CORELDRAW

Terminology and Concepts

Before you get started with CorelDRAW, you should be familiar with the following terms .

Term Description
Object An element in a drawing, such as an image, shape, line, text,
curve, symbol, or layer
Drawing The work you create in CorelDRAW: for example, custom
artwork, logos, posters, and newsletters
Vector graphic An image generated from mathematical descriptions that
determine the position, length, and direction in which lines are
drawn
Bitmap An image composed of grids of pixels or dots
Docker A window containing commands and settings relevant to a
specific tool or task
Flyout A button that opens a group of related tool
Artistic text A type of text to which you can apply special effects, such as
shadows
Paragraph text A type of text to which you can apply formatting options, and
which can be edited in large blocks

Application Window
When you launch CorelDraw, the application window opens containing a drawing window. The
rectangle in the center of the drawing window is the drawing page where you create your
drawing. Although more than one drawing window can be opened, you can apply commands to
the active drawing window only
The application window contains the following main parts:

Part Description
Menu bar The area containing drop-down menus with commands grouped by
category
Property bar A detachable bar with commands that relate to the active tool or
object. For example, when the Text tool is active, the text property
bar displays commands thatlet you create and edit text.
Toolbar A detachable bar that contains shortcuts to menu and other
commands. The standard toolbar contains shortcuts to basic
commands, such as opening, saving, and printing.
Title bar The area displaying the title of the currently open drawing
Rulers Horizontal and vertical borders that are used to determine the size
and position of objects in a drawing
Toolbox A detachable bar with tools for creating,
filling, and modifying objects in the drawing
Drawing window The area outside the drawing page The area outside the drawing
page bordered by the scroll bars and application controls
Drawing page The rectangular area inside the drawing window. It is the printable
area of your work area.
Color palette A detachable bar that contains color swatches
Docker A window containing commands and settings relevant to a specific
tool or task
Status bar An area at the bottom of the application window that contains
information about object properties such as type, size, color, fill,
and resolution. The status bar also shows the current mouse
position.
Document navigator The area at the bottom left of the application window that contains
controls for moving between pages and adding pages
Navigator A button at the lower-right corner of the drawing window that
opens a smaller display to help you move around a drawing

Application commands are accessible through the menu bar, toolbars, property bar, dockers, and
toolbox. The property bar and dockers provide access to commands that relate to the active tool
or current task. The property bar, dockers, toolbars, and toolbox can be opened, closed, and
moved around your screen at any time
Toolbars
Toolbars consist of buttons that are shortcuts to menu commands. The standard toolbar, which
appears by default, consists of commonly used commands. The table below outlines the buttons
on the standard toolbar.
Click this Button To
Start a new drawing

Open a drawing

Save a drawing

Print a drawing

Cut selected objects to the Clipboard

Copy selected objects to the Clipboard

Paste the Clipboard contents into a drawing

Restore an action that was undone

Restore an action that was undone

Import a drawing

Export a drawing

Start Corel applications

Access the Corel Graphics Community Web site

Set a zoom level

In addition to the standard toolbar, CorelDraw has toolbars for specific kinds of tasks. For
example, the Text toolbar contains commands relevant to using the Tex t tool. If you use a
toolbar frequently, you can display it in the work space at all times. The following table
describes toolbars other than the standard toolbar.
.
Property bar
The property bar displays the most commonly used functions that are relevant to the active tool
or to the task you’re performing. Although it looks like a toolbar, the property bar has content
that changes depending on the tool or task.For example, when you click the Tex t tool in the
toolbox, the property bar displays only text-related commands. In the example below, the
property bar displays text formatting, alignment, and editing tools.

Dockers
Dockers display the same types of controls as a dialog box, such as command buttons, options, and list boxes. Unlike
most dialog boxes, you can keep dockers open while working on a document, so you can readily access the commands to
experiment with different effects.

An example is the
Object properties
docker. When this
docker is open, you
can click an object in
the drawing window
and view the
properties of the
object, such as fill,
outline, and
dimensions.

