Corel DRAW Pro

Published for the Association of CorelDRAW® Professionals (ACDRP) / www.coreldrawpro.com CorelDRAW®Pro the entrepreneurial magazine for CorelDRAW® users worldwideFebruary 2008 ► New Tone Curve in X4 ► New Template Features in X4 ► Beauty Masks ► Function Keys & Hot Keys Cover Art by RamilBaylon Details on page 6 February 2008 2 Click ads to go directly to advertiser’s web site. February 2008 3 Click ads to go directly to advertiser’s web site. CONTENTS February 2008 Colorado Heirloom Web Ad Conde Systems Web Ad Corel Corp. Web Ad Custom Graphic Technology Web Ad Epilog Laser Corp. Web Ad Geo. Knight & Co. Web Ad JBL Graphics Web Ad John E. Lepper Inc. Web Ad Johnson Plastics Web Ad Laser Reproductions Web Ad LaserBits Inc. Web Ad LaserSketch Web Ad N&R International Web Ad Paramount Services Inc. Web Ad ProLink Graphics Svc Web Ad SCT Crystal Web Ad Stahls’ ID Direct Web Ad The Magic Touch USA-1 Web Ad The Magic Touch USA-2 Web Ad Universal Laser Systems Web Ad ADVERTISER INDEX DEPARTMENTS Click “Web” to go to advertiser’s website. Click “Ad” to go to the ad in this issue. Clicking the ad itself will go to website. TRAINING: How to Use APPLICATIONS: How to Apply OPPORTUNITIES: How to Profit 5 Graphics News Wire 7 About the Cover 9 Inside ACDRP: Looking Forward 38 GNN Network 39 Marketplace 40 Contributing Writers 26 Book Review: Color Management for CorelDRAW by David Milisock 10 Using CorelDRAW: Beauty Masks: Using PHOTO-PAINT’s Masking Tools to Perform Digital Plastic Surgery by Bill Leek 13 Using CorelDRAW: Function Keys & Hot Keys by Dave Demoret 15 CorelDRAW Applied: Creating & Using Templates by John McDaniel 18 Inside Color: The New Tone Curve in CorelPHOTO-PAINT® X4 by David Milisock 20 Sublimation Tip: Pressing 2-Sided Metal Tags by Steve Thompson 22 Inside Screen Printing: Four-Color Crayon Drawing: Artwork by Jeff McDaniel 25 Inside Sandblasting: Do I Need More Than One Sandblast System? by Judy McDaniel 27 Inside Engraving: Machine Accuracy Review by John McDaniel 29 Getting Ahead: The Pros and Cons of All- Inclusive Screen Printing Systems by Deborah Sexton 34 Marketing Secrets Murphy’s Law and Other Wisdom by Donna Gray 39 Traveling Tidbits: 50 Years for Awards by Kay in Sacramento by Otis Veteto February 2008 4 Click ads to go directly to advertiser’s web site. February 2008 5 Click ads to go directly to advertiser’s web site. GRAPHICS NEWS WIRE February 2008 Product News Headlines: Calendar (Web Link) Check out the upcoming training classes and trade shows of interest to CorelDRAW users. ● New Unisub catalog released ● ASI president co-authors management book ● MHM offers Film Positioning Unit ● Great Notions offers embroidery- look printable designs ● PSI expands Home Décor line of sublimatable items ● Roland University offers new color workshop ● IKONICS Imaging introduces InfiniteMarbleTM ● Royal Apparel has new retro heather t-shirt ● Sawgrass adds Canadian Engravers Supply as Chromablast distributor ● SanMar launches Spring / Summer Arrivals catalog ● Blake & Hollister has new Pin Dot placket shirt ● Vastex upgrades DB Series Dryers ● Vastex releases 2008 equipment catalog ● Sierra Pacific has ladies’ sleeveless shirt ● Chouinard offers new ladies’ scoop-neck tank top ● SOS >From Texas has organic cotton youth t-shirts ● Laserbits adds maple shapes, coco combo and more ● Stahls’ ID Direct releases new catalog ● R.S. Owens unveils 2008 catalog ● Transfer Express has Easy Print® soccer numbers February 2008 6 Click ads to go directly to advertiser’s web site. February 2008 7 Click ads to go directly to advertiser’s web site. About the Cover THE FRONT SECTION First, I copied the original image (downloaded from the internet) into CorelDrawX3. Then I drew the contour line of the car using the Freehand Tool to obtain exact dimension and proportion. I chose to draw first the front portion of the car – the cross- like figure above the bumper. Each rectangular object was drawn carefully. Using the Fill Tool, I rendered appropriate color by utilizing the preset fills and customizing until the right color combination was obtained. Its frame holding the cross-like figure was rendered with Mesh, but only to a certain extent. After this was completed, I built the screen on its radiator. First, I drew a separate shape somewhere outside of the image to spare any unnecessary movements in objects. Then I created a small rounded rectangular object. I copied one and had it placed next to the first object. I repeated this action until these small rectangular shapes would be enough to cover the object supposedly where the radiator screen would appear. Using PowerClip, I placed these objects inside the container. But before doing so, I converted these rectangular shapes into Objects to maintain the thickness of lines when resizing is applied, and also applied fountain fill to obtain exact vanishing colors. Then I positioned this into the front of the car and sent it to back. Next was the bumper. It’s quite easy. As you could very well see, it’s just a rectangular shape, applying Fountain Fill in it and Interactive Drop Shadow. THE HOOD SECTION For this one, I carefully traced the right shape of the hood. There had been two major shapes present in here -- the smaller section on the right which is darkened by a shadow and the larger one in which the insignia appeared. There was a lot of Mesh manipulation involved in this particular section. But before going for hours customizing the Mesh, I applied appropriate color combinations for this – the vanishing orange color into dark yellow. And then came the most intricate part of it all – manipulating the Mesh. I would admit this has been the most difficult thing to do. Tweaking with effect such as this would need careful attention to detail and tons and tons of patience. Applying only the Gradient Fill and render vanishing would not give you stunning realistic visuals, only the Mesh could. So, with hours of painstakingly bringing to life these once dull objects, the hood