Difference between revisions of "Corel Draw"

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[[Image:Corel Draw - WIN - Screenshot - X7.png|thumb|256x256px|Corel Draw X7.]]
 
[[Image:Corel Draw - WIN - Screenshot - X7.png|thumb|256x256px|Corel Draw X7.]]
  
'''Corel Draw''', stylized as "CorelDRAW," is a vector graphics editor developed by the [[Corel Corporation]] for [[Windows]]. It was originally designed as a simple graphics creator for a desktop publishing program sold by Corel and first released in January of 1989 for [[Windows 2]], but it quickly became a full-fledged graphics editor. The program has received routine updates for the past 30 years making it one of the more sophisticated vector editors. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, it was the premier graphics editor for Windows, but it has since been overtaken by Adobe [[Illustrator]].
+
'''Corel Draw''', stylized as "CorelDRAW," is a vector graphics editor developed by the [[Corel Corporation]] for [[Windows]]. It was originally designed as a simple graphics creator for a desktop publishing program sold by Corel and first released in January of 1989 for [[Windows 2]], but it quickly became a full-fledged graphics editor. The program has received routine updates for the past 30 years making it one of the oldest and most sophisticated vector editors. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, it was the premier graphics editor for Windows, but it has since been overtaken by Adobe's [[Illustrator]] after the company branched out from [[Macintosh]] to Windows.
  
I first used Corel Draw on my uncle's computer in the early 1990s. He had acquired version 3 which could run on [[Windows 3]] and had all sorts of features and the raster editor [[Corel Photo-Paint]]. He would later upgrade to version 5. I watched him use the program to create flyers for his church and occasionally used it myself, but, at the time I didn't have much interest in graphic art, so I rarely used it. In high school my computer teacher allowed me to buy a copy of version 7 at the school's discounted rate. This was the first version where I actually spent a lot of time playing with it, and I used it at my first software development job to make icons, logos, and various other graphics for my programs. I later used versions 8, 10, 12, X3, X5, and [[Corel X7|X7]]. I generally skip a version or two before upgrading in order to make the new features worth my while. I still use the program frequently for graphic creation at work and home.  
+
I first used Corel Draw on my uncle's computer in the early 1990s. He had acquired version 3 which could run on [[Windows 3]] and include the early raster editor [[Corel Photo-Paint]]. He would later upgrade to version 5. I watched him use the program to create flyers for his church and occasionally used it myself. At the time I didn't have much interest in graphic art, so I rarely used it. In high school, my computer teacher allowed me to buy a copy of version 7 at the school's discounted rate. This was the first version where I actually spent a lot of time playing with it, and I used it at my first software development job to make logos and various other graphics for the programs I developed. I later used versions 8, 10, 12, X3, X5, and [[Corel X7|X7]]. I generally skip a version or two before upgrading in order to make the new features worth my while. I still use the program frequently for graphic creation at work and home.  
  
Over all, I find Corel Draw to be a very useful program, and, since I've grown up using it, I'm far more comfortable using it than any other vector art program. However, I do have to admit that it is inferior to Adobe Illustrator.
+
Over all, I find Corel Draw to be a very useful program, and, since I've grown up using it, I'm far more comfortable with it than any other vector art program. I admit that it is inferior to Illustrator, but I find Corel's interface to be more intuitive and their software model to be far less constrictive than Adobe. However, it is still quite pricey, and a decent free equivilant is [[Inkscape]].
  
 
==Status==
 
==Status==
Line 12: Line 12:
 
==Review==
 
==Review==
 
===Good===
 
===Good===
* The program features a vast array of features and capabilities, so many, in fact, that I'm still discovering new ones after years of use. Some of the tools I find easier to use than Illustrator.
+
* The program features a vast array of features and capabilities, so many, in fact, that I'm still discovering new ones after years of use. Some of the tools I find to be much easier to use than Illustrator.
* Each new version usually improves existing features while updating others.
+
* Each new version usually adds new features while improving existing ones.
 
* The program is more cost effective than other similarly-featured vector graphics programs.
 
* The program is more cost effective than other similarly-featured vector graphics programs.
 +
* The program is highly configurable, even to the point of letting you reassign hotkeys and redraw toolbar icons.
  
 
===Bad===
 
===Bad===
* Because the program isn't as popular as Illustrator, there are far fewer online tutorials and books available for it.
+
* Because the program isn't as popular as Illustrator, there are far fewer online tutorials and books available for it, so you won't have as many sources to learn from.
* There are several quirks in the program that bother me, like the strange function of the default zoom. Thankfully, most of these quirks can be fixed by adjusting the configuration.
+
* There are several quirks in the program that bother me, like the default zoom's strange function. Thankfully, most of these quirks can be fixed by adjusting the configuration. And, I still much prefer the mouse scroll-wheel zoom over Adobe's unnecessary Macintosh-based CTRL + scroll wheel zoom.
* For decades the program has shipped with a hideous and useless default palette, that can't easily be replaced with a useful one.
+
* For decades the program has shipped with a hideous and useless default palette, and you can't easily replace it with a useful one.
 
* The interface has adopted the poorly-thought-out [[Windows 10]] scheme making in inferior to earlier versions.
 
