1. Review
Creative Essentials Graphic Suite
by Vance Bennett
Support for all the graphics programs The things you learn how to do are:
looks pretty thorough. There are built-in a create backgrounds
‘Help,’ ‘Read Me,’ or ‘User Guide,’ along a use guidelines and snapping options
with free web support, links to forums and a create frames
if needed optional pay support. All of the a import images
programs include tutorials that you can use a use the PowerClip tool
to learn and get a better feel for each pro- a apply preset drop shadows
gram. a work with artistic text
The tutorials were my main source for a import and format paragraph text
reviewing each of the five programs. Now a apply alignment options
I will attempt to give overview and my ‘Creating a rollover button’
The Creative Essentials Graphic Suite impression of each of these programs. In this tutorial, you learn to create a
is an amaizing value, five graphic applica- Starting with CorelDRAW®. rollover button that changes its appearance
tions plus fonts. Several months back I had when you click or point to it. You’ll learn
recieved an e-mail from Allume Systems CorelDRAW® is a vector-based draw- how to:
who put this suite together. They where ing and graphic design program. There are a apply rollover effects to buttons
offering it for $130 (I think you can find it four tutorials ‘Workspace Tour.’ ‘Creating a apply transparencies to objects
in the mail order catalogs for $150). Since a logo,’ ‘Working with a layout,’ and a change objects’ colors
I already had earlier versions of the Corel ‘Creating a rollover button.’ a work with drop shadows
programs I was very interested in getting The Workspace Tour shows you the a preview rollover effects
the newer versions for OSX. I couldn’t basics of working with CorelDRAW®. The a export rollover buttons to the
believe my good fortune when my member things you learn are working with: Macromedia Flash (SWF) format
raffle ticket was called out—after six or a toolbox CorelDRAW to me seems very similar
seven people had gotten to choose before a property bar with many of the same capabilities of higher
me and Creative Essentials was still there. a flyouts end drawing programs. When I was explor-
Creative Essentials Graphic Suite is pack- a Docker windows and palettes ing CorelDRAW on my own, the text tool
aged by Allume Systems. Included on the a mouse commands in particular interested me. With the text
CD are five graphic programs which consist a Help tool you can easily stretch and shrink a
of: Corel PHOTO PAINT® 11, Corel The ‘Creating a logo’ tour takes you block of text shaping it any way you want.
DRAW® 11, Corel TRACE® 11, DAZ® through the process of creating a logo and There are even preset shapes to apply the
Bryce® 5 and Toon Boom Studio® the things you learn are; text to, This is a big deal to me because on
Express. Also included are twenty-four a draw lines and shapes occasion I get artwork or logos that have
fonts from Bitstream®. a add color to objects been created in this way and need to clean-
This collection of graphic tools is meant a duplicate objects up or recreate them. Unfortunately I haven’t
for those who may not have the higher end a rotate objects been able to easily recreate them in my
programs but still have a need or desire a mirror objects drawing program.
to produce creative projects for print or a import images from another file
the internet and are limited by their word a fit text to a path Corel PHOTO-PAINT, is a bit-
processing programs. This collection would a use the Artistic media tool presets map mage-editing application that lets
be a great addition to anyones graphics ‘Working with a layout’ This tutorial you retouch existing photos or create
aresenal. The system requirements if your introduces the layout and organization tools original graphics. There are four turori-
considering buying Creative Essentials are: in CorelDRAW. Using these tools you are als: ‘Workspace Tour.’ ‘Correcting Images,’
Mac OS 10.1 or higher; 128mb RAM; able to produce any kind of project, wheth- ‘Retouching Images,’ and ‘Masking Images.’
