Corel X5

[Steve Clarkson]

Well, Corel X5 was finally launched this morning. You can get it (or a free trial, I believe) at Corel's website.

There are some new features that I like and I'll briefly describe them.

First, you get some premium fonts (
Helvetica, Frutiger, Futura and Garamond families).



Second, you get
BenVista PhotoZoom Pro 2......which I just tried for the first time the other day.....it can scale up a bitmap to any size with no pixelation....it's awesome....but hard to find in X5!!!





Third, they added a new tool called the "B-Spline"......if you use the bezier tool alot....you'll LOVE the B-Spline!





Fourth, they added something new called Connect......basically, it can be a docker that sits on your workspace that allows you to search your computer for files and then easily add them to your workspace. I currently used ROMCAT to find graphics on my computer....this should replace that.





Fifth, they've improved some tools.....for example....when you use the rectangle tool to make a rectangle.....the tool bar now has icons to easily round, scallop, or chamfer the edges.





Sixth, although I can't prove it or really demonstrate it.....the Power Trace function is improved.....it really does trace better.





Seventh.....instead of "Close Path" they now call it "Join Curves" and it seems to work better.





Eighth, they did alot of work on PhotoPaint and improving color.....but since we seem to live in a black & white world, I didn't spend too much time investigating it.





That's all I can think of off the top of my head. Other people may want to chime in with what they like/dislike about it.





There are still some small bugs that hopefully will be worked out with the first service pack.....but I think it's definitely worth upgrading if you have v10 or earlier.

[Darren Null]

Sixth, although I can't prove it or really demonstrate it.....the Power Trace function is improved.....it really does trace better.

I demand a trace-off! X5 v Inkscape. So far Corel hasn't even been in the same ballpark. Pick your graphic.


BenVista PhotoZoom Pro 2
Dan's cryptic comments are decrypted!

[Scott Challoner]

Thanks for the review Steve. I plan on upgrading. $200 seems like a pretty good deal.

[Dan Hintz]

I absolutely love the B-Spline tool... 100 times more powerful than the standard Bezier, and IMO worth the upgrade price all by itself. Here's a list of extras included in the package:


Inclusion of SWiSH MiniMax 2 - a flash animation authoring tool
Inclusion of BenVista PhotoZoom Pro 2 - an up-scaling plug-in for PHOTO-PAINT X5
When registering, you will be able to download the full KPT (Kai's Power tools) Collection for PHOTO-PAINT X5.
We are doubling the number of vehicle templates with X5 (2000 now included) and they will all have the meta data with model and manufacturer so that you can search them through Corel CONNECT
We will include 32 premium fonts from Monotype covering the Helvetica, Frutiger, Futura and Garamond families

I have used KPT since the beginning and it is an awesome collection of plug-ins. I'll also add that a pressure-sensitive tablet really helped during playtime.

Will the new trace compete with InkScape? I don't know off hand, but I do know that I've had excellent results using IS over Corel in the past, enough to keep it around for a while longer.

[Dan Hintz]

This is kind of cutesy:
http://www.corel.com/content/pdf/cdgsx5/CDGSX5_graphic_novel_en.pdf

[Tony Severenuk (Corel)]

Second, you get
BenVista PhotoZoom Pro 2......which I just tried for the first time the other day.....it can scale up a bitmap to any size with no pixelation....it's awesome....but hard to find in X5!!!




It's an export plugin for PHOTO-PAINT, so you'll find it in the File menu, not in the plugin's menu. FWIW, same as Photoshop, it's the way that the plugin was made.

Tony

[Tony Severenuk (Corel)]

Fourth, they added something new called Connect......basically, it can be a docker that sits on your workspace that allows you to search your computer for files and then easily add them to your workspace. I currently used ROMCAT to find graphics on my computer....this should replace that.



Just to claify, there is a standalone version of it <Start>Programs>CGS X5..) and there are docker versions in both DRAW and PP....if you find content that you like and drag it to the tray (a feature in Connect) then both DRAW and PP will see that content in their respective trays.

Tony

[Tony Severenuk (Corel)]

Fifth, they've improved some tools.....for example....when you use the rectangle tool to make a rectangle.....the tool bar now has icons to easily round, scallop, or chamfer the edges.




Wanted to add that the corners are now in absolute units (inches, mm) rather then in %'s. In addition they now scale so they maintain their look rather then becoming stretched.

T.

[Tony Severenuk (Corel)]

Sixth, although I can't prove it or really demonstrate it.....the Power Trace function is improved.....it really does trace better.




It's all in the anti-aliasing....previous versions would treat the anti-aliasing as individual colors vs. this version will merge the colors first and then trace. The benefit is there are less points on the curves, making them much smoother then they were in previous versions.