Dockers can be either docked or floating. Docking a docker attaches it to the edge of the
application window. Undocking a docker detaches it from the edge of the application window,
so it can be easily moved around. You can also collapse dockers to save screen space. If you
open several dockers, they usually appear nested, with only one docker fully displayed. You can
quickly display a docker hidden from view by clicking the docker’s tab
Left: Docked and nested dockers. Right: A floating docker. To dock a floating docker,
click the docker’s title bar, and drag to position the pointer on the edge of the drawing
window. To close a docker, click the X button at the upper-right corner; to collapse or
expand a docker, click the arrow button at the upper-right corner.

Status bar
The status bar displays information about selected objects, such as color, fill type, outline,
cursor position, and relevant commands.

Color palette
A color palette is a collection of color swatches. You can choose fill and outline colors by using
the default color palette, which contains 99 colors from the CMYK color model. The selected
fill and outline colors appear in the color swatches on the status bar. The following table
describes how to choose a color from the default color palette.

Toolbox
The toolbox contains tools for editing, creating, and viewing images. Some of the tools are
visible by default, while others are grouped in flyouts. Flyouts open to display a set of related
tools. A small arrow in the lower-right corner of a toolbox button indicates a flyout: for
example, the Shape edit flyout . Clicking a flyout arrow opens a set of related tools. Clicking
and dragging the grab handles at the end of the flyout sets the flyout in its expanded form.
The following tables provide descriptions of the flyouts and tools in the CorelDRAW toolbox .

Tool Description
The Pick tool lets you select and size, skew, and rotate objects

The Shape tool lets you edit the shape of objects.

The Smudge brush tool lets you distort a vector object by dragging along its outline.

The Roughen brush tool lets you distort the outline of a vector object by dragging along the outline.

The Free transform tool lets you transform an object by using the Free rotation, Angle rotation,
Scale, and Skew tools.
The Crop tool lets you remove unwanted areas in objects.

The Knife tool lets you cut through objects.

The Eraser tool lets you remove areas of your drawing.

The Virtual segment delete tool lets you delete portions of objects that are between intersections.

The Zoom tool lets you change the magnification level in the drawing window.
The Hand tool lets you control which part of the drawing is visible in the drawing window.

The Freehand tool lets you draw single line segments and curves.

The Bézier tool lets you draw curves one segment at a time.

The Artistic media tool provides access to the Brush, Sprayer, Calligraphic, and Pressure tools.

The Pen tool lets you draw curves one segment at a time

The Polyline tool lets you draw lines and curves in preview mode

The 3 point curve tool lets you draw a curve by defining the start, end, and center points.

The Interactive connector tool lets you join two objects with a line.

The Dimension tool lets you draw vertical, horizontal, slanted, or angular dimension lines.

The Smart fill tool lets you create objects from enclosed areas and then apply a fill to those objects

The Smart drawing tool converts the freehand strokes that you draw to basic shapes and smoothed
curves.
The Rectangle tool lets you draw rectangles and squares

The 3 point rectangle tool lets you draw rectangles at an angle.

The Ellipse tool lets you draw ellipses and circles

The 3 point ellipse tool lets you draw ellipses at an angle

The Polygon tool lets you draw symmetrical polygons and stars.

The Star tool lets you draw perfect stars.

The Complex star tool lets you draw complex stars that have intersecting sides.

The Graph paper tool lets you draw a grid of lines similar to that on graph paper.

The Spiral tool lets you draw symmetrical and logarithmic spirals.

The Basic shapes tool lets you choose from a full set of shapes, including hexagram, a smiley face,
and a right-angle triangle.
The Arrow shapes tool lets you draw arrows of various shape, direction, and number of heads.
The Flowchart shapes tool lets you draw flowchart symbols.

The Banner shapes tool lets you draw ribbon objects and explosion shapes.

The Callout shapes tool lets you draw callouts and labels.

The Text tool lets you type words di rectly on the screen as artistic or paragraph text.

The Interactive blend tool lets you blend two objects.

 WORKING WITH LAYOUT

You will learn how to

• draw shapes
• add color to objects
• align objects precisely
• select multiple objects
• import images and text
• create, format, and align text
• work with text boxes
• group objects
• use rulers and guidelines
• use keyboard shortcuts
• use the color palette
• use the Dynamic guidelines
• use the Pick tool
• use the Ellipse tool
• use the Rectangle tool
• use the Tex t tool
• use the Shaping docker

Creating the Background

To begin the project, you will create a new document and set the page properties. Next, you will
create two rectangle shapes for the background and fill them with color. Then, you will use
guidelines to align the rectangles precisely.

