1.0

Very Important Note:

If no object is selected and you choose a function the dialog box with information that you try to change the default settings is shown. Click on the Cancel button!

8. Organizing objects

Welding objects

The Weld command lets you bind two or more objects together to create a single object. If you weld overlapping objects, they join to create an object with a single outline. Welding several overlapping objects binds them together to create one object. This object uses the welded objects' perimeter as its outline. All intersecting lines disappear.

To weld objects

1. Select the objects with the Pick tool.

2. Choose ARRANGE/Weld.

3. Enable the Target Object check box if you want to keep a copy of the target object (the object to which you're welding the selected object) after welding.

4. Enable the Other Object(s) check box if you want to keep a copy of the selected object(s) after welding.

5. Click Weld To.

6. Click the object you want to be the target object. (You can click one of the objects you selected in step 1.)

The object takes on the fill and outline attributes of the target object - the object to which you welded the selected objects.

Combining objects

The Combine command lets you fuse multiple curves, lines, and shapes to create a completely new shape with common fill and outline attributes. If the original objects overlap, the overlapping areas are removed to create clipping holes that allow you to see what's underneath. If the objects don't overlap, they still become part of a single object, but maintain their spatial separation.

To combine objects

1. Select the objects with the Pick tool.

2. Choose ARRANGE/Combine.

9. Shaping ellipses and rectangles

Changing an ellipse to an arc or a pie shape

You can use the Shape tool to turn an ellipse or a circle into an arc or a pie shape. A simple ellipse has one node, but when you create an arc or pie shape, CorelDRAW splits this node in two.

You control the appearance of the arc or the pie shape by moving these two new nodes. You can also change the direction in which CorelDRAW draws arcs and pie shapes.

To create an arc or pie shape from an ellipse (or circle)

1. Select the ellipse with the Shape tool.

2. Drag the node on the outline of the ellipse. To create an arc, keep the cursor outside the perimeter of the ellipse while dragging. To create a pie shape, keep the cursor inside the perimeter of the ellipse while dragging.

You can use the Pick tool.

To change the direction in which arcs or pie shapes are drawn

1. Select the arc or pie shape with the Shape tool.

2. Click the Clockwise/Counterclockwise Arcs or Pies button on the Property Bar.

To round the corners of a rectangle or a square

1. Select the rectangle or the square with the Shape tool.

2. Drag one of the corner nodes along the outline of the rectangle or square.

As you drag, the four corner nodes each divide into two nodes with a round corner forming in between. As you continue to drag, the corners become increasingly round.

You can use the Pick tool.

Converting an ellipse or rectangle to a curve object

To shape an ellipse or rectangle without restriction, you must first convert it to a curve object. When you convert an ellipse or rectangle to a curve object, it looks the same but you can shape it by editing its nodes and segments.

To convert an ellipse or rectangle to a curve object

1. Select the ellipse or the rectangle with the Pick tool.

2. Choose ARRANGE/Convert To Curves.

You can also convert an object to a curve object by selecting the object and clicking the Convert To Curves button on the Property Bar.

10. Creating effects with text

You can give text a distinct appearance by applying graphical effects to it. You can apply effects to both Paragraph text and Artistic text. However, some effects are exclusive to Artistic text and others to Paragraph text because CorelDRAW treats the two text types differently.

Fitting text to an open or closed path

To fit text to an open path object using the Fit Text To Path command

1. Using the Pick tool, select the object with an open path (e.g., a line or spiral) or closed path object (e.g., ellipse, box, etc.).

2. Hold down SHIFT, and click the Artistic text. (Select both objects.)

3. Choose TEXT/Fit Text To Path.

4. Choose an option for the orientation of letters on the path from the Text Orientation list box on the Property Bar.

5. Choose the vertical position of the Artistic text on the object from the Vertical Placement list box on the Property Bar.

6. Choose the horizontal position of the Artistic text on the object from the Text Placement list box on the Property Bar.