came to appear real. Other effects like the three lines on its surface were done pretty easy – only the Interactive Transparency Tool was rendered on these. Meanwhile, the insignia was actually blurred in the original. I could not find anywhere online the same image with high resolution, so I assumed this figure may look like this one. The effects involved were Interactive Fill and Drop Shadow. THE HEADLIGHT SECTION Like the insignia, the headlight image is also blurry. You could not exactly figure out how it may look like up close. By zooming out, you could see what the image would be like. The shapes here were easy to draw and so were the effects. I have manipulated the preset Fill Tool, and also the Interactive Transparency Tool for this. THE BODY SECTION Basically, the shapes and objects involved in designing the main body were pretty simple. There were not many curves to deal with. Like the hood, there was a lot of Mesh being rendered in here, and for hours, I had to carefully make the surface smooth with precise application of color as well. The insignia seen here isn’t recognizable, so I instead put the Dodge name on it along with the logo. THE UPPER SECTION The windshield had actually no transparency visible based on the original image, maybe partly because it was set on a black background. Here, I set the transparency in a way that the glass would appear a bit obvious, without necessarily compromising its transparent characteristic, thus showing what is inside of the car. The seats were mostly done with Interactive Transparency Tool as well. THE HUBS AND TIRES SECTION I had to trace the hubs and applied the color a bit lighter than the original. Although this was simple, careful attention to the details was necessary. Since one hub comprised several objects, the challenge was how you could arrange each object in a way that it is placed on its appropriate layer. Otherwise, one object would cover the other one, making the design simply distorted. Now for the tires, which were very tricky because you could not perfectly figure out how the ‘stripes’ or ‘cuts’ or basically the design of the tire would look. It’s difficult to see it due to its dark color. So I copied the image, pasted on MS Photo Editor and adjusted the brightness so that I could see even the slightest hint of the way the tire is designed. I had to crop the image in its tire area and brought it back to CorelDrawX3 and traced it. It worked for me although it took me a hell of my time. I copied the Dodge Car Design by Ramil Baylon February 2008 8 Click ads to go directly to advertiser’s web site. completed tire and hub and resized them and changed slightly the orientation. ADD ONS The flare effect was added on the highest possible points where the light would shine through. Also, by customizing the Interactive Drop Shadow Tool, the car cast its shadow just right below on the ground. My name is Ramil B. Baylon, 32, single, a professional Graphic Design Artist from Iloilo City, Philippines. I finished my Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications in 1997 from University of Iloilo. I started working with the print media in the same year after a short stint in radio broadcasting. My first formal employment was with the Daily INFORMER, one of Iloilo City-based daily newspaper. I was assigned to work first on daily editorial cartoon, but after a few weeks I trained doing page layout using Adobe Pagemaker and CorelDraw. With my inherent talent and heart of being an artist and passion in creative media, it took me just two weeks -- and I took over the position of graphic artist but it was a very pressure-filled position with daily deadlines. After 3 years, former colleagues and I jointly founded the Visayan Daily HEADLINES, now on its 8th year. I am working here as Art Director. Along the way, I had some part time work with an advertising firm called SignWrite Advertising. We did graphic designs for sports cars and motorcycles and other outdoor ads. We used a printer-plotter to cut the stickers. I also had a stint working in a card company, which is where my skills in CorelDraw jumpstarted. I designed hundreds of logos for corporations and schools. Presently, I am still working as Art Director but contemplating in working abroad. From time to time, I am accepting freelance online design projects. My most loved design software is CorelDrawX3, but I also use Illustrator if necessary. Other design programs I am proficient with are CorelPhotoPaint, Freehand, Fireworks, Photoshop, Pagemaker, QuarkXpress, FrontPage, and Powerpoint. I can be reached at (+63)(033) 328-5623 / 320-8076 (office numbers) or by email at ramil_baylon@yahoo.com, imwilliambay@yahoo.com.ph Here is a link to my work: About the Cover February 2008 9 Click ads to go directly to advertiser’s web site. Inside ACDRP By Mike Neer, Executive Director Looking Forward FEBRUARY 2008 Published by Association of CorelDRAW® Professionals President: John H. McDaniel Vice President: Judith McDaniel Executive Director: Michael R. Neer Assoc. Exec. Director: Steven V. Neer ACDRP Corporate Office: Albany, OR EDITOR / PUBLISHER – Michael R. Neer mikeneer@coreldrawpro.com GRAPHICS – John Mise ADVERTISING – John McDaniel II jhmcdaniel2@coreldrawpro.com 541-990-6687 OFFICES Membership & Publishing offices located at: 4709 N. El Capitan, Suite 103, Fresno, CA 93722; 800-276-8428, 559-276-8494 Fax 559-276-8496 www.CorelDRAWPro.com editor@coreldrawpro.com Subscriptions: Free to qualified individuals and businesses. Send change of address to the above. ACDRP Membership: $60/yr., See the website for details. Includes exclusive content and more. Advertising: Request a Media Guide or download it from www.CorelDRAWPro.com. Writers: CorelDRAWPro accepts articles from industry experts. Email publisher for details. © Copyright 2007 by ACDRP. All Rights Reserved. It seems that the theme of 2008 is turning out to be Growth! Already in the first two months, we are starting to see some exciting new opportunities start