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Learning about Corel Draw: 
two book reviews 
by Susan Ives, Alamo PC
Although I sometimes advertise myself as the goddess of graphics, I'm a paint person at heart and have never managed to master the intricacies of any draw program. I was knocked for a loop by the complexity of Corel Draw 8. Like many of you, I bought the program on impulse when Corel came to the Alamo PC meeting in December. It is the academic edition, which does not include manuals. I bought some books. If you're a new Corel Draw user, you'll want to buy some, too. Trust me on this. 

 I started out by latching onto Corel Draw 8, the Official Guide, the 958 page behemoth endorsed by Corel Corporation. It's a full 2 ½ inches thick, the fattest book I own. Intimidated, I also sneaked back to the shelf to grab Corel Draw 7 for Dummies. The dummies Corel 8 book isn't out yet, but I gleaned during the presentation that the two versions have enough in common that I would be able to figure out the basics from the older edition. There were a few minor changes, but the core of the program is the same. If the Corel Draw 7 books ever get thrown in the discount bin, snap one up. 

 Both books are excellent. 

I started with Corel 7 for Dummies, hoping that its breezy style would relieve my anxieties. It worked. This book painlessly introduced me to the basic concepts of Corel Draw, from the weird names for the categories of screen icons (rollups, dockers and flyouts) to the importance of knowing the difference between open and closed paths. There are follow-along examples at every step. This book concentrates on the basics, glossing over the more esoteric applications and features that I might only used once in my creative lifetime. It got me up to speed fast. The book is divided into five parts: 

     
  • I. The stuff everybody pretends they know. I had no such delusions. Corel Draw 8 has the most complex interface I have ever work with. It is not easy to learn, but the advantage of the screen design is a clean layout, uncluttered by discarded icons, tools and menus. If you decide not to buy a book, spend some time clicking through the tutorial included with the program. If you don't master this you will never catch on.

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  • II. Let the Graphics Begin. Here I learned how to draw: arcs, pies, stars and even a cute frog named Senbop. This section taught me how to align my shapes, color and clone them, distort them, make them transparent and even correct the jagged lines made by my shaky mouse hand.

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  • III. Getting the Message Out There. This is the text section. It showed me not only how to manipulate and jazz up text but also how to deal with large text blocks. I didn't realize it, but Corel Draw can be used to design a small newsletter.

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  • IV. Corel's Other Amazing Programs. This covers some of the other programs bundled in the box: the OLE data exchange, Corel Photo-Paint and Dream 3D. 
  • V. The Part of Tens. Finally, as in every "for dummies" book, there are several chapters that consist of lists of ten things, such as "ten way-cool special effects and "ten file formats and their functions." The appendix contains detailed instructions on installing Corel Draw.
Think of the dummies book as "the best of Corel Draw 8." If you want to get up to speed fast and are not obsessed with learning every possible doo-dad that the program contains, this is an excellent reference. It is generously illustrated, logically organized and funny. I highly recommend this book as a jumpstart for people who are inexperienced in using a draw program. 

 By page 50 of the Official Guide I would have been way over my head if I had not worked through the dummies book first. Don't get me wrong - it's a fantastic book, and I anticipate using it extensively...in about six months. In almost 1,000 pages, it covers every nuance of Corel Draw 8. However, while the dummies book recognized that I didn't know a square from an ellipse, the Official Guide flattered me by assuming that I've got a couple of international design awards displayed in the trophy case. 

This book has six parts: 

     
  • Part 1: The basics. The first 275 pages covers everything from screen navigation to drawing, manipulating and coloring objects and text.

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  • Part 2: Manipulation. This addresses more advanced topics, such as layering and ordering objects, using rulers and grids, grouping, and aligning.

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  • Part III: Adding effects. This is all of the flashy stuff, such as extruding objects and fitting text to a path. I've got that down pat: making text curve around a line was one of the main reasons I wanted this program.

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  • Part IV: Input and Output. This is a critical chapter for professionals who need to send their disks to a service bureau for printing. It also covers importing and exporting photos and clipart.

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  • Part V<: Advanced topics. Advanced doesn't necessarily mean difficult. This chapter covers some of the tangental features, such as the spell checker and thesaurus, the barcode wizard, and font management.

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  • Part VI: Appendices. This is mostly fluff - author biographies and the like.
Note that the Official Guide covers Corel Draw and only Draw; the dummies book spends about 100 pages introducing the rest of the suite. The official guide is generously illustrated and contains hundreds of exercises that walk you through various techniques. It has 24 pages of color plates; these are design winners, and are at a sublime level I will never reach if I live to be 100. 

You might want to compare the two books yourself. A good test is the sections on fitting text to a path, or making text adhere to a curve. It's on pages 226-237 in the dummies book, and all of chapter 22 - pages 530-555 - in the Official Guide. See which one makes the most sense to you. I tried following both examples and found them both clear and concise. 

 If your budget will allow it, I recommend getting both books. You can afford it - think of all the money you saved when you bought the program! If you are a veteran computer artist with experience in using a draw program I recommend getting the Official Guide. If you bought Corel Draw on impulse and are starting from square one in computer drawing, I recommend the dummies book. It's much easier to digest and won't intimidate you. If you find that you have a talent and a passion for drawing, you can buy the bigger, harder, more comprehensive book down the road. 

 But by all means, get a book! 

 Corel Draw 8, The Official Guide
Foster D. Coburn III and Peter McCormick 
Osborne/McGraw-Hill, 1998 
958 pages 
(ISBN: 0-07-882447-8, $39.99) 

 Corel Draw 7 for Dummies
Deke McClelland 
IDG Books, 1997 
412 pages
(ISBN: 0-7645-0124-0, $19.99) 

 We bought both books at the Book Stop at IH-10 and Wurzbach. We have a Reader's Choice card there, so the fat book only cost $27.99 and the skinny one $15.99. If they're out of stock (I bought the last copies) this or any other bookstore can order them for you. 

 Susan Ives, president of Alamo PC, has become obsessed with learning how to use the Corel Draw suite.