Jeff Harrison's Daily Diversion

Fastest way to fade an image

2013-05-22T23:20:00.004-06:00

Sometime I see other users suggest convoluted ways to fade images. I propose that CorelDRAW's Interactive Transparency Tool is the fastest way to get the job done. Note that this method is also non-destructive.

In this example, I simple select the wine glass and then drag across the image of this friendly little raccoon. I call him "Bitey".

Notice that the context-sensitive property bar changes too, and if you're adventurous, check out all the drop-down menu items on the property bar.

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James Leonard's STANDARD & PRO DXFTools - 64-Bit Versions Now Available

2013-04-08T21:10:00.000-06:00

Now that some users are moving towards the 64 bit version of CorelDRAW X6, some macros and add-ons are being re-written for that environment.

This is the BEST way to make DXF files for CNC, Router, Mill, Plasma, Laser and Vinyl cutting use.

NOTE: for CorelDraw X6 (64 bit only)

Note: For other systems, here are the 32-bit versions of STANDARD & PRO.

Instead of the segmented, lines-only CorelDRAW DXF, this useful tool makes arc and line exports that make smooth cuts and much smaller files. NO ‘convert to curves’ is needed for your artwork. Text exports without any extra operations and is ALWAYS editable text in CorelDRAW!

The easiest, fastest way to ultra-quality DXF files!

The DXFTool is a DLL add-on that provides very high quality DXF files for later use in CAD/CAM programs. This tool converts Bezier curves in CorelDRAW to LINE and ARC DXF entities only. Instead of a large number of very short straight lines, the DXF file export will have less nodes and the smoothest curves as can be made from the CorelDRAW shapes in your drawing.

Compatible with CorelDraw X6 (64 bit only) on Windows 7 / 8

The 64-bit version comes in 2 versions: STANDARD & PRO. The PRO version is an upgrade to the Standard Version and has enhanced features.

Note: For other systems, here are the 32-bit versions of STANDARD & PRO.

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I use this everyday. It has by far been a huge lif... by ruckstande http://www.blogger.com/profile/06032064423555673613

James Leonard's Artwork Optimizer Standard - 64-Bit version now available

2013-04-07T20:56:00.000-06:00

Now that some users are moving towards the 64 bit version of CorelDRAW X6, some macros and add-ons are being re-written for that environment.

This particular plugin performs shape sequence / stacking order optimization inside CorelDRAW.

The new version is compatible with CorelDRAW X6 (64 bit only)

Note: A 32-bit version is available here.

It rearranges the objects in a drawing so they can be processed in the optimum order for cutting on a vinyl cutter, laser or CNC cutting system.

The optimization of the cutting order speeds up cutting; and in the case of vinyl cutters, also improves accuracy. The reason is that the vinyl is fed back and forth through the machine to a lesser degree.

It's common for objects to become scattered in the stacking order due to cut-and-paste and other operations. (Jeff's note: especially after using a nesting tool such as ecut which aggressively optimizes spacing of various shapes to save material: ecut was used in advance for the examples below. The Artwork Optimizer does not nest shapes).
The red lines and arrows show the sequence in which the drawing will be processed.

Here's some sample files showing before and after.

The difference is dramatic: the Artwork Optimizer has processed drawings as large as 12000 objects and the 6000 object drawing used during development rearranged the elements in about 10 seconds. Files such as the above only take a few seconds.

Compatible with CorelDRAW X6 (64 bit only) on Windows 7 / Windows 8

Note: A 32-bit version is available here.

Here's The new version!

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Anti-aliased edges on exports

2013-03-21T22:25:00.004-06:00

Every so often, someone asks about how to get rid of fringes on exports, especially on solid boxes. Here's what I mean: this GIF has an soft edge between the blue and black.

One solution for Coreldraw is to go into Pixel Preview mode and refine the edges as shown:

Then export your artwork. The white edge is now gone! (The black in the image below is not part of the final file, it's the color of the background in my image viewing program.)

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it's very useful ! thanks a lot ! by YB http://www.blogger.com/profile/03561093215596189400

Alexander Penkin's Symmetrical 2 updated

2013-03-19T22:12:00.001-06:00

It now works inside CorelDRAW X6 - 64 Bit.

The current version is 2.174. See it here.

A great value for under 20 dollars!

