CorelDRAW X5 The Official Guide part 69 pdf

While a contour effect is linked to an object, the object itself becomes a control object, and the new shapes created become the “contour group.” Changes made to the properties of the or

After a blend has been made, you might need to dismantle it and break the link between the control objects This is easily done, but keep in mind that it can’t be reversed without using the Undo command (CTRL+Z) To dismantle a blend, choose the Pick tool, right-click the blend group portion, and choose Break Blend Group Apart from the pop-up menu The control objects then become separate objects, leaving the blend intermediate objects grouped

To further dismantle the arrangement, select only the blend group by using the Pick tool, and then choose Arrange | Ungroup (CTRL+U)

Copying and Cloning Blends

You can also copy or clone from existing blends Neither command requires that you have the Blend tool selected as you do this, and both operations are done through command menus

To copy a blend, at least one blend must be in view, and at least two objects must be selected To proceed, choose Effects | Copy Effect | Blend From Your cursor then changes

to a targeting cursor—click the blend portion of an existing blend to copy all its properties The selected objects then adopt the blend effect you targeted This command can also be performed using the Blend tool by clicking the Copy Blend Properties button on the

property bar

Cloning a blend effect produces a slightly different result than copying the effect When

an effect is applied by cloning, the master clone effect object controls the new effect Any changes made to the master are applied to the clone However, any changes made to the

clone override the properties of the master; any properties you’ve left alone with the clone

still link to the master clone effect To clone a blend effect, you must have created at least one other blend effect and have this in view A Clone blend group affords limited editing: you can choose from one of the presets on the property bar, or choose Clear Blend

If you select a blend group and then choose Edit | Clone, you might find that you have more control over changes you make in the master blend affecting the clone object This is not the same effect as cloning a blend; however, you can change master objects colors as well as make other edits and see the change in the clone.

To clone a blend, choose Effects | Clone Effect | Blend From Your cursor becomes a targeting cursor used to target the existing blend to clone Be sure to click directly on the blend group portion of the effect

Using the Blend Docker

The Blend docker provides an alternative way to apply blends Like all dockers in CorelDRAW, it’s a handy and persistent interface element, and all the functions you can access on the property bar are located on this detachable palette

Choose Effects | Blend or choose Window | Dockers | Blend to put the docker in the

drawing window Blend options in the docker are organized into four docker pages: Steps,

Acceleration, Color, and Miscellaneous Options blends, shown in Figure 21-20 Unlike with

the options on the property bar, the Blend docker lets you choose all your blend options

before applying them; no changes are made to the selected objects in your drawing until you

click the Apply button As with the property bar, the control options available in the Blend

docker change depending on the type of blend, for example, whether the blend is on a path

Tapping into Contour Effects

Contour effects are slightly less complex than the blend effects but nonetheless powerful

Contour effects instantly create perfect outlines of shapes or paths by the dozens or even

hundreds The result is similar to viewing a topographical or contour map, hence the name.

During a contour effect, dynamically linked shapes are concentrically created outside or

inside an object’s path CorelDRAW effectively calculates the shape of each contour step

and applies progressive outline and fill colors based on the original object’s properties and

selected contour options

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FIGURE 21-20 The Blend docker provides an alternative way of applying blends

Acceleration Color

Steps Miscellaneous Options

Start/End object buttons

Apply To Path button

While a contour effect is linked to an object, the object itself becomes a control object, and the new shapes created become the “contour group.” Changes made to the properties of the original immediately affect the linked group While the contour group is selected, its properties can be edited at any time—without your having to begin the effect from scratch

Exploring CorelDRAW’s Contour Effects

First, let’s see what contour effects enable you to do One of the more popular uses is to simulate depth

Figure 21-21 shows two illustrations of climate zones in the Urals region of Russia At left, uniform fills (solid colors) occupy the objects; at right, the same objects have contour effects In the contour version, the control objects still use uniform color, but the contour uses different colors for the outermost and innermost objects This is one of the uses of the contour effect As with blends, intermediate objects are generated from the beginning object; however, you don’t have to draw the end—the inner object—it’s part of the contour effect function Because the contour effect uses a large number of steps, you can see a smooth color transition in most of the objects Also note that some of the objects have a small number of intermediate objects, producing banding, which can be useful in your design work Just use a low number of steps when drawing a map of the Steppes

