Hello there, welcome to this video! Let's see how to apply advanced
effects on 2D drawings and pictures with CorelDRAW X8!!
Please, leave us feedback to improve our next guides!
Inside CorelDRAW, you have several 2D effects you can apply to vector
lines and pictures selected. Let's have a general overview on them.
For basic editing, like moving, scaling and rotating, use the Pick tool,
by working on the black nodes that appear on the object.
If you want to edit the 2D line shape instead, you can use all the tools
collected in the second button of the Toolbox. The first tool is the
Shape tool, which is used to edit the selected 2D shape by moving and
editing its nodes and curves.
Besides this tool, you have several 2D editing tools, that you can
apply on both 2D drawings and picture contours, to edit their shape.
Just remember that the image content will be also affected just if you
move the image contour on the picture itself.
There are also other awesome tools, collected all at the bottom of the
Toolbox, like Shadows, Blend and Transparency.
Drop Shadow is used to apply shadows on 2D drawings or pictures. Just
click and drag on the object and release to drop the shadow. This is
described by two squares: one white, representing the full shadow
transparency; and one black, indicating the shadow color chosen. By
default, this is black, but you can change it above, on the Property
bar. Then, by moving the small rectangle in between, you can regulate
the shadow transparency level and, by moving the colored square, you
can change the shadow direction. If you move the white one, you will
change the kind of shadow, by changing the light direction. Use the
Property bar on top to adjust several shadow properties, such as kind
and feather.
Of course the shadow shape depends on the object itself. If you have a
closed path with no filling, its shadow will be defined by its 2D
contour. If the object has filling, you will get shadow from both
contour and filling.
To remove any shadow applied, select the shadow with the Pick tool,
and then go to Clear drop shadow above in the Property bar.
The Contour tool applies a contour on an object with a constant distance
(or "offset") from it. The new contour is an effect just like shadow,
that you can remove by going to Clear contour above above. This tool
does not work with images at all.
The Contour effect can be adjusted through its nodes. The distance
between the black rhombus and the black square represent the offset.
Move the white rectangle in between to add multiple contours.
The Blend tool is used a transition that passes from an object shape to
another, open or closed. All you have to do, is to click and drag from
the first object to the second one. You can adjust the Blend effect by
moving either of two objects through the white squares, and regulate the
transition by moving the blue double-arrow in between. Always use the
Property bar to edit other settings or to remove it.
Distort is used to distort the object as you like. Select how to
distort it from the Property bar, and then click and drag on the object.
The more the white nodes are put far, the stronger the effect will be.
Moreover, move the small rectangle to regulate the effect, and the
white rhombus to change the direction to follow. Through the Property
adjust the effect, randomize it, smooth it, or change its direction.
This effect can't be applied on pictures.
The Envelope tool is used to edit the object through its blue contour
that fully contains it, by moving its nodes and handles just like a
path drawn with the Pen tool.
If you need more help, check out how to use the Pen tool in the related
video in this guide!
There is also the Extrude tool, that applies 3D extrusion on 2D objects,
which can be either a line or a closed path.
Check out our related video to know how to create and manage 3D objects
inside CorelDRAW.
Another important tool is the Transparency tool. Just click and drag on
the selected object, which can be a 2D vector or an image. Three nodes
will appear on it: the white and the black squares indicate the
direction and the extension of the fade, that goes from the white node
to the black one; the white circle is used to change the fade direction.
Use the small white rectangle in between to regulate the feather level.
Plus, if you click on each square, you can decide the transparency
percentage on each side of the fade.
By default, the Transparency tool applies a gradient fade, also called
Fountain transparency. From the Property bar, or the Object Properties
panel, you can also choose between a Uniform transparency, that applies
the effect on the whole object; and a Vector pattern or a Bitmap pattern
transparency, that applies transparency by following a pattern.
In case you choose a pattern, a dashed contour appears, showing the
pattern extension. By editing this contour, you will change the pattern
applied on the object.
To remove any transparency instead, just choose No transparency.
In CorelDRAW, you can also apply advanced effects to adjust colors and
perspective. Select the object with the Pick tool, and then click on
the Effects tab on top. Choose between Adjust, Transform and Correction,
and correct the colors of the 2D curves or the pictures through the
dialog box that opens.
To undo any effect, just use CTRL+Z or right-click on the object.
Use Add Perspective to add perspective by editing a contour just as
seen with the Envelope tool.
You also have special adjustments and corrections you can apply to
pictures under the Bitmaps tab, from blur to color corrections.
You can also transform a vector path into a Bitmap and viceversa. To
do so, select the vector object, and go to Convert to Bitmap..., under
the Bitmaps tab. Once transformed, you can apply any Bitmap effect on
such object!
You can also convert the picture into a vector object, in order to use
all the 2D tools seen before. Just select the picture, and go to
Outline Trace, under the Bitmaps tab. This opens the PowerTRACE dialog
box, used to adjust all the settings to define the vector objects that
need to render the original picture. Depending on the Detail and the
Smoothing level chosen, CorelDRAW will use a different number of
vector objects to render the picture, and so different will be the
final result will be different. Once it is rendered, you can apply all
the 2D effect tools you like.
Thanks for watching this video! Check out our full guide to become
professional with CorelDRAW X8!