Supported Versions:

• CorelDRAW X4(with Service Pack 2)• CorelDRAW X5(with Service Pack 3/ Hot Fix 4)

• CorelDRAW X6 (32 or 64 bit)
.NET Framework Required: 3.5 and VBA (Visual Basic for Applications)

If you are updating an older version 2, you may need your key issued before for version 2.

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CorelDRAW - work in scale, or simply scale art down?

2013-03-16T22:51:00.001-06:00

If you create signs or large dimension projects in CorelDRAW, this post is for you!

Working in scale might might seem easier to print large dimension artwork on smaller sheets of paper for proofing purposes, but I work in a totally different way.

The reason: I find that customers don't care about scale. They just want to see the proportions of the art, and the dimensions of the final piece.

Here's a video about what I mean.

I show CADTool in this video.

There's more discussion about working in scale here.

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ecut 5.0 special price

2013-02-18T16:21:00.000-07:00

E-Cut 5 is a remarkable add-on for CorelDRAW allows many advanced abilities for artists who work with Vinyl, CNC machines, or laser cutters.

While eCut has always been a tremendous value, you'll need to be aware of these important updates:

• It now works in CorelDRAW X6 - 64 bit
• the composite box section has many new options

Of course, the nesting module - in our opinion - is worth hundreds of dollars all by itself for it's ability to save output material.

You might be wondering what "composite box" means... It's to create sign boxes.

SPECIAL LOW PRICE: 59.95 for TWO activation codes until March 31/2013

Once you look through the immense amount of features, we're sure you'll want to ad this to your CorelDRAW installation.

For those that make sign boxes, check out this module:

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Alexander Penkin's NeonTool 7 released

2013-02-06T23:37:00.002-07:00

For those working with neon, this item is an awesome CorelDRAW macro (for this specialized purpose). Here's more information about it. A video is here. (no audio)

It's a free update for those with version 6 - download from your account and re-install. You'll need to re-enter the key we sent before (for the exact system we sent that key for before).

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Anomalies with Windows Classic Theme and Corel Photo-PAINT

2013-02-05T00:51:00.000-07:00

I'll admit I'm a fan of Windows Classic Theme.

However, Corel Photo-PAINT doesn't play nice with certain dialogs in the theme, even though this theme has been officially released by Microsoft as part of their operating system.

One that's been a problem for many versions now is the Batch Process dialog (found under File | Batch Process). Try to load more than one image, and you'll see this:

In aero mode, it will work as expected. I've notified Corel about this, to no avail, multiple times.

Another error in Windows Classic Theme? Writing a file to disk can assign the wrong extension. No, you haven't been going crazy if you've seen this before.

Click on the image below for a clearer version:

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Soften Highlights with the Burn Tool

2013-02-04T00:36:00.002-07:00

A user in the Corel Photo-PAINT newsgroup was wondering how to soften highlights on a bitmap image. Here's a quick animation showing how I do it:

To invoke the tool, press the V key in Photo-PAINT to enable the tools in general. Look for the Dodge/Burn Tool for this example.

In any case, you'll now also have access to many other tools that I'd suspect almost all users overlook.

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rStones 2 Released!

2012-12-20T00:37:00.004-07:00

Happy Holidays everyone,

rStones 2 is Released! A variety of new features are shown on the product page. Among these improvements are that it now works with CorelDRAW X6 - 64 bit! This is must-have macro for rhinestone artists who work in CorelDRAW.

XMAS 2012 Special:

Buy between Dec 19/2012 and Jan 15/2013 to get 2 Activation Keys for only 49.95.
Note: you don't need to use the your 2nd Activation Key right away.

For past customers: if you'd bought rStones version 1 between Dec 1 until Dec 18, we'll offer one free Activation Key for Version 2 (if one was issued before).

If you had never sent in a system ID for your rStones 1 purchase, then you can update to version 2 for free. Contact me about that, and include your name and invoice number.

Users who bought 4-pack version of rStones 1 - update to version 2 for free with any unused system ID's. Contact me about that, and include your name and invoice number.

On Jan 15/2013, everyone pays 49.95 for one rStones 2 Activation Key.

So, 2 for 1 is an awesome value, so think about it. We rarely put anything on sale, since our prices are always low throughout the year. This is very special, so Order Now!

Jeff

reformat drive or just clean it up?