to develop for CorelDRAWPro readers. Key to this theme is the launch of CorelDRAW X4 last month which certainly opens the door to more productivity with our graphics skills – and makes getting up to speed on the new program a priority for most users. Inside this issue We will continue to bring you regular articles that will help use CorelDRAW X3 and get acquainted with X4. For example, in this issue, you’ll find an excellent article by Bill Leek on how to use masking to enhance a person’s look in a photo. Dave Demoret spells out for you how important keyboard shortcuts are and why you’re “losing time” if you don’t use them. Then John McDaniel starts a new series on CorelDRAW Applied, where he explores how the new template process in X4 can be used to make you more productive. David Milisock shows you why the new Tone Curve in X4 is so valuable, and demonstrates a few ways to use it. Also in this issue are stories that show you how to apply CorelDRAW to specific processes or help you expand your knowledge of these profit centers – screenprinting, sublimation, sandblasting, and engraving. In fact, Deborah Sexton reviews All-Inclusive Screen Printing equipment. Finally, we have Donna Gray discussing how to prepare your business for a visit from the unpredictable Murphy, and Otis Veteto reports on the 50th anniversary of Awards by Kay in Sacramento. On the road Plans are underway for the 2008 version of the Making Money with CorelDRAW Road Show. The format has been changed to offer a full afternoon of Lecture Training with Demo (LTD.cdr) on the new CorelDRAW X4 program for a nominal fee. Plus, the Making Money with CorelDRAW seminar is being revised and sponsors will be displaying new products. This is a great opportunity to see how X4 works and identify ways to expand your graphics skills for profit. The Road Show will be presented by Corel Training Partners John & Judy McDaniel in 36 cities nationwide. The dates are still being finalized but these are the first choice of cities that will be visited. The Spring Tour will be from April through July, and will visit these cities: Sacramento, Anaheim/Orange Co., Phoenix, El Paso, Houston, Mobile, Tampa, Atlanta, Charlotte, Washington DC/ Baltimore area, Philadelphia, Boston, Rochester / Buffalo area, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Spokane, and Portland. The Fall Tour will be from September through November and will visit these cities: Seattle, Boise, Salt Lake City, Denver, Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago, Indianapolis, Columbus, Nashville, Atlanta, Jacksonville, Baton Rouge, San Antonio, Dallas/Fort Worth area, Tucson, Los Angeles, and San Francisco / San Jose area. The 2008 sponsors are still being finalized, but the 2007 sponsors included the following companies: Artwork Source, Brother Intl., Colorado Heirloom, Conde Systems, Corel Corp., Epilog Laser, Geo Knight & Co., IKONICS Imaging, Imprintor, JBL Graphics, Johnson Plastics, Laser Reproductions, LaserSketch, Media Blast, Permanent Impressions, Printa Systems, Stahls ID Direct, Toujours, Trotec Laser, Universal Laser Systems, and Vapor Apparel. It’s going to be a good year for exploring new opportunities for growth. Start your education with the articles in this issue, and we hope we’ll see you on the Road later this year! February 2008 10 Click ads to go directly to advertiser’s web site. Using CorelDRAW® Training By Bill Leek Beauty Masks: Using PHOTO-PAINT’s Masking Tools To Perform Digital Plastic Surgery I rarely receive a photo from a client that can’t be improved with a variety of digital retouching techniques. This is particularly true with portrait photos. Corel PHOTO-PAINT® comes with a varied assortment of retouching tools. The key is to use the tools subtly and selectively. Just as in real life plastic surgery, we do not want to drastically change a person’s appearance. Plastic surgery, when overdone, can produce disturbing results. We do not want to lose our subject’s overall appearance and personality. When digital plastic surgery is done right, the subject should say, “That’s a great picture of me!” In this article we will use the BRUSH MASK in conjunction with several other tools to retouch a woman’s face. Our subject is middle aged with a blotchy red complexion (too much Texas sun) and some wrinkles that need to be smoothed out. We will also add a little sparkle to her earring to add interest. Definitions Before we go forward a few definitions are in order: MASK: A mask is applied to an image during editing to protect or select the underlying pixels of the image. In this example, we will apply the mask tool to areas we want to modify. The remaining pixels shaded in red will be protected from adjustments. BRUSH MASK: The brush mask tool allows us to paint the areas we want to alter in this example. Brush types and size can be adjusted. The brush mask can be painted in both + and – modes to add or subtract brush strokes. ALPHA CHANNEL: Multiple masks can be saved and reloaded in the same image. We save the images as Alpha Channels. Each Alpha Channel can be saved with a distinct name. In our example we will save 3 Alpha Channels. INVERT: Allows us to swap the selected and protected areas. FEATHERING: Feathering gradually increases the transparency of the pixels along the edge of the editable area to soften the transition between the editable and protected areas. REMOVE HOLES: Fills in areas of the painted mask that have been missed by the paintbrush. We can completely paint the outline of the mask and then use this selection to fill in the mask. This is a great time saver. Now, Let’s Get Started! WRINKLE REMOVAL: Open up the OBJECT sub menu. Drag the BACKGROUND layer to the CREATE NEW OBJECT button to create a new object layer above the background. We will always apply masks to object layers…not the background image. Select The BRUSH MASK TOOL from the LEFT TOOL BAR. In this example, we selected a round brush with a size of 25 pixels. Choose + brush mode. Carefully paint