* The interface has adopted the poorly-thought-out [[Windows 10]] scheme making in inferior to earlier versions.
* There is no simple way to convert color models for an entire image. For example, if an image is using CYMK, and you want to convert it to RGB, you have to go through a tedious find-and-replace wizard (twice, once for fills, and again for utlines), and the results may still not be very good.
+
* There is no simple way to convert color models for an entire image. For example, if an image is using CYMK, and you want to convert it to RGB, you have to go through a tedious find-and-replace wizard twice (once for fills, and again for outlines), and the results may still not be very good. You're usually better off doing it by hand.
 +
* Even as late as version 17, there is still poor support for the Web standard [[SVG]] format (I use [[Inkscape]] to ensure proper handling of the format, and the Illustrator importer is only so-so.
 +
* It's a quibble, but Corel switched version numbers to a hybrid number plus Roman numerals at version 13. This may have been done to be more stylish or possibly to avoid using a number they superstitiously think of as unlucky, either way, it's dumb.
  
 
===Ugly===
 
===Ugly===
* I have been using the program from versions 3 to 15, and every version has been prone to crashing unexpectedly. Corel implemented a backup system which attempts to recover some lost art after a crash, but it's not very effective, and I'd much rather they just fix their bugs.
+
* I have used several versions as far back as 3, and as new as X7, and every version has been prone to crashing unexpectedly when performing memory intensive commands. Corel implemented a backup system which attempts to recover some lost art after a crash, but, depending on how frequently it is set to run, still causes you to lose some of your work. While I'm all for having crash protection, you know what would be better than that? Not crashing in the first place!
  
 
==Links==
 
==Links==

Revision as of 15:55, 15 October 2019

Corel Draw X7.

Corel Draw, stylized as "CorelDRAW," is a vector graphics editor developed by the Corel Corporation for Windows. It was originally designed as a simple graphics creator for a desktop publishing program sold by Corel and first released in January of 1989 for Windows 2, but it quickly became a full-fledged graphics editor. The program has received routine updates for the past 30 years making it one of the oldest and most sophisticated vector editors. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, it was the premier graphics editor for Windows, but it has since been overtaken by Adobe's Illustrator after the company branched out from Macintosh to Windows.

I first used Corel Draw on my uncle's computer in the early 1990s. He had acquired version 3 which could run on Windows 3 and include the early raster editor Corel Photo-Paint. He would later upgrade to version 5. I watched him use the program to create flyers for his church and occasionally used it myself. At the time I didn't have much interest in graphic art, so I rarely used it. In high school, my computer teacher allowed me to buy a copy of version 7 at the school's discounted rate. This was the first version where I actually spent a lot of time playing with it, and I used it at my first software development job to make logos and various other graphics for the programs I developed. I later used versions 8, 10, 12, X3, X5, and X7. I generally skip a version or two before upgrading in order to make the new features worth my while. I still use the program frequently for graphic creation at work and home.

Over all, I find Corel Draw to be a very useful program, and, since I've grown up using it, I'm far more comfortable with it than any other vector art program. I admit that it is inferior to Illustrator, but I find Corel's interface to be more intuitive and their software model to be far less constrictive than Adobe. However, it is still quite pricey, and a decent free equivilant is Inkscape.

Status

I own an older version of Corel Draw and have been using it since the early 1990s.

Review

Good

  • The program features a vast array of features and capabilities, so many, in fact, that I'm still discovering new ones after years of use. Some of the tools I find to be much easier to use than Illustrator.
  • Each new version usually adds new features while improving existing ones.
  • The program is more cost effective than other similarly-featured vector graphics programs.
  • The program is highly configurable, even to the point of letting you reassign hotkeys and redraw toolbar icons.

Bad

  • Because the program isn't as popular as Illustrator, there are far fewer online tutorials and books available for it, so you won't have as many sources to learn from.
  • There are several quirks in the program that bother me, like the default zoom's strange function. Thankfully, most of these quirks can be fixed by adjusting the configuration. And, I still much prefer the mouse scroll-wheel zoom over Adobe's unnecessary Macintosh-based CTRL + scroll wheel zoom.
  • For decades the program has shipped with a hideous and useless default palette, and you can't easily replace it with a useful one.
  • The interface has adopted the poorly-thought-out Windows 10 scheme making in inferior to earlier versions.
  • There is no simple way to convert color models for an entire image. For example, if an image is using CYMK, and you want to convert it to RGB, you have to go through a tedious find-and-replace wizard twice (once for fills, and again for outlines), and the results may still not be very good. You're usually better off doing it by hand.
  • Even as late as version 17, there is still poor support for the Web standard SVG format (I use Inkscape to ensure proper handling of the format, and the Illustrator importer is only so-so.
  • It's a quibble, but Corel switched version numbers to a hybrid number plus Roman numerals at version 13. This may have been done to be more stylish or possibly to avoid using a number they superstitiously think of as unlucky, either way, it's dumb.

Ugly

  • I have used several versions as far back as 3, and as new as X7, and every version has been prone to crashing unexpectedly when performing memory intensive commands. Corel implemented a backup system which attempts to recover some lost art after a crash, but, depending on how frequently it is set to run, still causes you to lose some of your work. While I'm all for having crash protection, you know what would be better than that? Not crashing in the first place!

Links

Link-Wikipedia.png  Link-Official.png