• To edit Artistic text directly on paths. Hold down CTRL and click the text with the Pick tool. Choose the Text tool and edit text.

• To flip the Artistic text to the opposite side of the path click the Place Text On Other Side button on the Property Bar

11. Special effects

To remove an effect.

1. Using the Pick tool, select the object that has the effect (e.g. envelope) you want to remove.

2. Chose EFFECTS/Clear Envelope.

11.1 Contouring objects

When you apply contours to an object, you create an effect like that created by contour lines on a topographical map. The Contour feature lets you add a new dimension to an object by adding a series of concentric lines or "steps" that radiate inside or outside its borders. This series (called a "contour group") contain lines separated by a distance.

To help accentuate the impact of adding contour lines, CorelDRAW also lets you add a progression of colors between the original object and the final contour line. This progression can follow a straight, clockwise, or counterclockwise path through the color spectrum.

Setting color progressions in a contoured object

The Contour Roll-Up and the Property Bar provide controls for changing the color scheme of any contoured object. The Outline and Fill color pickers control the colors of the contour shape that is furthest from the original object. The three arrow buttons control how the outline and fill colors progress through the contour. You can use these buttons to select a straight, clockwise, or counterclockwise path through the color spectrum.

To set color progressions using the Contour Roll-Up

1. Select a contoured object with the Pick tool.

2. Chose EFFECTS/Contour.

3. Click the Color Wheel tab.

4. Click the Outline color picker, then click the color you want at the end of the outline progression.

5. Click the Fill color picker, then click the color you want at the end of the fill progression.

If the original object has a fountain fill, a second color picker appears. Use this control to have a fountain fill at the end of the fill progression.

6. Click one of the following buttons to indicate how you want the outline and fill colors to progress through the color spectrum:

· Direct

· Clockwise

· Counterclockwise

The black line on the Color Wheel shows the selected path.

7. Click the Apply button.

11.2 Extruding an object

You can create two basic extrusion types using the Extrude Roll-Up or the Interactive Extrude tool: perspective extrusions and parallel extrusions.

Perspective extrusions present the illusions of both perspective and depth, as the extruded surfaces appear to recede towards a vanishing point. The vanishing point (located at infinity and represented by an “X” in the Drawing Window) is the point at which the receding lines would meet if extended that far. With parallel extrusions, the lines of the extruded surfaces are drawn parallel to one another and never approach a vanishing point.

The two extrusion types are further characterized by a reference to “front” or “back.” These terms indicate the direction of the extrusion with respect to the control object (the object being extruded). You control how far the extrusion extends by setting a depth value.

To extrude an object using the Extrude Roll-Up.

1. Select an object with the Pick tool.

2. Choose EFFECTS/Extrude.

3. Click the Vanishing Point Page tab. (It looks like a short piece of rail.)

4. Choose an extrusion type from the top list box.

5. Choose a vanishing point option from the bottom list box.

6. Drag the vanishing point marker (represented by “X”) to set the depth and direction of the extrusion. Or, click the Page Flipper button to display controls for placing the vanishing point at a precise coordinate. If you're creating a perspective extrusion, you can also set the depth by typing a value in the Depth box.

7. Click the Apply button.

To extrude an object using the Interactive Extrude tool.

1. Open the Interactive Tools flyout, and click the Interactive Extrude tool.

2. Select the object you want to extrude.

A small arrow appears beside to the cursor to indicate that you can extrude the object. If you move your cursor to a blank space in the Drawing Window, the small arrow disappears and you cannot extrude the object.

3. Drag the vanishing point marker (represented by “X”) to set the depth and direction of the extrusion. The vanishing point marker appears after you begin to drag.

4. Choose an extrusion type from the first list box at the left side of the Property Bar.

5. Choose a vanishing point option from the second list box.

Filling extrusions

You can fill extrusions using your choice of three options

• The first option, Use Object Fill, applies the control object's current fill to all its extruded surfaces. This option is best for uniform fills, fountain fills, two-color and full-color patterns, texture fills, and bitmap fills.