over the areas around and under the eye, cheeks, mouth and neck as shown in the illustration. The mask brush will reveal the underlying pixels and remove the red transparency mask. If we select too large an area we can come back with the – brush to deselect those pixels. At this point we can click on MASK on the upper menu bar, then select MASK OUTLINE, then FEATHER. Feather the mask a few pixels (10-15) with AVERAGE mode selected. Before and After Images February 2008 11 Click ads to go directly to advertiser’s web site. Training Using CorelDRAW® Next click on MASK, then SAVE, then select SAVE AS CHANNEL. Save this mask as an alpha channel named WRINKLE REMOVAL. We can always reload this mask in the future and make adjustments to it. To remove the selected pixels we will use Gaussian Blur. Click on EFFECTS on the upper menu bar, then select BLUR and then choose GAUSSIAN BLUR. In the Gaussian blur dialog box, adjust the radius control while observing the preview image. Start with just a small radius and watch the wrinkles disappear. When happy with the results, click OK. Select MASK again from the upper menu bar, then pick remove. The red transparency mask will disappear and the entire image will be displayed with the wrinkles reduced in the selected areas. This step is done. If it is necessary to go back and make more adjustments, we can load the wrinkle removal alpha channel at any time. RED FACE ADJUSTMENT We need to reduce the red in the woman’s face without changing the bright red clothing in the image. First we will select the BRUSH MASK tool and specify a slightly smaller brush diameter. Click on the + mode and then draw an outline of the mask around the face and the neck. Next click on MASK on the upper menu bar, then select MASK OUTLINE and then REMOVE HOLES. This will automatically paint in the mask area inside the outline and expose the underlying pixels. Click on the – button in the brush mask control box and deselect any unwanted areas. When finished, feather the mask and save it as an Alpha Channel named RED FACE REDUCTION. We will now click on ADJUST from the top menu bar and then select HUE / SATURATION / LIGHTNESS. In the dialog box, select the RED channel. Move the SATURATION slider to the left to a setting of about -25 to -30. The HUE slider can also be adjusted slightly to set the optimum effect. Click on OK. Next click on MASK from the top menu bar, then select REMOVE. The red mask will be removed and woman’s complexion should more closely match that of the little girl. THE TOUCH-UP BRUSH The TOUCH-UP BRUSH can be selected from the LEFT TOOL BAR. This tool allows you to blend away skin imperfections and slight wrinkles and is great for making final retouching adjustments to an image. The MEDIUM strength setting seems to work well. Simply brush over skin imperfections and gently blend them away. ► February 2008 12 Click ads to go directly to advertiser’s web site. Training Using CorelDRAW® THE SPARKLING EARRING This is the easiest step. Zoom in on the earring. Select the earring using a small diameter brush mask setting. Save the mask as a channel called EARRING. Click on ADJUST, then HUE / SATURATION / LIGHTNESS, and then select the YELLOW channel. Increase the HUE, SATURATION and LIGHTNESS sliders to brighten up the earring. Then click OK. Sharpening the selected earring will add some more sparkle. Select EFFECTS from the TOP MENU BAR. Next select SHARPEN and then UNSHARP MASK. Using a very low THRESHOLD SETTING (less than 9), increase the PERCENTAGE SLIDER until you see the desired effect. Then click OK. We can now remove the mask and we are finished with our retouching exercise. SAVING YOUR IMAGE If you want to retain your saved ALPHA CHANNEL masks, save the image in the program’s CPT file format. You will also wish to flatten the object layers with the background and save the finished image as a TIF or JPG file. Conclusions These retouching techniques can greatly add to the value of your work. They just take a few moments’ effort. These articles are brief by necessity. I will continue to add similar articles that I hope will help you with everyday problems. I’d appreciate your input. If there are specific areas you want to cover, I can address them in future articles. Have a great Spring Season!! Bill Leek is a color consultant for JBL Graphics in Houston, TX, and has over 30 years experience in computer engineering and graphics design. He has developed several lines of color imprintable products, and does testing on a variety of products for different manufacturers. He can be reached at support@jblgraphics.com or 281-970-6677. February 2008 13 Click ads to go directly to advertiser’s web site. Using CorelDRAW® Training By Dave Demoret, Contributing writer Function Keys & Hot Keys Using Your Keyboard WHY? I get along just fine with my mouse and the pull-down menus! I don’t want to have to memorize all those key strokes. You need a lot of experience to know which keys to hit. These are common excuses for not using the function keys and hot keys. That’s the simple truth. Most people (yeah, probably you) are afraid of using the key board to do anything else but type in the fonts. I see you shaking your head. Listen, if you are in the business to make money you need every single advantage you can get. However, this is not just another little “trick or tip” in Corel. Using the keyboard is a HUGE advantage AND can make a substantial impact on your daily work schedule as well as you bottom line profit !! First Step Made Easy Allow me to make this simple for those who are intimidated by the keyboard. Don’t Try To Memorize. The simple fact is that if you will just read you will automatically begin using the function keys and hot keys, without any noticeable effort ! Take a look at the pull- down menu shown here. Select a function you might use on a daily basis. Now look to the right side of the column for a shortcut key. If you see one, like F4 or Ctrl+Z, just take a second to read it. Realize that these are given to you each time you mouse your way to these pull-down menus. Without anymore effort than that,you will find that in a short time you will think…’I need to undo what I just did…Oh, Ctrl+Z’. Still Need to Know Why? Okay, here is why and the advantage to using the keyboard. Let’s take the common step of ‘copy’ & ‘paste’. Many people do this several times a day. This is the usual procedure and I’m going to do this step by step. 1. Move your mouse to select the object. 