ECLECTIC BLOG

I attended a Corel Webinar today and was surprised that it wasn’t about how to use my current version of Corel, but it was regarding the release of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X5! Okay, I’ll stick around and see what new bells and whistles are built into the latest version of Corel’s incredible graphics suite.

First of all, props to John Falsetto, the Production Manager of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite, and Evelyn Watts, Corel Field Services, for bringing this webinar to us and answering LOADS of questions about the suite.

Here are just a few of the notes I made regarding the topics that John covered in this morning’s webinar:

*Corel X5 trial version is now available online.

*The workflow is still the same, as usual, Corel helps you to design a project once, and output it to various file formats for multiple media.

*”CONNECT” is a neat addition to Corel X5: you can search for content via keywords, pull the content into a tracking window, and it will bring it into DRAW for you. This will work with content from X4, for those of you who decide to upgrade.

*You know that saving a big project can sometimes take time, so X5 will actually work with multi-core, so that you can “save” and continue to work while the project is being saved.

*Power Trace has been tweaked for better performance. Personally, I use Trace quite a bit in my work, and it has worked well, but there are always tiny parts of images that need fixing, so the better performance will be a time-saver!

*There are now additions to the artistic media presets – the few brushstrokes that John showed looked more natural.

*Mesh fills have been improved…you can create incredibly realistic fills with that tool.

*Color palette will automatically add the colors you are using, and the palette can be saved and exported. Just imagine a group of folks working on the same project…no more fumbling around for the proper colors. Import the palette, and you’re all on the same page! Or, you can use the same palette for future projects when you need the exact same color results.

*There are now various Pantone palettes and Roland palettes to choose from in this suite.

*Color management has been re-engineered, and you can proof your settings in real time to check that colors will look the way you need them to look in your final project.

*Exporting for web will give you great previews and allow you to adjust settings before export. Quite user-friendly.

*You can import/export to over 100 formats!

*You can easily view “what’s new” since the last few formats of Corel by clicking a button – the changes will be hilighted in another color – go explore and see what’s new!

*There are now tool tips on hover, the toolbars are locked by default, and touch screens can be used with the program.
SWiSH mini max2 is included for flash animations, along with a huge library of clipart, photos and fonts, as well as video training.

Additional info:
Corel just opened up their own YouTube channel for video training yesterday.
Corel will be having a webinar about color management on March 31, so check out their website for more information.

Till next time,
Happy Creating!
Eclectic Dawn