CorelDRAW X5 The Official Guide part 10 docx

CorelDRAW X5 can open files that are saved in CorelDRAW 1 or later in the CDR file format, although if you used CorelDRAW version 1’s proprietary WFN fonts, the PANOSE Font Substitution

If you’re new to both CorelDRAW and Windows 7, note some areas of interest in the Open dialog, some of which are standard Windows conventions, while others are

CorelDRAW enhancements to the Open dialog:

● Windows View Click the drop-down list (as was done in Windows XP) to set how

a folder you open displays its contents You can usually get a good view for locating

a file you need to open using the Large Icons view Another useful view configuration

is to use Details view in combination with the preview pane (the button directly to the right of the Windows View drop-down list) With the Details view enabled, you can then sort files by date, type, and size

● Filter By default, CorelDRAW will show you all files within a folder If you’re not organizationally fastidious with your hard disk(s), finding the CorelDRAW file you seek can be a nightmare, but not if you choose, for example, CDR-CorelDRAW (*.CDR) from the file formats list The list of files that can be opened is a comprehensive one

in version X5, with over two dozen vector-type files recognized, not simply CorelDRAW native files See the section later in this chapter about the important differences

between opening a non-CorelDRAW file and importing one to an open file in

CorelDRAW’s workspace

CorelDRAW X5 can open files that are saved in CorelDRAW 1 or later in the CDR file format, although if you used CorelDRAW version 1’s proprietary WFN fonts, the PANOSE Font Substitution box will pop up; Corel doesn’t support WFN typefaces today CorelDRAW X5 can also save as far back as version 7 in case you need to share a file with a coworker who hasn’t upgraded to the 21st century.

● Recently Opened Files If you do filter for only CDR files and then click the down arrow at the right of the File Name field, you can access several of the most-recently opened CorelDRAW files that can be located anywhere on your hard drive(s), not just in the current folder’s contents If you click to select a file, its name appears in

the File Name area, and if you type in the wildcard characters *.*, the filter list

resets to display All File Formats

When you’re currently working on a page in CorelDRAW, to open your most-recently accessed documents, go to File | Open Recent, where the 15 most-recently opened files are listed.

● Code Page If you are working with files that were created in a version of

CorelDRAW that uses a different language than your copy does, you might need

to change the code page before you open the file Code pages control mapping:

which character in a typeface is used when you press a specific key on your keyboard If you have a lot of square boxes displayed where you know you should have text (and you have the document’s typeface installed), try reopening the file

using a different code page The code page chosen in the drop-down list should match that used when the file was created For example, if you are using a copy of CorelDRAW that uses US English, the code page that is used by default is 1252 (ANSI – Latin 1) However, if the file you are opening was created in the Korean language edition of CorelDRAW, then you should choose 949 (ANSI/OEM—

Korean) from the Select Code Page drop-down when you open that file

● Maintain Layers And Pages CorelDRAW has supported layers and multi-page files for seemingly forever; if you want to preserve the layer order between different versions of saved files, check this box If you leave this box unchecked, you might create a mess of the document you open—all objects on all pages will be merged to

a single, one-layer CDR page

In a work environment where users have different versions of CorelDRAW, it’s a good idea when you save a file to also save a copy of the file in Corel’s CMX (Corel Presentation Exchange) file format CMX is covered later in this chapter, and it’s your gateway to saving copies of files from version X5 that users of almost any version of CorelDRAW can open.

In the Open Drawing dialog, locate and select your document file, and then click the Open button (or double-click the filename) to open it CorelDRAW supports multiple file–opening

using modifier keys You can open neighboring files on the directory list (in the same folder)

by holdingSHIFTwhile selecting your files Open nonadjacent files in the file list (in the same

folder) by holdingCTRLwhile clicking to select the filenames, and then click the Open button

This is a standard Windows convention, as is marquee-dragging to select multiple file icons

Opening Files from Other Applications

You can open many other files that are not native to CorelDRAW, such as Adobe Illustrator

or Microsoft PowerPoint, in CorelDRAW When a file originally created in a different

application is opened, CorelDRAW automatically converts its contents to CorelDRAW

format If you look at the title bar of the drawing window, you will see that CorelDRAW

has opened the file, preserved the filename, but has given it a CDR extension The original

application file remains on the hard disk unchanged In a way, opening a nonnative CorelDRAW

file is similar to importing nonnative graphics data

When you open nonnative application files supported by CorelDRAW’s Import filters, the graphics and text objects contained in the file are converted as closely as possible to

compatible equivalents supported in CorelDRAW Although the Open command is like an