• The second option, Solid Fill, fills extruded surfaces with whatever solid color you choose. The control object maintains its fill properties, while the extruded surfaces take on the color you specify.

• The third option, Shade, blends two colors of your choice along the length of the extruded surfaces. The result is similar to the effect created by a linear fountain fill.

The Shade Fill option lets you apply a gradient fill -a fill that shows a progression between two colors - to an object's extruded or beveled surfaces. This type of fill can use any two colors and has no effect on the control object.

To apply a gradient fill to an object's extruded surfaces

1. Using the Pick tool, select the extrusion you want to fill.

2. Choose EFFECTS/Extrude.

3. Click the Color Wheel tab.

4. Enable the Shade button.

5. Click the From color picker, then click the color you want at the start of the gradient fill's color progression.

6. Click the To color picker, then click the color you want at the end of the gradient fill's color progression.

7. Click the Apply button.

Rotating an extrusion

The 3D Rotation page in the Extrude Roll-Up has controls that let you rotate an extrusion in three planes.

To rotate an extrusion using the mouse

1. Using the Pick tool, select the extrusion you want to rotate.

2. Choose EFFECTS/Extrude.

3. Click the 3D Rotation tab.

4. Click the Edit button.

5. Place the cursor over the Corel logo in the Display box. A hand cursor appears.

6. Click and drag the hand cursor in any direction.

Click the X button to return the logo (and the extrusion) to its original position.

7. Click the Apply button.

11.3 Adding drop shadows to objects

You can add drop shadows to most objects (or groups of objects) you create using CorelDRAW, including Artistic text, Paragraph text, and bitmap images. However, you cannot add drop shadows to link groups such as blended objects, contoured objects, beveled objects, extruded objects, or other drop shadows.

To add a drop shadow to an object

1. Open the Interactive Tools flyout, and click the Interactive Drop Shadow tool.

2. Select the object to which you want to apply a drop shadow, and drag the end fill handle to position the drop shadow.

The end fill handle appears after you start dragging. You can see the outline of the drop shadow as you drag the end fill handle beyond the object's bounding box. You can reposition the drop shadow at any time by dragging the end fill handle.

To adjust the opacity of a drop shadow

1. Using the Interactive Drop Shadow tool, select the object whose drop shadow opacity you want to adjust.

2. In the Drawing Window, drag the slider to adjust the opacity of the drop shadow.

Dragging the slider towards the drop shadow's anchor decreases the drop shadow's intensity. Dragging the slider towards the end fill handle increases the drop shadow's intensity

To change the color of a drop shadow

1. Using the Interactive Drop Shadow tool, select the object whose drop shadow color you want to change.

2. Drag a color from the on-screen Color Palette to the end fill handle.

You can also change the color of the drop shadow by choosing a color from the Drop Shadow Color picker on the Property Bar

11.4 Working with envelopes

Envelopes provide a powerful and simple way to reshape objects. Like the Shape tool, the Envelope feature lets you change the shape of objects by using the mouse to move nodes and control points. You start by adding an envelope to the object you want to reshape. This envelope is superimposed on the object and appears as a dotted red line with a series of squares at points along its path.

These squares represent the envelope's nodes. By dragging the nodes in any direction, you reshape the envelope. In turn, as the envelope changes shape, the associated object automatically reshapes to conform to the envelope.

To reshape an object using the Envelope Roll-Up

1. Select an object with the Pick tool.

2. Choose EFFECTS/Envelope.

3. Click the Add New button.

This places an envelope -represented by a dotted box with squares as its nodes -on top of the object and selects the Interactive Envelope tool (in the Toolbox).

4. Click one of the following buttons for the editing mode you want:

• Straight Line

• Single Arc

• Double Arc

• Unconstrained

5. In the Drawing Window, drag a node to change the shape of the envelope.

If you're using an editing mode other than Unconstrained, you can hold down CTRL or SHIFT as you drag to move the adjacent node an equal distance in the same or opposite direction, respectively. Hold down CTRL + SHIFT to have all four corner or side nodes (depending on the type you're dragging) move. If you're using Unconstrained editing mode, you can hold down CTRL to limit node movement horizontally or vertically.