Figure 21-22 shows two versions of the contour effect applied to text At top, a two-step contour runs inside the word “Opera,” creating an engraved look At bottom, 25 contour steps are used outside the word to create a glowing effect; a duplicate of “Opera” with Linear transparency was put on top of the design as an embellishment You do not have to convert text to curves to apply a contour effect

FIGURE 21-21 Contour effects create a smooth color transition

Original filled with solid colors Finished artwork with contour effects

Using the Contour Tool and Property Bar

To apply contour effects, you’ll need to use the Contour tool, shown here, in combination

with the property bar You’ll find the tool in the toolbox, with other interactive tools: Blend,

Distort, Drop Shadow, Envelope, Extrude, and Transparency

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While you’re using the Contour tool, the property bar displays options for customizing

the effect These options include contour presets, contour direction, steps and offset spacing,

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FIGURE 21-22 Achieve two different looks for the text by using different options for the

contour effect

2-step contour effect inside text

25-step contour effect outside text with transparent overlay

Contour tool

color rotation, outline and fill color, and buttons for copying and clearing the effect, as shown in Figure 21-23

Let’s dig right into the use of the Contour tool’s features

Applying a Contour Effect

1. Create an object (a polygon or star shape is a great seed shape for contours); apply a fill and (optionally) outline properties If you’d like to go wild with this contour tutorial, try filling the object with a fountain fill—contours produce interesting results with fountain fills

2. Choose the Contour tool Notice that your cursor changes, and the property bar now displays contour options

3. Click the object and drag (click-drag) in the direction you want the contour to be applied Dragging from the center outward creates Outside contours; dragging in the opposite direction creates Inside contours The angle of the drag action has no effect

on the contours themselves—only inward and outward count Notice that as you drag, a silhouette of the final size of the contour effect appears in inverted screen colors

4. Release the mouse button, and your effect is finished and ready for customizing These steps created a contour in its default state Adjusting the effect to suit your needs takes a little more work with the property bar options The contours outside or inside the object can also be controlled using the interactive markers surrounding the effect The next section explains the use of these markers, their purpose, and how to manipulate them

To remove a contour effect, click the contour portion of the effect using either the Contour tool or Pick tool and choose Effects | Clear Contour, or click the Clear Contour button in the property bar.

FIGURE 21-23 Use the property bar to make the fullest use of the Contour tool

Preset Options

To Center Inside Contour

Outside Contour

Contour Steps

Contour Offset

Color Rotation

Outline Color

Fill Color Acceleration

Clear Contour

Contour Direction

Linear Contour Colors

Clockwise Contour Colors

Counterclockwise Contour Colors

Copy Contour Properties

Editing Contours Interactively

The easiest way to edit a contour effect is by doing it hands-on, using the Contour tool to

change the interactive markers in combination with adjusting property bar options Use them

to adjust the direction, spacing, and offset values of the effect

The black diamond-shaped marker indicates which object is the control object of the

effect The white rectangle marker indicates the final object in the contour group, and its

position sets the distance between the control object and the last object in the effect A slider

between these two enables you to adjust the spacing between the contour steps interactively,

which, in turn, sets the number of steps by dividing the difference Figure 21-24 identifies

the interactive markers and their purpose

Different types of objects are eligible for contour effects in CorelDRAW You can

apply contours to closed paths, compound paths (such as a doughnut shape), and

grouped objects These object types don’t have to have a fill, but obviously they’d

need an outline width, or you’d be applying a contour to an invisible object Applying

a contour effect to a group applies the effect to the entire group Depending on how

a group is arranged, if objects overlap, the contour will “trace” the silhouette of

the objects as though the two shapes were combined using the Weld operation An

object applied with the contour effect is not eligible for other effects unless it’s first

grouped with its linked contour effect object.

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FIGURE 21-24 These two objects have contours applied in opposite directions

Outside Contour Effect

Object markers Offset slider

Last contour marker

Control object marker Contour group

Inside Contour Effect

Object markers

Last contour marker

Offset slider

Control object marker

Contour group

You’ll also notice that the Contour tool cursor changes its appearance as you drag outside, inside, or to the centermost point of your selected object, as shown in Figure 21-25 While held over an object, the cursor will also indicate whether the object is eligible for the contour effect

To quickly edit a contour, double-click the effect portion of an existing contour with the Pick tool.

