Idiots Guide

[phildux]

Sally, how do i import the image into corel draw, i will try and have a go, i have been told the only to get the image in is to scan it in but surley that can not be correct i only have corel draw 9
Cheers
Phil

[sallybode]

I posted a CorelDRAW file in version 9.0 in post #7. All posts are numbered for easy reference, you'll find in the upper left of each post, its number.

Just open the file. Should work.

[phildux]

i have attached another sign. looking for basic instructions. open corel draw, new graphic, go to file, scroll to import, find and select the image, then what do i need to do next to vector this image
Cheers
Phil

[sallybode]

The whole point of software is to find one that is easy to use and is the most efficient use of my time or your time.

CorelDRAW's trace function exists in 9 as well but it really made a quantum leap forward in all the trace function can do in X3.

I suggest you move into the 21st Century, and download X3, try it and find out that it really does save time and buy it. This forum, yes, I am the moderator, and I give help to many members, and occasionally, like here I give extra help to show what can be done, however, the other logo was a case of just zooming in and drawing basic shapes. If you are going to use a drawing program, you have to use the tools. There are many Corel basic skills books out there, and that is beyond the scope of what I do on the forum. I will help you if you start. You have to draw the shapes, you can draw rectangles, start with what is in the back and work from back to front, and don't fill the shape until you no longer need to see what you've got. Set the type, no tracing software does a decent job of that.

Make a start. Get some Corel books, buy some Corel ebooks and take yourself through the course.

That is what it took for me to get to where I am, I had to invest in myself. And it paid off for me. But likewise I made the effort to draw and draw and draw and experiment and play with the tools. You do not learn to draw by being given an assignment to use what is when you start out, a difficult program and panic and not know where to start. You forget the project and learn how to use the tools, you have to learn how the bezier tools work and how to fill shapes and what the color editor palette does. This is what books will do for you. Go to Amazon.com and get yourself some CorelDRAW books, CorelDRAW WOW is a tremendous book, versions 4-9, and CoreDRAW the Official Guide which deals with using DRAW 12.

I do graphics 8 hours a day 5 days a week and often draw all my evening hours too, either in CorelDRAW, but lately, in Xara, lots of drawings.

When you do this, you learn how a program thinks, you learn to problem solve. It is well worth learning. I had the opportunity to learn AutoCAD and a lot of the way I work is by the numbers, because it is efficient.

I start by tracing or scanning what I am using, or laying it out by measurement and setting up guidelines. I figure out what the output size is and if I need to make the drawing on a letter size piece of paper, A size, etc. or custom. I keep Object Manager open so I can see the properties of all the items I draw as sometimes I have to change horses in mid stream and have to change from one color scheme to another.

My drawings have to be done logically and consistently to the standards of what my shop uses so that anyone else who picks up the work can know where I left off and what to do.

I have gotten out of the habit of using layers but layers are good to use when you are tracing because you can set the transparency of what you are tracing and turn of the editablity so that it is not going to be altered accicentally.

If you want to learn DRAW I highly suggest you buy at least the CorelDRAW 12 ebook from unleash.com. It is well worth it. And if you are going to need to make .pdf, getting it with DRAW makes sense. CorelDRAW 12 can be had for about $60.00 full version and this is a real deal. It is still a powerful program and is far superior to CorelDRAW 9.0. I also have 9.0 but never use it unless I have to answer someone's question on it. Life marches on and to stay up to where you need to be to be competitive in todays market means you use the programs that are on the cutting edge, not ten to fifteen years old.

DRAW X3, whereas it is just as powerful as 12 is mostly targeted for those users who work a lot in print and especially spot color, but the trace engine is wonderful. It is just pokey at printing.

9.0 does terrible on text, if you have to convert to curves it makes the characters gain weight, and I don't like using if for that reason. Customers want a good output and if you are going to have to output to .pdf, and you have to buy Adobe Acrobat Professional, $350.00 later, you could have bought CorelDRAW 12 for $60.00 and it makes .pdf, you have to invest somewhere sometime. At least Corel is a company I do not mind buying from. There software is within a budget. Once you own it, buying upgrades is a reasonable thing to do or get the last version for less on Ebay.

Print houses will not accept.cdr files, but will accept .tif, .pdf, .ai, .eps, QuarkXpress, InDesign, PageMaker, some accept CorelDRAW but not version 9, too old.

And output to Word is via .wmf mostly. MS Word is a very uncooperative program. Even after you make a .wmf, it only accepts sizes which are rounded off to 1, 1.5", etc., or it cuts off part of the image. This is learned by experience. Output as curves not text always.

Please do your homework.

[phildux]

sorry, i do not do this full time and was trying to find a quick and easy solution to fixing my problem. And I thought all I would need to do was go out and buy corel draw and that would be that (but how wrong was i). i have approx 16 / 17 of these to do only. i will pay for having these done as this is all to complicated for me, and as i say i was only looking for a quick fix. could you suggest anybody who will do these and at what cost.
Cheers
Phil

[sallybode]

I have sent you a PM regarding getting your work done.