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until the envelope is the shape you want.

Lesson 2

Exercise 1: A keyhole

1. Draw a cycle and a rectangle.

2. Round the corners of the rectangle. Simply position the cursor over the node (the cursor changes to the Shape tool cursor) and drag the cursor as necessary.

3. Put the rectangle over the cycle and weld.

4. Apply a texture using the Texture Fill dialog box.

Select the object with the Pick tool. Open the Fill Tool flyout, and click Texture Fill Dialog. Choose a library containing the texture (Samples) you want from the Texture Library list box. Choose a texture you want from the Texture list box (Gouache wash). The Preview window inside the dialog box displays the fill attributes that are assigned to the selected object.

Exercise 2: Pie Chart (Extrude)

1. Draw a big yellow ellipse. (select it)

2. Choose EFFECTS/Extrude. (Open the Extrude Roll-Up.)

3. Click the Vanishing Point Page tab. (It looks like a short piece of rail.)

4. Choose an extrusion type Back Parallel from the top list box.

5. Click the Color Wheel tab.

6. Click the From color picker, then click the color you want at the start of the gradient fill's color progression.

7. Click the To color picker, then click the color you want at the end of the gradient fill's color progression.

8. Drag the vanishing point marker (represented by “X”) to set the depth and direction of the extrusion.

9. Click the Apply button. (Observe the control ellipse and Extrusion Group in the Object Manager dockers.)

To edit extrusion effect select the object you want to edit and click the Edit button on the Extrude Roll-Up.

10. Copy the ellipse, change the fill color and create a pie shape. Put it on the top of ellipse. (If you copy the ellipse with the effect choose EFFECTS/Clear Extrude).

Exercise 3: ABCD

1. Write the word "ABCD" (Artistic text , color is unimportant) with Font: Arial Black, Font Size: 100, in the center of the Drawing Page.

Note: Choose Text Tool, click on the Drawing Page (create the new object Artistic Text) and then change options).

2. Choose the Shape tool.

3. Select the node of the first character. (Small, white square located left to the character. After selection it turns black.)

4. Drug it down. Set the blue fill and the yellow 8-point outline.

5. Double click on the node of the second character (open Format Text dialog box). Click the Align tab.

6. Type appropriate rotation and shift value of the character. Click Apply button. Don't click on OK button.

7. Apply rotation to other characters.

8. Choose Interactive Fill Tool.

9. Click on the first character and drag over the last character.

10. Apply linear fountain fill from blue color to red color. Use the Property Bar options.

11. Set the mid-point slider after the first character. (Drag the mid-point slider that appears inside the object.)

Exercise 4: Contour effect 1

1. Draw a big cycle with yellow fill and 8 point blue outline. (Select it.)

2. Choose the EFFECTS//Contour. (Open the Contour dialog window).

3. Click the Outside. Set 10 mm offset and 2 steps.

4. Click the Color Wheel tab.

5. Click the Outline color picker, then click the color you want at the end of the outline progression (red color).

6. Click the Fill color picker, then click the color you want at the end of the fill progression (green color).

7. Click Apply button.

8. Try out another options: To center, Inside, and Color progression clockwise or counterclockwise.

Exercise 5: Contour effect 2

1. Type an Artistic Text and apply the Contour effect.

Exercise 6: NEON (interactive extrude)

1. Set the landscape orientation of the Drawing Page. Use the Property Bar options.

2. Write the word " NEON " (Artistic text , color is unimportant) with Font: Arial Black, Font Size: 200, in the center of the Drawing Page.

3. Set the blue fill and the yellow 8 points outline.

4. Choose the Interactive Extrude Tool.

5. Click on the text and drag the vanishing point marker (represented by “X”) to position in the upper right corner of the Drawing Page.

6. Drag the mid-point sliders that appear inside the object towards the upper right corner of the Drawing Page (and back).