Choosing Contour Direction

In addition to click-dragging a contour to set its direction, you can also use property bar options, shown here Choosing To Center, Inside Contour, or Outside Contour causes the contours to be applied in the direction relative to the object’s outline path When Inside Contour or Outside Contour is selected, you can set the number of steps and the offset spacing between the steps by entering values in the Contour Steps and Contour Offset boxes in the property bar, and pressingENTER.

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To separate an applied contour and break the dynamic link to the original object, right-click directly on the effect (objects), and then choose Break Contour Group Apart from the pop-up menu.

FIGURE 21-25 The Contour tool cursor lets you know what’s going on

Object can’t

be contoured. Tool cursor is indefault state.

Tool cursor indicates that Outside contour

is being created.

Tool cursor indicates that Inside contour is being created.

Tool cursor indicates that Center contour is being created.

To Center

Inside Contour

Outside Contour

The effect’s contour direction, spacing, and offset values affect one another In the

sections to follow, remember that when you change one parameter’s values, a different

parameter will probably auto-change

Contour Inside

With the exception of the 47 clowns that can get out of a Volkswagen, there’s a real-world

and mathematical limit to how many steps you can create a shape within a shape For contours,

if the offset spacing value you enter in the Contour Offset box (on the property bar) exceeds

the number of steps the distance allows, the Contour Steps value is automatically reduced to

fit Figure 21-26 shows some results of applying Inside contours to different objects; as you

can see, compound paths produce quite elegant contour steps Remember: open paths are not

eligible for Inside contour effects; it can’t be done mathematically, and it can’t be done in

CorelDRAW

Contour Outside

Choosing Outside Contour creates contours around your object, and yes, you can use an

open path, as shown in Figure 21-27, with outside contouring It creates an interesting effect

you can use for designing everything from neon signs to expensive paperclips The Contour

Steps value can be set as high as 999, and the Contour Offset values travel within a range of

0.001 to 300 inches

Contour To Center

The To Center direction creates the contour inside the selected object, but it does so using as

many steps as mathematically possible The number of steps depends on the Contour Offset

value (editing the number of steps is not available)—in any case, your object is filled with a

contour This is a terrific option for illustrating game mazes—with a little editing after

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FIGURE 21-26 These objects have identical Inside contours

making a contour of a bicycle or a flower in a pot, you could fill a book with games like you see on children’s menus in restaurants Here, the Contour Offset value is the only parameter that can be changed; the number of steps is calculated automatically Figure 21-28 shows contours applied using the To Center option; as with the Inside Contour option, open paths cannot take a To Center contour

Setting Contour Colors

Controlling the progression of color between your original object and the colors of the contour effect is important to create great illustrations; CorelDRAW is a wonderful drawing

program, but you are the artist! You can set color in several different ways, specify a

FIGURE 21-27 The same objects as shown in Figure 21-26 look a little different when Outside

Contour is chosen as the contour style

Open path

FIGURE 21-28 The To Center option creates contours to the center of an object while the

number of steps is calculated by CorelDRAW

nonlinear color rotation, control pen and fill colors, and even set fountain fill colors for

individual contour steps

Color Rotation Options

A default contour creates fill and outline colors in a steady progression between the base

object and the final contour (the End object if contours were blends) However, you can

rotate these colors to create rainbow contours and other special effects To do this, choose

either Clockwise or Counterclockwise Contour Colors, as shown here, which has the effect

of applying fill and outline colors based on color positions located around a color wheel—

red, orange, yellow…you get the idea!

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Outline Color

The Outline Color option, handsomely screen-captured here, sets the outline color of the last

contour in the effect, meaning the colors change steadily from your original to the last

contour object If your object doesn’t have an outline color applied, this option still displays

black as the default color, but no color will be applied to your contours To set the outline

color, click the Outline Color selector and choose a color

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Linear Contour Colors

Clockwise Contour Colors Counterclockwise Contour Colors

Outline Color Fill Color