CD ROM drive; a video card with at least er it is an advertisement, newsletter, logo, What the Work Space tutorial covers:
8mb of video RAM and support for 24 bit poster, or any kind of artwork. In this tutorial, you use the tools provided
color at a resolution of 1024x768 or higher Doing this tutorial, you create an adver- by Corel PHOTO-PAINT to create a Web
(this includes most Macs with a G3 or bet- tisement for the logo in the previous tuto- page banner. You save the final project as a
ter processor except; 233–333mhz iMacs; rial. You create some of the design elements GIF file with a transparent background.
clamshell iBooks; Wallstreet PowerBooks; and text, and also learn how to import This tutorial introduces you to the work-
and beige G3’s using the stock video card) images and text. space of Corel PHOTO-PAINT. The appli-
14 March 2005 NorthWest Passages a passages@nwou.org

2. cation window contains elements that help One of the things I liked was the real-time Woodcut-produces a vector graphic that
you access the tools and commands you text editing tool. You can type right on the contains lines of varying width, depending
need to view and edit images. Application image and when choosing a font, as you on the intensity of the bitmap at any
commands are accessible through the menu scroll down the text changes to that font. given point.
bar, toolbox, property bar, toolbars, or
Docker windows/palettes. CorelTRACE® enables you to easily and DAZ® Bryce® 5 enables you to cre-
As you practice creating a Web page ban- quickly trace bitmap images and convert ate realistic 3D landscapes and animations.
ner, you learn how to use the following them to vector images. This is powerful and complex program
tools: No tutorials came with this program, that will take time to master, but doing the
a menu bar there is a ‘Help’ guide. What CorelTRACE tutorials will get you started. The one thing
a toolbox can be used for is, turning scanned images I didn’t like about using the tutorials is you
a flyouts into scalable vector art, making your own can’t switch back and forth between the
a property bar scalable clip-art, and turning a photo into a program and tutorial. I ended up printing
a Docker windows/palettes drawing. out the tutorial.
a Help There are eight options for tracing, which are:
Correcting images Outline-produces a vector graphic that
In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to per- closely resembles the bitmap.
form basic image corrections to a scanned Advanced Outline-This option lets you
photo. specify advanced outline trace options.
What you learn doring this tutorial:
a rotate an image
Centerline-produces a line drawing.
Some of the new features are:
a crop image edges Centerline Outline-produces an outlined Enhanced Intuitive Interface - handy pal-
a fix damaged areas line drawing. The centerline options don’t ettes allow quick navigation and editing
a adjust image tone work on grayscale images, they need to be New Tree Lab - create and incorporate
a correct color converted to bitmap. realistic trees into landscapes
a apply the Smart blur filter
Sketch produces a vector graphic that Enhanced Sky Lab - control the appear-
a apply the Unsharp mask filter
contains crossing lines that create a cross ance and attributes of sky effects
‘Retouching Images’ in this tutorial, you hatch effect. Meatballs - create organic shapes which
learn how to retouch a scanned image, to render faster
make it suitable for emailing. Mosaic produces a vector graphic that
consists of an array of symmetrical tiles. New Network Rendering - render across
What you learn doring this tutorial: a network, saving time and money
a align and crop an image The color of each tile is determined by
a remove red-eye from an image the average color of the bitmap in that area.
Toon Boom Studio TM Express
a adjust image color and tone 3D Mosaic-produces a vector graphic that is a great easy to use 2D animation pro-
a save to a new file format consists of an array of three-dimensional gram. This version has some limitations
‘Masking Images’ in this tutorial, you symmetrical tiles. The color of each tile that the upgrade version is capable of. You
learn how to protect part of an image by is determined by the average color of the won’t be able to export your creations to
creating a mask. You do this by first defin- bitmap in that area. QuickTime. You are able to draw in real-
ing a rough outline of an object and then time and combine
fine-tuning your mask. When you apply a 2d drawings with live
blurring effect to the image, you see how action. This is a fun
the masked portion of the object remains and easy program to
unchanged. use. It would be a
You learn how to: perfect program for
a mask images
making web anima-
a modify masks
tions or just amusing
a invert masks
yourself making car-
a apply effects to masked images
toons.
PHOTO-PAINT is similar to high
end imaging programs. It seems to have Bitstream®
all the needed tools to work with images. Fonts
Including: red-eye removal, image stitch- There are twenty-
ing for panoramas, image slicing for faster four fonts in Post
image loading to the web, making rollovers Script and Open
for web pages and a cutout tool to quickly Type versions. They
mask complex objects. There are even tools are mostly display or
for some movie editing. Toon Boom Studio TM Express…It would be a perfect program for decorative fonts. a
making web animations or just amusing yourself making cartoons.
The NorthWest of Us a www.nwou.org March 2005 15