Import operation, certain file formats might not open flawlessly, depending on their type

and contents You might get better results if you import the files as objects into an open

CorelDRAW document by pressingCTRL+I(File | Import) If CorelDRAW is unable to

interpret a file’s contents while trying to open it, an alert dialog appears

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Warning Messages

When you open files—especially older files or files created on a different system or using a third-party application—warning messages might appear before the file actually opens For the most part, these messages aren’t meant to cause alarm, but instead to advise Two of the most common messages warn of inappropriate data types and fonts

If, for example, you try to use the Open dialog to open a GIF bitmap, CorelDRAW alerts you that the file cannot be opened and suggests that you try using the Import command instead As far as opening a document that was originally created using fonts that you don’t have installed, the Font Substitution For Missing Fonts dialog will appear and give you the

chance to view a list of the fonts used in the document and to substitute ones you do have

installed An alternative measure is to jot down the names of the typefaces used, click Cancel, and then install the needed fonts if you have identical or similar ones Then reopen the document; if the font you installed is similarly but not identically named, you will need to work through the Font Substitution choices, but after a few moments you can be assured that the file looks mostly like it did when created

Pantone and Basic Font-Matching

Font-matching sounds good in theory, and in the Font Substitution For Missing Fonts dialog, you have the option to let CorelDRAW try to match a missing font, to locate a compatible font manually (click the Substitute Font With button and then choose from the drop-down list), or choose the Use The Panose Suggested Match Usually, you’re best off noting the name of the missing font, canceling the Open dialog, finding a

similar font yourself, installing it, reopening the document, and choosing the font you just installed

You’ll soon notice a problem with letting any computer program try to match a font

It doesn’t use its eyes (it doesn’t have any), but instead relies on metadata (data about

data) that is written into the header of a typeface The problem isn’t with CorelDRAW:

if someone who created a digital typeface didn’t bother to write the correct metadata into the file, you indeed will get suggested matches of Arial for Windsor Condensed

CorelDRAW can’t find a match, there’s no file information listed for the missing font,

and it’s as simple and as frustrating as that The good news is that if you point the Font Substitution box to an installed font you want to use, CorelDRAW remembers it for this and all other documents with the missing typeface

Saving and Closing Documents

Whether you save often (pressingCTRL+Sat regular intervals is a good idea) or you’re

saving your document for the first time, you’ll want to define some file information for your

saves, and to practice good hard-drive housekeeping by saving to user-defined folders When

you know you’ll want to retrieve a document in the near future, setting a save location,

applying a name, adding user data, and other options go along with the job

Saving Your First Document

You can save an existing document simply by clicking the Save button on the standard

toolbar or by choosing File | Save (CTRL+S), which causes your most recent changes to the

page to be saved immediately without opening any dialogs

CorelDRAW X5’s Save Drawing dialog contains more than just options on where to save and what name to use when saving the file For a practical exercise that explores the

additional options you have when saving, follow these steps

Saving Files with User Info

1. If you’ve just started a new document and want to save it, click the Save button in the standard toolbar, use theCTRL+Sshortcut, or choose File | Save The Save Drawing dialog appears, as shown in Figure 3-3

2. With the Save Drawing dialog open, use the dialog options to set a location for your document, and type a unique name in the File Name box If you’re saving your document to a format other than CorelDRAW’s native CDR format, choose a file format from the Save As Type menu Doing this is similar to choosing File | Export

The disadvantage to saving in a non-CorelDRAW file type is that it’s usually going

to be hard to open this file again and edit it using all of CorelDRAW’s features

3. Saving as a CDR file gives you the option to choose a version from the Version

drop-down Unless you must save to an older file format to allow the saved file to be

used with legacy software, always choose the most recent (highest number) version

If you choose an older file version, some of the work you did in your file may not save as you expect, because an effect or other feature used may not have existed in the file version you selected

4. If saving your document in CorelDRAW file or template file (CDT) format, you can enter (optional) Title, Subject, and a star rating as part of the file’s metadata If you take a moment to fill in the Title or Subject field with a word or two about the file you save, it becomes much easier to sort through your saved files a month or a year later, especially with the new CorelCONNECT utility that ships with version X5

You and every CorelDRAW user (so be tasteful with your descriptive text) can use the File | Document Properties dialog to view and edit any information you appended to your file