2012-12-01T13:28:00.000-07:00

A user asked me:

"My current main computer is in need of reloading Windows due to old software installations and other issues. Should I re-format the hard drive?"

Reformatting is ok, but not for the faint of heart. I'd only do it if that drive has years of life left in it, and only because I have the knowledge and confidence to proceed with that extreme endeavor.

I always avoid doing it though - and instead opt to:

A. Clean up the drive with free tools like Piriform's CCleaner and their defrag prog

B. Empty out your browser cache.

C. Delete temp files:

Press Windows Key+R
Type: %temp%
Then select and delete contents of that folder.

In my many years of experience, I find most systems just need an oil change, not a new engine... :-)

If you choose to reformat: if drive is 4+ years old - I'd consider picking up a new drive.

Before reformat, you have one chance to save critical data. I don't know how or where you save your work files, and other things like email addresses, internet bookmarks, downloaded emails etc.

To summarize, clean up the system first - that's often enough to achieve better performance!

A video for CorelDRAW beginners

2012-11-16T00:25:00.003-07:00

Here are a few quick tips in a 7-minute video.

Alexander Penkin's VariablesTool has been updated

2012-10-23T00:30:00.002-06:00

Latest version: 1.65.1 (Oct 22/2012)

Works with CorelDRAW X5 (with Service Pack 3/ Hot Fix 4)
or CorelDRAW X6.1 (32 or 64 bit)

It now allows CSV files. Other new features shown below relative to the older interface.

SPECIAL OFFER: If you buy this macro before December 1, 2012, you will get a second activation code for FREE!

If you've ever wanted to try variable imaging inside CorelDRAW, this is by far the most affordable way to do it! Order it here.

Curious how this macro works? Watch 6 minute youtube video.

How to create pinwheel candy in CorelDRAW?

2012-10-13T16:18:00.003-06:00

Watch this video:

How to create pinwheel candy in CorelDRAW.

A variety of techniques shown are useful for other purposes too!

watch in full-screen, HD.

Coreldraw Nesting Programs

2012-09-30T18:58:00.000-06:00

Here's a quick comparison between our nesting macros from macromonster.com for Coreldraw:

watch the video here (in full screen for best clarity)

Links to products:

GDG Nest

e-Cut

GDG Nest has some other features for randomizing shapes

e-Cut has many things beyond nesting, including an LED module. Check the details on each product page.

Bitmap Manipulator Updated for X6!

2012-09-13T05:57:00.002-06:00

This macro allows comprehensive resampling and color model changes for bitmaps in your document. As you'd expect from Macromonster.com, it has plenty of powerful options.

It's the fastest way to convert numerous bitmaps to another color model, and/or change the resolution.

It has the ability to find bitmaps inside Groups, and also within Powerclips.
It also features a single Undo.
8-bit Alpha Channels are preserved when found in an image.
A handy Adaptive Unsharp option helps restore detail in downsampled images.
Images under the new desired resolution can be ignored. For example, this allows images over 300 DPI to be reduced, while leaving existing images under 300 DPI alone.

Updates:

Ver. 1.1: the Adaptive Unsharp number entry area is now limited to 0 through 100.
Ver. 1.2: Now compatible with CorelDRAW X6 64 Bit!

If you've been working with bitmaps in CorelDRAW for a long time, or are about to, this is a awesome macro to have. It especially helps keep your CorelDRAW file sizes much more reasonable after down-scaling many imported bitmaps.

Here it is!

Text Merge Challenge

2012-09-12T05:00:00.000-06:00

Anything involving CorelDRAW merges is of interest to me. Since, at macromonster.com we have 3 different macros for merging images. The one I helped develop, the most powerful, is called monstermerge.

Anyway, there was a question in the CorelDRAW forums regarding basic text:

"I'm attempting to create a tag system that will have a 5 digit number, but must be printed as shown below:

1
2
3
4
5

We have to create a file to be engraved that has 2000 consecutive numbers. We can't figure out how to make them appear stacked using the merge feature. Any ideas?"

My creative solution:

rotate field
select and rotate characters 90 degrees
increase spacing
make sure field is center justified
center field on page
merge to new doc

if you need a file with leading zeros, numbergen makes awesome merge data for CorelDRAW.

The White Box

2012-09-10T05:32:00.000-06:00

Often people need to get rid of the white areas surrounding an object.