To create the rectangles for the background

1 Click File menu New to create a new document.
2 Double-click on the page shadow to open the Options dialog box.
3 Make sure the units of measurement are inches, and set the width to 6" and the height
 to 4".
4 Click the Add page frame button, and click OK. The page frame creates a rectangle the
exact size of the document. When you create the page frame object, it is selected by
default.
5 Click the arrow at the bottom of the color palette to scroll down, and click the Olive
color swatch. The color palette is located along the right edge of the application
window by default. When the pointer hovers over a color swatch, the name of the
color is displayed. Clicking the olive color swatch changes the color of the
background rectangle to olive.
6 Right-click the No color swatch at the top of the color palette to remove the outline
from the rectangle.
7 Double-click the Rectangle tool in the toolbox to create another page frame.
The new page frame is not visible, because it is created below the first frame;
however, it is selected by default, so the actions that follow will apply to the new page
frame.
8 Double-click the Fill color swatch on the status bar to open the Uniform fill dialog
box.
9 From the Model list box, choose RGB.
10 Type the following values in the RGB boxes:
• In the R box, type 81.
• In the G box, type 50.
• In the B box, type 44.
11 Click OK.
12 Right-click the No color swatch in the color palette to remove the outline.
To align the rectangles
1 If the rulers are not displayed, click View menu Rulers. A check mark next to Rulers
indicates that the rulers are displayed.
2 Click on the top ruler and drag down onto the page. Dragging from the ruler creates a
guideline in your drawing that you can use to position the objects in your layout
precisely. When you create the guideline, it displays in red, indicating that it is
selected.
3 On the property bar, type 1 in the Y box , and press Enter. This action positions the
guideline at the 1" mark.
4 Click View menu Snap to guidelines. If there is a check mark next to Snap to
guidelines, the command is already active.
5 In the toolbox, click the Pick tool.
6 Click the olive rectangle to select it.
7 Drag the upper-middle handle down until the top of the olive rectangle snaps to the
guideline.
Importing Images
Now that the background is ready, you will import the coffee cup and the coffee shop logo.

To import the coffee cup

1 Click File menu Import.
2 Choose the folder Program files\Corel\CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 13\Languages
\EN\Tutorials\ Sample files.
3 Choose the filename mug.tif.
4 Click Import.
5 Click and drag on the drawing page until the height shown next to the pointer reads 2",
and then release the mouse button.
6 Drag the image up or down until the bottom snaps to the guideline.
7 With the image still selected, hold down Shift and click the brown page frame. Both
the coffee cup and the page frame are now selected.
8 Press the R key to align the image on the right side of the page.

To import the logo

1 Click File menu Import.
2 Choose the folder Program files\Corel\CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 13\Languages\EN\
Tutorials\ Sample files.
3 Choose the filename logo.cdr.
4 Click Import.
5 Click once on the page to import the logo without resizing it.
6 Drag a guideline from the vertical ruler onto the drawing page.
7 On the property bar, type .25" in the X box, and press Enter to position the
guideline .25 inches from the left edge of the frame.
8 Drag the logo until its left edge snaps to the vertical guideline.
9 With the logo still selected, hold down Shift and click the olive rectangle.
Both the logo and the rectangle are now selected.
10 Press the E key to align the logo vertically within the olive rectangle.
Creating Text
First, you will create the main text and align it to the top of the poster. Next, you will create the
smaller text and align it to the coffee cup.

To create the main text

1 Create a horizontal guideline at 3.75".
2 In the toolbox, click the Tex t tool .
3 Click once on the drawing page, and type the text “What do you take in your coffee?”
4 Click the Pick tool.
5 From the Font list list box on the property bar, choose AvantGarde BK BT Normal.
If you don’t have the AvantGarde BK BT font installed, you can install it or choose
another sans serif font.
6 From the Font size list box on the property bar, choose 18 pt.
7 Click the White color swatch in the color palette.
If you don’t see the White color swatch, scroll up in the color palette. When you click
the white swatch, the text changes to white.
8 Double-click the text to enter text-edit mode.
9 Double-click the word “your” and click the Italic button on the property bar.
10 Click the Pick tool, and drag the text until the top snaps to the 3.75" horizontal
guideline and the left side snaps to the .25" vertical guideline.