2. Left click on object 3. Move mouse to Edit on Menu Bar 4. Left click on Edit 5. Move mouse to Copy 6. Left click on Copy 7. Move mouse to Edit on Menu Bar again 8. Left click on Edit 9. Move mouse to Paste 10. Left click on Paste 11. Move mouse to object 12. Left click and drag object to place Here is the difference using the keyboard. 1. Move your mouse to select the object 2. Hit Ctrl+C 3. Hit Ctrl+V 4. Left click and drag object to place That’s it. I just save myself 8, count ‘em, eight steps. Ahh, so what? It only takes a second to do it with a mouse. Sorry, it’s a little more than that. Actually, I’ve timed myself several times to see how much time I’ve saved and when I tell people that if they take my workshops that I can save them as much as 30 to 50% of their design time, I’m not kidding. Any course you take will help you cut your design time but using the keyboard is where it’s at. February 2008 14 Click ads to go directly to advertiser’s web site. Using CorelDRAW® Training The time for this one task is this: Using the mouse to copy and paste takes 6-7 seconds if you’re on your game. It can take up to 9-10 seconds. Using the keyboard takes 2-3 seconds if you’re on your game and 3-5 if you think about it. Again, this doesn’t sound like a lot but, given that you do this several times a day and several times per design, this is a lot of time. If you begin using the keyboard on a constant basis you will save time in almost all your tasks. If you break this down to a percentage, you will see that 6-7 seconds –vs- 2-3 seconds is as much or better than 50% savings in time. Same with 9-10 –vs- 6-7. Again 50% or better! One of the nice ancillary benefits of using the keyboard that I’ve noticed in myself and others is that once you start using it regularly you are less intimidated by designs and you will be much more confident in using CorelDRAW for any graphic application. BOTTOM LINE This is what we are all concerned about if we are in business to make a profit. I’ve seen many people increase their designing speed and reduce the amount of time spent on the computer. This translates into more time spent on other things like production, getting the books or paperwork done, and even more time with family, or leisure time. One gentleman, after taking a workshop, came up to me and said this: ‘Dave, I have a staff of graphic artists and we can do everything you did here today, but you just showed me how to do in 20 to 30 minutes what takes us an hour or more. Do you know how much time savings that is? I could have paid twice what you charged for this class and been happy.’ There was nothing special about his workshop. Nothing special in what or how I taught, other than stressing and using throughout the workshop the need and the uses for utilizing the keyboard. Function Keys and Hot Keys can save you enough time to affect your profit. TIME IS MONEY Whether you think you are getting paid for your art or design time or not, someone pays for this time. It either comes out of your customer’s pocket or yours, whether you charge them for it or not. I once had a person tell me that they would not pay for the art time I was charging. Their reason was this: ‘When I go to the newspaper and place an ad, they don’t charge for art!’ Again, sorry, but they do. They just don’t show it on the bill as a separate charge. They have to pay the illustrators and it isn’t coming out of the profits without being passed on to the customer. If you are a mom & pop shop and you don’t think you’re charging for your art or design time, you are. If you don’t have it built into the bill, you’re losing profit. Therefore it is coming out of your pocket. It a screen printer didn’t charge for art, screen making, & prep time (to cut it short) he couldn’t afford to be in business. Neither can you. So how is the guy down the street able to charge less than me when I don’t charge art fees? Hidden or shown? Simple, he is either not making much profit and will soon be out of business (relatively speaking) or, he is using his keyboard !!! LOL Of course, there are a lot of reasons he might be less expensive but in this day of speed and low-cost items, again I stress, the importance of using every advantage you can get. Using the keyboard, function keys and quick (or hot keys) is one that will help you in many ways. Dave Demoret, founded Prolink Graphic Services to help people understand and profit from learning CorelDRAW. He has been in both the Flat Graphics Industry and the Decorating Graphics Industry over the past 30 years. He has written several articles for Screen Graphics Magazine on Color Control & Matching in the past. Dave has used CorelDRAW® since version 3 and became a CorelDRAW Training Partner in 2006. During the past 5 years he has been conducting workshops all over the U.S. and is the author of several Video CDs & Instructional CDs on CorelDRAW. Dave continues to conduct workshops in the U.S. & also worldwide online. He can be reached at 765-DO COLOR (362-6567) or by email at daved@prolinkgs.com February 2008 15 Click ads to go directly to advertiser’s web site. CORELDRAW APPLIED By Judy and John McDaniel Applications Last time we provided an overview of what’s new in CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4. This time we’ll start exploring some of the new features that we like and think you might find helpful. But, we’re not going to just explain a feature, and let you figure out how it might be useful. In the many Creating & Using Templates years that we’ve been helping folks