X3 was the first version of the CorelDRAW suite that allowed users to copy a selected area (or floating layer also) in Photo-PAINT to the Windows Clipboard, and then simply Paste it into a CorelDRAW document. The 8-bit Alpha Channel is preserved (8-bits means variable levels of transparency).

If you need to clip out lots of images in Photo-PAINT, Magic Erase helps.

Anyway... copying and pasting directly is an important feature, since it avoids the step of having to export that element first to an intermediate location as a file. Here's an animation from X4:

Note: The blue rectangle is a CorelDRAW element, to simply show that the pumpkin has no white box.

Stained Glass Tutorial

2012-09-08T22:16:00.000-06:00

For a few years now, CorelDRAW users have asked me for a tutorial regarding stained glass.

How do I make images such as the following? Go the site and order today! Watch me make the bottom image from my imagination, showing every step!

The training includes a video, about 30 minutes long.

Learn a variety of interesting techniques and tips that can apply to CorelDRAW in general.

A CorelDRAW file is included too. Inside it are all the examples that you see below.

CorelDRAW X6 update 1 has been released

2012-08-15T21:34:00.000-06:00

After applying the upgrade, you'll notice that you have access to additional artwork from Corel's website. All legal users of X6 get access to "standard content" by default. You'll need to be connected to the internet. Here's a sample of the dialog.

LEDTool 6 has been released

2012-08-14T00:59:00.000-06:00

NEW! Aug 2012: LEDTool 6 released

Update is free for LEDTool 5 customers... BUT any previously issued LEDTool 5 Activation Key must be entered again. Check your emails. Always save your keys.

Various features added:or enhanced.

More info here:

Jeff

Cadtool has been updated to Version 5

2012-08-13T01:39:00.000-06:00

NEW! Aug 2012: CADTOOL 5 released
Update is free for Cadtool 4 customers... BUT any previously issued CADTool4 Activation Key must be entered again. Check your emails. Always save your keys.

Added:
- copy length/area into clipboard/ insert in place
- convert curve to polyline, save a polyline to the file, draw a polyline from the file
- draw a polygon
- draw osculating circles

Don't own Cadtool yet? Remember... you get 3 installation codes for only 24.95. That's an amazing deal for this much power...

More info here:

Jeff

Jeff's Info Helper has been updated

2012-07-05T23:15:00.000-06:00

This product allows you to insert the:

Date
Time
File path
File name

into your document. Choose whichever ones you like... some, or all.

You can change the fonts, their colors, and their positions to anything you need.

Once the ones you need are in your document, press the single update button to force them to show the correct values. You can also over-ride the result manually if you need to back-date.

Compatible with X3, X4, X5, X6 (as of May 10/2012)

more info about it here

Alexander Penkin's Highlights has been updated

2012-06-27T22:37:00.000-06:00

It now can install to X4, X5 and even X6 - 64 bit.

More details here.

What does it do? Well... check it out! :-)

I think you'll like the price...

Jeff

Jeff Harrison's Daily Diversion

Fastest way to fade an image

Comments

James Leonard's STANDARD & PRO DXFTools - 64-Bit Versions Now Available

Comments

James Leonard's Artwork Optimizer Standard - 64-Bit version now available

Comments

Anti-aliased edges on exports

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Alexander Penkin's Symmetrical 2 updated

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CorelDRAW - work in scale, or simply scale art down?

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ecut 5.0 special price

SPECIAL LOW PRICE: 59.95 for TWO activation codes until March 31/2013

Once you look through the immense amount of features, we're sure you'll want to ad this to your CorelDRAW installation.

For those that make sign boxes, check out this module:

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Alexander Penkin's NeonTool 7 released

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Anomalies with Windows Classic Theme and Corel Photo-PAINT

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Related Stories

Soften Highlights with the Burn Tool

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Related Stories

rStones 2 Released!

reformat drive or just clean it up?

A video for CorelDRAW beginners

Alexander Penkin's VariablesTool has been updated

How to create pinwheel candy in CorelDRAW?

Coreldraw Nesting Programs

Bitmap Manipulator Updated for X6!

Text Merge Challenge

The White Box

Stained Glass Tutorial

CorelDRAW X6 update 1 has been released

LEDTool 6 has been released

Cadtool has been updated to Version 5

Jeff's Info Helper has been updated

Alexander Penkin's Highlights has been updated