To Create The Small Text

1 Click the Te xt tool, click on the drawing page, and type the text “Only the finest
beans (thank you).”
2 Click the Pick tool, and set the following text properties on the property bar:
• Font: AvantGarde BK BT Normal
• Size: 10 pt
Type style: Bold
3 Right-click on a ruler, and click Ruler setup in the pop-up menu.
4 Type .125" in the Nudge box, and click OK.
5 Drag the text until the top snaps to the 1" guideline.
 6 Press the Down arrow on your keyboard once to nudge the text 1/8" away from the
image above it.
7 With the text still selected, hold down Shift and click the coffee cup.
8 Press the C key to align the text horizontally. The center of the text is aligned with the
center of the coffee cup.

9 Right-click on the brown page frame and drag down diagonally to the text until you
see the pointer change to a text pointer.
10 Release the mouse button and select Copy fill here from the pop-up menu.
The color of the text changes to match the background.

Creating The Circles

For additional visual impact, you will create circles of different size and color, and spread them
around the background.

To create the overlapping circles

1 In the toolbox, click the Ellipse tool.
2 Hold down Ctrl and drag on the page to create a circle about .25" in diameter. As you
drag, you can check the property bar or the status bar to monitor the size of the circle.
3 On the color palette click the 30% Black color swatch.
4 Right-click the No color swatch to remove the outline from the circle.
5 Create another circle about .75" in diameter.
6 Click the Desert Blue color swatch, and right-click the No color swatch.
7 Click View menu Dynamic guides.
8 Click the Pick tool.
9 Move the pointer over the lower-left edge of the large circle until you see the word
“edge” appear. Click and drag until the edge of the large circle snaps to the center of
the small circle. The word “center” appears when you reach the center of the small
circle.
 10 Click Window menu Dockers Shaping.
11 In the Shaping docker, select Intersect from the drop-down list.
12 Make sure the Source object(s) and Target object(s) boxes are both checked.
13 Click the Intersect with button, and click the small circle.
14 Click the Olive color swatch.
This creates the illusion of the two circles overlapping.

15 Hold down Shift, and click the big circle. Both circles are now selected.
16 Click Arrange menu Group. Grouping the two circles lets you move them as one
object.
17 Click the Pick tool, and drag the circles to where you want to position them on the
background.

To create the rest of the circles

1 Click the Ellipse tool and create another circle, slightly smaller than the large circle.
2 Click the Sand color swatch, and right-click the No color swatch.
3 Hold down Ctrl, and click the Black color swatch twice to add some black to the fill.
4 Using the colors you’ve used so far, create more circles and spread them throughout
the layout.

Importing Text
You will now import the remaining text from a text file. To format and align the text, you will
use a text box.
To import the remaining text
1 Drag from the left ruler to create a vertical guideline that snaps to the left of the coffee
cup.
 2 Drag from the top ruler to create a horizontal guideline that snaps to the bottom of the
logo.
3 Create a vertical guideline at 5.75".
4 Create a horizontal guideline that snaps to the bottom of the smaller text.
5 Press the Down arrow key once to nudge this guideline down.
6 Click the Tex t tool, and drag down diagonally from the guideline intersection in the
middle of the olive rectangle to the guideline intersection in the lower-right corner of
the olive rectangle. The word “intersection” displays when the pointer hovers over two
intersecting guidelines. This action creates a paragraph text box.
7 On the property bar, set the following text properties:
• Font: Times New Roman Normal
• Size: 8 pt
8 On the property bar, click the Horizontal alignment button , and choose Full justify
from the drop-down list.
9 Click the White color swatch in the color palette.
10 Click File menu Import.
11 Choose the folder Program files\Corel\CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
13\Languages\EN\Tutorials\ Sample files.
12 Choose the filename text.txt.
13 Click Import.
14 In the Importing/pasting text dialog box, click the Discard fonts and formatting radio
button, and click OK. The imported text appears in the text box, with the text
properties you have specified

15 Click View menu Guidelines to hide the guidelines. Your layout is now complete

From here ...

You can explore CorelDRAW on your own, or you can learn more by completing other
CorelTUTOR™ tutorials.
For more information about the topics and tools discussed in this tutorial, refer to the Help. To
access
CorelDRAW Help, click Help menu Help topics.