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5. If you want to save only the object(s) you currently have selected, check the Selected Only check box Everything that is not selected will not be saved to the file

6. Decide if you want to check the Embed Fonts Using TrueDoc™ check box Checking this check box increases the saved file size just a little because the font(s) are rewritten

as very small document information when you save This can be a useful feature when you’re working with fonts you don’t have loaded every day or if you are giving the file

to a coworker who does not have the font TrueDoc technology originally developed

by Bitstream embeds the font data so you or anyone else can make changes and print

the file using the correct font However, TrueDoc does not install a typeface embedded

in a CDR document on your computer or anyone else’s—the typeface stays inside of CorelDRAW

FIGURE 3-3 The Save Drawing dialog can save a file with user information and other options

Advanced Options

Click from left to right

to add star ratings Original color profile

7. You can choose to embed the color profile you used to create a document by checking the Embed Color Profiles box upon saving This is usually a good idea, and it adds only marginally to the overall saved file size Embedding the color profile means that you and anyone else who opens the document will view it as it’s intended to be output for the screen and for printing The only time you wouldn’t want to embed the color profile is if the document was created with the wrong profile for a printing job, for example To change a document’s color profile before saving it, choose Tools | Color Management | Document Settings

Advanced Save Drawing Options

The Save Drawing dialog sports still more refinements you can make when saving a file

Clicking the Advanced button opens the same Options dialog that you can navigate to at any

time by choosing Tools | Options (CTRL+J), expanding the tree directory under Document,

and then clicking the Save item In this area you can make choices about File Optimization,

Textures, and Blends And Extrudes These options are set on a document basis, not a global

one, so you can make different choices for each file you save

● Save Presentation Exchange (CMX) Check this box if you want to place or edit the

file in other applications that accept this file format, such as Corel WordPerfect or Xara Xtreme, and older versions of CorelDRAW For example, CorelDRAW 5 can’t

open an X5 CDR file, but version 5 can open a CMX file The CMX file format can

hold both bitmap and vector data It is a subset of the CDR format and as such is not

as capable of certain recently added features, but it is a good way to use graphics created in CorelDRAW in other applications and for users of previous versions to open your files in case you saved to version X5

● Use Bitmap Compression Bitmaps and bitmap effects in a drawing can really plump

up the final file size of a document To save precious hard disk storage space, put a

check in this box The compression used is lossless, so you don’t have to worry that

choosing this option will degrade the quality of your file onscreen or when printed

● Use Graphic Object Compression Checking this box reduces saved file sizes by

compressing the vector elements in the file This is particularly welcome if you’ve created a lot of extrude objects in a document whose component objects can number

in the 30s, 40s, or even hundreds if you’ve used complex shading options

● Save Textures With The File or Rebuild Textures When Opening The File Choose

the radio button next to one of these mutually exclusive options Saving the textures increases the file’s size and uses more hard disk space Rebuilding the textures saves hard disk space, but it then takes longer to open and save a file Your choice here is between maximizing your hard disk space or your time

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● Save Blends And Extrudes With The File or Rebuild Blends And Extrudes When Opening The File As with saving or rebuilding textures, here your choice is really

between maximizing hard disk space or your time Click the radio button next to the choice that suits you best

After you’ve made your selections, click the OK button to be returned to the Save Drawing dialog With all your options for this file spent, go ahead and click the Save button,

or click the Cancel button to abandon the save

Save As Command

The Save As command (CTRL+SHIFT+S) is useful for saving copies of your document using the same or different Save command settings The Save As command is often used to save

a file at regular intervals throughout the creation of a graphic—so you can go back to an earlier version of the file or see what different color schemes or layouts look like Using the Save As command in combination with the Selected Only option (available only while objects are selected) is a truly useful option; if you’ve been working with a lot of objects you won’t need later, you don’t have to delete them all to tidy up—you simply use Selected Only Otherwise, the options available in the Save As command dialog are identical to those

in the Save dialog

Although using the Save As command may seem similar to using the Export command

in some ways, the two are quite different; in some cases it might be better to use one

command instead of the other Usually the Save As command is the best option to choose when saving native CorelDRAW files

The Export command (File | Export) is best for saving your document or selected objects

as any other type of file format, particularly bitmap formats like CPT, GIF, JPEG, PNG, or a

wide variety of text formats as well as other specialized vector formats such as EPS and SVG In CorelDRAW you can save—but not export—files in CorelDRAW (CDR), Corel Pattern file (PAT), and CorelDRAW Template (CDT) format