7. Click on the start handle (white square with X marker). The cursor changes the shape to form two arcs.

8. Click and hold the mouse button in the middle of the dashed line cycle and drag clockwise (X and Y directions).

9. Click and hold the mouse button outside the dashed line cycle and drag clockwise (Z direction).

10. Try to position the vanishing point marker in the upper left corner of the Drawing Page with the vertical text orientation.

Exercise 7: A straight-line blend

1. Draw a red rectangle in the lower left corner of the Drawing Page.

2. Draw a yellow cycle in the lower right corner of the Drawing Page.

3. Choose the Interactive Blend Too.

4. Click the rectangle and drag the end handle over the cycle and release the mouse button. (The end handle appears after you start dragging the object.)

5. Drag the mid-point sliders that appears inside the object towards the rectangle and next towards the cycle.

6. Double click on one slider and drug it separately.

7. Change the number of steps to 50. Use the Property Bar options.

Exercise 9: Blending objects along a freehand path

8. Draw a red rectangle in the upper left corner of the Drawing Page.

9. Draw a yellow cycle in the upper right corner of the Drawing Page.

10. Choose the Interactive Blend Tool.

11. Hold down ALT key and draw a freehand path from the rectangle to the cycle, then release the mouse button.

12. Choose the Shape Tool and change the path to form “S” shape.

Exercise 10: Drop Shadow

1. Draw a small green rectangle (select it).

2. Choose the Interactive Drop Shadow Tool.

3. Click the rectangle and drag the end fill handle to position the drop shadow. Release the mouse button.

4. Change the color of a drop shadow.

• Using the Interactive Drop Shadow tool, select the object whose drop shadow color you want to change. Drag a color from the on-screen Color Palette to the end fill handle.

• Use the Property Bar option.

5. Adjust the opacity of a drop shadow. In the Drawing Window, drag the slider to adjust the opacity of the drop shadow.

Exercise 11: Distortion

1. Choose the Spiral Tool.

2. Click on the Drawing Page and drag.

3. Choose the Interactive Distortion Tool.

4. Click inside the spiral and drag.

For exercise 12 and 13 you can download the multimedia presentation files Lesn1.exe and Lesn2.exe from ftp://ftp.pjwstk.waw.pl/kowalski/grafika/coreldraw (originally located in www.unleash.com).

Exercise 12: HELLO (multimedia)

1. Write the word " HELLO" (Artistic text , fill None) with Font: Arial Black, Font Size: 50, in the center of the Drawing Page.

2. Zoom in the text to about 400%. (Open the Zoom flyout and click the Zoom tool. Click and drag diagonally in the Drawing Window to create a marquee box around the area you want to magnify.)

3. Set the outline width to 1,2 points and color to black. (Open the Outline Tool flyout, and click Outline Pen dialog box.)

4. Open the Contour Roll-Up.

5. Select: To center and 0,1 mm offset value. Click on the Color Wheel tab.

6. Set the Outline color to white.

7. Set the Fill color to black.

8. Click Apply.

Exercise 13: Unreal (multimedia)

1. Write the word " Unreal" (Artistic text , fill blue) with Font: Arial Black, Font Size: 150, in the center of the Drawing Page.

2. Create the duplicate and move it upwards.

3. Select the original, open the Outline Pen dialog box, set 80-point width and select Behind fill checkbox. Click OK button.

4. Select duplicate and place it on the top of the original text. It doesn't have to be perfect.

5. Set the yellow outline.

6. Open the Fountain Fill dialog box. Enable Custom checkbox.

7. Double click on the center of the color blend preview ribbon. Select the white color (first element from the left in the second row in the color palette).

8. Click on the end color marker of the custom fill (white small square). Select the blue color (third element from the left in the second row in the color palette).

9. Type in 90 degrees in the Options Angle window.

10. Select all objects.

11. Choose the Blend Roll-Up and click Apply.

CorelDraw 8 Lesson2 ver.1.0 00-10-26 12/12

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