figure out “How do I get CorelDRAW to …” (fill in the blank). The questions we’ve answered have been primarily focused on applications. One of the most frequent objections we’ve heard about manuals is; “I know the tools are explained in the manual, but that doesn’t help me.” The other issue with manuals is terminology. “What is the tool called that I need?” When you are first starting out, what you may need to know can be buried behind layers of terminology you are not familiar with. To find what you need to know may take reading the entire manual. What we’ve found is that most people need to know how to do a job that’s due soon, perhaps tomorrow! We all seem to be controlled by the TYRANNY of the URGENT! To get the job done, you need to know the tools to use, and how they work! So we’ll try to make the tools in CorelDRAW and PHOTO-PAINT relevant to the types of jobs you face. To that end, over the years, we’ve collected a number of questions from our students in classes and emails. We’ll include answers to some of those FAQs in future articles. We would also welcome any questions you might have. If you would like to ask something, please email your question to JHMcDaniel@CorelDRAWhelp. com. We don’t promise that we’ll answer all of your questions in print, but we are interested in topics you would like to see addressed. One final point before we get started exploring templates. We will primarily show how to accomplish tasks in X4; however, in some cases, if there are differences, we’ll show how the same tasks can also be accomplished in older versions. We won’t go back beyond 12. Most people we’ve talked with are using X3; a few are still using 12. So we’ll cover those versions in addition to X4. Picture 1: The New from Template dialog screen for X3. Picture 2: The New from Template screen for X4. It has been greatly enhanced, allowing you to see all templates, templates by type, or by industry. Picture 3: X4 also allows you to access templates that you have created. Starting a New Project with a Template Templates have existed in CorelDRAW for a number of versions. They are designed to speed up your workflow. Rather than having to create everything in your layout from scratch, they give you a framework that you can modify -- and perhaps some inspiration for your own creation. In some cases, templates are also useful to show customers alternate possibilities. It can help them arrive at a decision. For many years, we had customers visit our store looking for an award plaque and not quite knowing what they wanted to say. That prompted us to create the Words for Plaques CD and Manual which provides suggested plaque layouts by category. Once your customer makes a decision, then the template provides a base graphic you can modify to get the job done. [Editor’s Note: Words for Plaques is available in the CorelDRAWPro Bookstore.] ► February 2008 16 Click ads to go directly to advertiser’s web site. CORELDRAW APPLIED If you are just starting out with CorelDRAW, explore the stock templates that are available. In most versions, you can access templates from the welcome screen, or from the file menu, by clicking on New from Template. Picture 1 shows the New from Template dialog screen for X3, version 12 is similar. This screen consists of tabs that are arranged by template category. The Browse tab opens an Explorer screen that allows you to access your hard drive or other storage medium to locate CorelDRAW (.cdr) or CorelDRAW Template files (.cdt) that you may have created. In essence any CorelDRAW file may be used as a template. That’s true in all versions including X4. Picture 2 shows the New from Template screen for X4. As you can see it has been greatly enhanced. It allows you to see all templates, templates by type, or by industry. It also allows you to access templates that you have created, see picture 3. To make use of layouts that we had previously created, before we had templates, we simply opened a file, made our changes, and then saved it under a different file name. This procedure is short and useful as long as you can remember what file you need and you also remember to use Save As. There have been a number of times I’ve overwritten a file I didn’t want to by clicking Save instead of Save As. Starting with versions 12 and X3, we have made a concerted effort to save files as templates for layouts we knew we wanted to use again. To create a template in versions 12 or X3, once you have your layout completed, click on File/Save As; and select CDT – CorelDRAW Template from the drop-down list. See picture 4. Templates can be multi-page documents. So you can save a company’s awards for this year as a template for next year, complete with run instructions. Templates in X4 Going back to X4, you’ll notice in picture 3 I’ve created my own categories -- engraving and t- shirts. In X4 I can create as many categories as I’d like. I can create categories for product types or perhaps customers. When I want to find a template, I can use the search box in the upper left corner to narrow my choices. This will help me in the Picture 4: To create a template in versions 12 or X3, once you have your layout completed, click on File/Save As; and select CDT – CorelDRAW Template from the drop-down list. February 2008 17 Click ads to go directly to advertiser’s web site. CORELDRAW APPLIED future after I’ve created lots of templates. I can also save notes along with the template. X4 allows me to save notes that might remind me of tips, or help anyone else in my company that uses this template. These notes might be how to run the job, i.e. power and speed settings for a laser; or perhaps temperature and time settings for a heat-press transfer. I might also include run times that can be used in pricing. To create a template in X4 we have a new Save as Template short-cut command available on the file menu. This calls the Save dialog screen and sets the file type to template, see picture 5. Then when you click on save, you get the Template Properties