Using File Backup Options

Countless hours of work can be saved using CorelDRAW’s Backup feature When it comes

to saving and backing up your document files, CorelDRAW lets you take full control over

how, where, and when backup files are created Backup files let you retrieve recent changes

made to documents should something unfortunate (such as a power failure) occur while

you’re working Backup files created automatically are named auto_backup_of_ filename.cdr, where FILENAME is the name of your original CorelDRAW document It’s best to specify

a custom folder for your auto-saves instead of accepting the default location, so you can quickly locate and proceed with your work after a mishap

If CorelDRAW closes unexpectedly, the next time you open CorelDRAW, the File Recovery dialog prompts you to open the Auto-Backup file that it found Click OK

to open the file If you click Cancel and do not open the file, the Auto-Backup file will be deleted when you exit CorelDRAW So open and save the file when you can—you won’t be prompted to do so again.

At your command, backup files can be created every time you save a file The naming

convention for these files is in the form of backup_of_filename.cdr, and these backup files

are stored in the same folder location as the file you saved You can open backup files the

same way as with any CorelDRAW document file, by using the File | Open command

(CTRL+O)

To access CorelDRAW’s backup controls, use the Workspace | Save page of the Options dialog (shown in Figure 3-4) Choose Tools | Options | Workspace | Save

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FIGURE 3-4 Use these options to control where and when backup files are created

This list should help you decide which options to choose:

● Auto-Backup Every While this option is selected (the default), your document files are backed up at specified time intervals The default is 20 minutes and can be set to anywhere between 1 and 60 minutes (or never)

● Always Back-Up To Specify the location of the backups to be saved in your temporary folder (the default), or choose Specific Folder and use the Browse button

to specify a drive and folder location

● Make Backup On Save Activating the Make Backup On Save option (selected

by default) causes CorelDRAW to update the backup file to match your original document file each time you use the File | Save command (CTRL+S) This backup system is in addition to the Auto-Backup feature and complements it, because the

files are in a more accessible location and are not automatically deleted (although

they are overwritten each time you save a file), which leaves you with a backup of the most recent version of the file It is handy to have this kind of backup file because you can revert to the last saved version of the file if you should make a mistake while editing a file—or if you just want to start over

Working with Templates

Templates are special files that can be saved based on existing settings and/or document content Templates can be used as starting points to avoid repetitive page setup and

document defaults You can recognize template files by the CDT file extension

Opening Templates

To open an existing template file with the aim of creating a new document based on the template, choose File | New From Template to open the New From Template dialog, as shown in Figure 3-5 Here you can choose from a list containing many categories of

professionally designed templates that came with CorelDRAW Additional templates are found on the CorelDRAW DVD and on CorelDRAW.com

Some of the templates use typefaces you might not have installed from the CorelDRAW CD If you choose to open a new document based on a template containing text, it’s possible you’ll get the Font Substitution dialog, discussed earlier in this chapter If this happens, you can certainly open a new file based on the template, and then replace the typeface used in the document Alternatively, you can install the fonts listed in this dialog and come back to the document later.

Templates are organized in two general groups: Type and Industry Choose Type in the View By drop-down to see a list of template categories that is broken down by kind of document produced—a catalog, a flyer, a letterhead, and so on Choose Industry to see the

templates arranged in categories that correspond to various industries such as Hospitality,

Retail, or Services To use any templates you’ve created and saved, either search the list in

the My Templates section on the left side of the dialog, or, if you didn’t specify the Type or

Industry of your own template, choose All, and then go to Not Specified

Clicking a category such as Business Cards or Brochures in the list on the left opens (in the center of the dialog) thumbnail views of the templates available Click once on a

thumbnail to load information about the template into the Template Details section at the

bottom of the dialog and into Designer Notes on the right of the dialog To increase the size

of the thumbnail for a better view or to decrease the size of the thumbnail to view more

thumbnails, click-drag the slider at the bottom of the dialog

While a template is selected, the preview window displays a thumbnail of the first page

of the template Click Open or double-click the file to open a new (unsaved) document using

the template’s content and page layout

The Browse button opens a Windows standard file Open dialog that you can use to locate, select, and open a new document based on a template somewhere on your computer

or network other than CorelDRAW’s default location for templates

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FIGURE 3-5 Choose from these template categories to begin your new document