Powerful, feature-rich design suite for professional vector art, photo editing, and page layout
Powerful, feature-rich design suite for professional vector art, photo editing, and page layout
Pros
- Excellent Tool Selection
- Highly Documented
- Sleek UI
- Supports Vector Drawing, Photo Editing, and Layout Editing
Cons
- Limited App Integration
- Difficult Learning Curve
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite is a set of apps that work together to provide photo editing, page layout functions, vector illustrations, and fully professional design. The software is relatively resource-light considering it performs so many graphical functions, and it has a user interface that is both aesthetically pleasing and exceptionally intuitive for those with any digital art experience.
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite actually contains five smaller components that combine to provide the full functionality of the suite. The first of these tools is the foundational app called CorelDRAW. This tool is based on vector illustrations, and it is surprisingly easy to use if you have used vector art apps before.
The next app is called Corel PHOTO-PAINT, and it acts as the image editor and artistic graphics production center. It contains a number of advanced editing tools, and it could easily be compared to a slimmed-down version of Photoshop, which is the benchmark photo editing app from Adobe.
Next in the suite is Corel PowerTRACE. This small tool has a single function, and that is to convert bitmap image files to vector image files. It can also convert in the other direction as well for added convenience.
The fourth tool in the suite is called Corel CAPTURE, and it gives you the ability to capture images of your computer screen with the click of a single button.
Lastly, Corel CONNECT finishes out the suite. This piece of software is used to browse through files, and it helps organize the Corel suite with all your media content. You can also use the file browser to view files on your local network and entire PC system.
When used individually, it's easy to see these pieces of software were built to be easy to use. The UI for every tool is clear and straightforward, and each tool is also documented online so you can learn more about the software and its functions.
The creators of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite aimed their software directly at professional content creators, but those aren't the only ones who could take advantage of the software to produce stunning results. If you are an amateur trying to reach the next level, this would be a great place to start. It has a number of effects, filters, and a clutter-free work zone. You can also customize the menus to help streamline your most common workflows.
Perhaps the only real problem with CorelDRAW Graphics Suite is that each individual app doesn't seem to be integrated with the others. One of the main reasons why modern photographers and designers flock to Adobe is that Adobe products all work together seamlessly, but that doesn't mean this software isn't worth trying. It might not be able to stand up to the popularity of Adobe, but it is still loaded with a superb selection of tools for editing and design.
Pros
- Excellent Tool Selection
- Highly Documented
- Sleek UI
- Supports Vector Drawing, Photo Editing, and Layout Editing
Cons
- Limited App Integration
- Difficult Learning Curve
Pros
- Powerful set of graphics tools
- Professional quality results
- Extensive documentation and help files
Cons
- Could be difficult to learn
- Limited interoperability between programs
The CorelDraw Graphics Suite is a fully featured photo editing and image creation package designed to compete against Adobe products. The suite features several different graphics and design programs aimed at businesses and professionals. The suite is a little too complicated for average people who just want to do something simple such as cropping family vacation photos. Everything is really geared towards making professional images or illustrations that can be easily used online or printed as marketing materials. The CorelDraw Graphics Suite is made up of several individual programs each with a different focus.
The main program in the package is called CorelDraw. This is a tool for creating illustrations using vector-based graphics. Vector-based graphics allow you to form illustrations by using geometric shapes and curves instead of just drawing with pixels. The main advantage is that vector graphics can be smoothly scaled up or down to whatever size is needed. CorelDraw has a very powerful but simplified interface. Although it might take some time to learn how certain tools work, it is possible to get incredibly high quality results using this program.
The second application in the graphics suite is called Corel Photo-Paint. This is a program designed to edit pixel-based or bitmap images such as photographs. Photo-Paint comes with most of the tools that you would expect from an image editor. You can adjust nearly all aspects of an image from color and contrast to the size and saturation levels. You get a basic set of drawing tools so that you can create lines, text, or other items over an existing image. Photo-Paint comes with a selection of filters as well. The filters allow you to apply special effects to images quickly and easily. Photo-Paint is one of the most straightforward and useful programs in the entire CorelDraw Graphics Suite.
Corel PowerTrace is a very interesting program that has a specific use in the package. The program is designed to help you convert a bitmap drawing or image into vector-based art. PowerTrace will attempt to find all the lines and edges in a bitmap image. It will then replace them with lines and shapes that you can edit later in CorelDraw. The program actually helps immensely when you need to convert a series of diagrams or drawings into vector art. The issue is that PowerTrace does not always work well. It often makes finished vector art that is jagged or has too many points. You need to adjust the settings in the program repeatedly to get the best results.
Corel Capture is a small program that allows you to record screenshots of your monitor with just one click. You can then load those screenshots into Corel Photo-Paint to edit them. This program is good for doing things like creating tutorials or showcasing programs in development. It is also somewhat unnecessary, since all modern operating systems can take screenshots without needing any additional applications.
The final program in the suite is called Corel Connect. This is an application that is designed to perform media asset management for businesses. It is basically a file browser streamlined to work with images of all types. You can use the program to organize and browse through images. It also allows for sharing and cataloging images. You can add in tags and other data for your image library.
The CorelDraw Graphics Suite is a very good set of programs for anyone who needs to do professional image work. It does have a few problems. The first is that some of the tools and functions do not operate in an intuitive way. Another issue is that some people might have difficulty learning how the various programs in the suite operate. A final potential issue is that the programs are not designed to work easily together. It can be time-consuming to keep moving files between programs like CorelDraw and Photo-Paint. The suite is still incredibly effective and powerful if you take the time to learn how it works.
Pros
- Powerful set of graphics tools
- Professional quality results
- Extensive documentation and help files
Cons
- Could be difficult to learn
- Limited interoperability between programs