Dialog Screen, see picture 6. This is where you can set the category and add any notes you want. After you’ve run the job, if you want to change or add more notes, like run times, simply open the template and save it again as a template replacing the original. Using templates can be a great time saver no matter what version you’re using. The new template structure in X4 can help you organize and streamline your work. Picture 5: To create a template in X4 use the new Save as Template short-cut command. This calls the Save dialog screen and sets the file type to template. Judy and John McDaniel are owners of JHM Marketing in Albany, OR. JHM provides consulting and training services for the industry. They have been using CorelDRAW since 1989 and teaching it for engraving, sandblasting, sublimation, etc. since 1991. They can be reached by phone at 541-967-4271, via SKYPE (user name JHMcDaniel), or via email at JHMcDaniel@CorelDRAWhelp.com. See full bio on the Writers Page. Picture 6: When you click on save in X4, you get the Template Properties Dialog Screen. This is where you can set the category and add any notes you want. February 2008 18 Click ads to go directly to advertiser’s web site. INSIDE COLOR By David Milisock Training The New Tone Curve in CorelPHOTO-PAINT® X4 The discussion on RAW in the last two articles and the discussion of tone curves must go hand in hand. One cannot correct an image without individual control over the RGB or LAB channels in a tone curve. The largest downfall I see in any RAW converter is that NONE OF THEM allows control of the three channels during the conversion process. The concept is to balance the gray scale at the bottom of the Munsell card that you see in the right middle of each capture. By gray balance I mean equal RGB components of each square from white at left to dark gray at right, or specific LAB values for each square. The bottom image #1 is the RAW capture from a Phase capture back, converted to an RGB image using the Phase RAW converter that comes with the camera. Incidentally, the eyedropper readings of the TIF capture straight from the camera matched the RAW conversion point for point. There were no more than 2 points of variation between the 3 channels of each gray swatch. By that I mean the far right gray swatch reads, R35, G35 and B37. All the gray and white swatches shared similar readings; this is an amazingly well balanced capture. With that said, look at capture #2 and #3. The #2 image is the Phase RAW to Phase tungsten RGB conversion correctly gray balanced, and #3 is the Phase RAW conversion converted to LAB, gray balanced and converted to Adobe RGB. Notice how #2 and #3 display nearly identical, while #1 is significantly different. This captured subject, wood paneling, is a difficult subject. It was captured in a sophisticated studio with a very expensive camera, lens and lighting equipment. However a mere 2-point variation of the gray balance has created the shift that you see here from #1 to #2 and #3. Can you imagine what is happening to RAW conversions where you have no ability to balance the gray completely across the entire gamut? The truth be told, we get images in from cameras that range in price significantly, from a high of $30,000 to a low of $100. We also get images in from photographers who have skill sets that range just as wide. The problems are mostly the same -- the images need to be balanced for correct color first, so we can adjust for color the client likes second. This is where the shoot-RAW-it’s-better mindset goes awry. A good TIF capture that can be gray balanced has a serious chance of being a great image. A RAW conversion that has the gray balance screwed up beyond repair will NEVER be a great image. The new tone curve This is where the new tone curve in Corel PHOTO-PAINT X4 comes into play. Whether you use RAW, JPG or TIF as your captures, you will use the tone curve to correct the color. Here, in the screen shot, we see the new tone curve in X4. In PHOTO-PAINT X3 and X4 it is under the Adjust menu, but the new curve is only in X4. February 2008 19 Click ads to go directly to advertiser’s web site. INSIDE COLOR Notice that the grid is now defaulted to a pattern of 10 squares, about 25 points per square. This can be altered by holding the ALT key down and clicking the grid; it will temporarily go back to a 4-square grid pattern. I prefer the 10-square pattern as I find it easy to be more accurate. The new eyedropper tool found at the bottom right of the grid allows you to click on the image and identify the exact area of the RGB, R, G, or B curve that you wish to edit. I use the curve this way: I open the Image Info docker, (Windows, Docker, Info). With the eyedropper tool, I select a point of the image I want to edit; I then click the curve at other points on the curve, making sure that the X, Y reading remains identical for each new control point. I then return to the first edit point, selected with the eyedropper tool, and make color corrections. I can read the before and after reading in the Info docker. I continue this until the image is balanced according to the Info docker. In the wreath image, we see this in practice. The top image is from a $99 digital camera. The bottom left is the image with a proper sRGB gray balance. Notice the changes in the wreath and the Munsell card. The card shows the bottom left image has a proper gray balance and the image truly does reflect the cheap corporate wreath that was captured. However the end user preferred the bottom right image with the 3/4 tone enhanced. Using the above procedures with the eyedropper tool and the Info docker this took 4 minutes. This new feature will be very useful for those who do on-site captures and prints, such as garments, mugs, and other promotional printing. As we can see, only a couple points on the RGB or LAB curves separate the quality of captures. But now you can use the new eyedropper tool in the new tone curve to your advantage to improve not only your images but most importantly your profit margins. A prime example of this is much more easily seen when we are correcting images that are dominated by white and areas of high contrast. The first image is of a restored 100-year-old blower from a local company, and the second is a quick 2-minute correction of that image using the new tone curve eyedropper tool to read the swatches of the Munsell gray-to-white swatches only in sRGB. Then I used the tone curve to adjust the reading to match the sRGB reading that the Munsell card should have for each swatch. The white walls, the colored swatches, and the black and silver machine make a clear demonstration of how well properly adjusting the gray balance works. Neither the white paint on the walls nor the silver blower stand has any tints to them. The white is a clean white, no red, green, or blue tint. The same can be said for the silver on the stand. Also there is subtle shading in the black on the high resolution version of the image, allowing us to read the model number cast into the housing. These new tone curve and eyedropper tools are certainly enough reason to upgrade to the CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4. The procedures and the tool make a couple-minute job out of a poor image. Next month we will talk about the support in X4 for the Adobe Color Engine (ACE), black point compensation (BPC), relative colorimetric and perceptual rendering intents. Maybe I’ll call the article – the perceived BS about BPC – Is it relative to our conversions? David Milisock is president of Custom Graphic Technologies Inc. in Washington Boro, PA. He has been in the print production business since 1975, and specializes in professional support for the CorelDRAW® Graphics Suite. He can be reached at 717-509-3523 or davidmilisock@comcast.net. February 2008 20 Click ads to go directly to advertiser’s web site. SUBLIMATION TIP By Steve Thompson Training Pressing 2-Sided Metal Tags Gaining in popularity over the past few years, especially with the younger crowd, ID Tags have provided a great means for add-on sales. Be it for people or pets, these small gems are quick, easy, and fun to make. They also offer a nice profit margin. Two-sided tags double your area and are no more difficult to print than one-sided tags. We’ll demonstrate with our Military Style ID Tags, and one of our Dawg Tags. Both are made out of aluminum from Rallye Productions so the instructions pertain to that specific substrate. Before trying these procedures with other products, be sure to consult your supplier for proper pressing information. The first step naturally is to create your graphic in the program of your choice. We offer templates in several formats, but the .EPS files will be most commonly used and can be easily opened in Photoshop or imported into CorelDRAW. The templates are slightly oversized and designed to fall outside of the actual tag (see fig.1). Figure 1: The templates are slightly oversized and designed to fall outside of the actual tag. Figure 2: Complete the design and then press like any other sublimation transfer. This makes it easy to do a full bleed image, or center a design that is not. But remember to allow room on all sides to make sure what you want fits on the tag without problems. The holes designating the opening for the chain or split ring can be deleted prior to printing, but they are small enough to fall inside and can actually be helpful in aligning your transfer. Once the design phase is complete (See fig.2), print February 2008 21 Click ads to go directly to advertiser’s web site. SUBLIMATION TIP as you would any other sublimation transfer, taking care to mirror your image and print with the appropriate profiles for your inks. After trimming, fold the transfer along the centerline allowing both sides to align properly (see fig 3). A flat ruler or straight edge can be a big help in getting a good crease, and then check the alignment on a light table or hold up to a bright light to make sure it is even. Once you are satisfied that both sides are even, the next step is to apply adhesive. We recommend a spray such as the Wilflex Hot-Tak© Adhesive, available in 13 oz aerosol cans. It is important to use a very light mist on the transfer itself and then allow 20 to 30 seconds for it to dry. You can then remove the protective film, place the tag on one side making sure to line it up within the template, and then simply fold over the other half (see fig.4). After checking for proper alignment, you’re ready to press! Fo r t h i s me t a l , t h e temperature should be about 375°F., allowing enough warm-up time to make sure your heat is distributed evenly across your upper platen. Before placing your tags on the press, it’s often beneficial to close your press for about 10 seconds to get the bottom platen hot. Press your tags for 80 seconds with a medium pressure; then allow them to cool some before removing the transfer while warm. If you are only pressing one side, you can apply your transfer with the spray or heat tape, and then press upside down with the same directions as above. Last but not least, the only remaining step is to attach the supplied bead chain or spilt ring to the tag (see fig. 5). Now you’re all set for some excellent add-on sales and a happy customer! You can also add an edge guard and trim to the military style ID Tags for a nice finished look (see fig.6) that helps protect the edges and keeps multiple tags quiet when hanging together. One note concerning the design - - if you are going to use a colored trim be sure to allow an extra margin on all sides to keep from covering any part of your image or text. Beyond these steps, all that’s needed is your basic graphics skills to create a wonderful memory that will adorn your customer’s neck in full color. Utilizing the proper tools, such as the templates, can make easy work of producing these tags, and you’ll be surprised how quickly the add-on sales add up! S teve Thompson i s the owner of Paramount Services Inc., a supplier