T.

[Tony Severenuk (Corel)]

Seventh.....instead of "Close Path" they now call it "Join Curves" and it seems to work better.




There is a gap tolerance built into it (which can be adjusted) and the type of corner you get can now be selected. Eg. pointed lines can be extended and then joined, they can be joined with a fixed radius, with bezier curves...

T.

[Tony Severenuk (Corel)]

Eighth, they did alot of work on PhotoPaint and improving color.....but since we seem to live in a black & white world, I didn't spend too much time investigating it.




The two big things in PHOTO-PAINT that I think will impact engravers...

- Convert to grayscale now lets you select which tones in the image should be brought into the grayscale conversion. Previous versions used a "standard" algorithm to convert from color to grayscale. This could result in "washed out" images depending on what colors were in the original. This should result in better dark areas in you conversions

- the objects docker was totally re-written so you can now have things like nested groups, clipping groups and about 100 other things that were never possible before.

T.

[Tony Severenuk (Corel)]

Another thing that might be of benefit...when exporting to PLT format you can now select the upper left as the origin of the document so you can export to the same co-ordinate space as the engraver.

T.

[Scott Shepherd]

Wanted to add that the corners are now in absolute units (inches, mm) rather then in %'s. In addition they now scale so they maintain their look rather then becoming stretched.

T.

That's worth the upgrade right there! HOORAYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Tony Severenuk (Corel)]

That's worth the upgrade right there! HOORAYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I figured you guys would like that one.....trouble with the reviewers guide and the supporting material is that it's very generic in nature...there were a few things that I thought should be called out so you folks knew more about them.

I hope my posts were viewed as helpful rather then as a lame sales pitch,

T.

[Rodne Gold]

Not a lame pitch , you preaching to the converted - we all use Corel - well 99% of us and it's appreciated that you took the time to come here and detail the new goodies for us folk.
Anything else you can think of will be appreciated.
does it have an easy way of doing sequential numbers or importing changeable text from spreadsheets or is the print merge unchanged?

[Tony Severenuk (Corel)]

Anything else you can think of will be appreciated.
does it have an easy way of doing sequential numbers or importing changeable text from spreadsheets or is the print merge unchanged?

I'm looking at getting the permission to creating videos for the CorelDRAW channel on youtube. With that I hope to share a lot more about what we did with this version.

Print merge was unchanged this year, but you can create ticket numbers in X4 (and X5) pretty easily...

- Launch print merge
- Create new fields
- In the Numeric field box, give the field a name (like Numbers)
- Numbers will be in the box at the middle. Select it and then the numeric field options will turn on at the bottom.

By default it will create numbers for how many records are in the rest of the print merge fields. To change this take the check out of [ ]Continually increment the numeric field box and then you can set a start and end number.

HTH,
T.

[Andrea Weissenseel]

When you draw an object, how is the size calculated ? In my version the size is calcluated in the middle of the outline, I sometimes having trouble if things have to have an exact size - I was hoping that you can define, if it should be inner or outer width

[Terry Swift]

If your able to claim "Academia" - Corel x5 is only $100 for full package. I have a student ID for my local Community College, so I'm not having to drop $500 for it.

Just a thought for you all planning an upgrade.

[Tony Severenuk (Corel)]

We did look at this but we were not able to deliver it for this version...sounds easy but by the time it makes it through all the engines that make up CorelDRAW the time really added up.
You probably already know this, but if the outline is converted to an object then the size will be to the extents of the object.

[Tony Severenuk (Corel)]

A few things to consider for this.....
1. The upgrade is $189, so you're not saving a lot of money
2. The Academic version is for non commercial use and it says so right in the title bar of the application when it's running....it wouldn't look to good to clients with that staring them in the face.
3. Wouldn't it make sense to support the co. that makes the software that you generate your hobby/livelyhood with...esp if the difference to have legal software is $89?

T.

[Dan Hintz]

Tony,

Forgive Terry... a you can see by his post count, he's fresh on these boards and hasn't yet learned most of us are cognizant of the difference between the commercial and academic versions.



Terry,

If you search for old threads, this has been discussed on multiple occasions. The academic version is not legal to use if your work is being used in a commercial setting (though some here still insist on doing so). Also be aware that the academic version does not include VBA, and therefore scripting applications/plugins will not work... this is crucial for some, and finding out after the fact is a hard pill to swallow.

[Rodne Gold]

IMHO the problem is that you DO have an academic version that is to all intents identical to the "commercial" version in functionality (maybe barring a few bits and bobs)
What is the real difference between using a cheaper version to sell stuff vs using a cheaper version to train on and selling yourself?
Why not just split the difference in price and have one single version with far less to worry about and police?

[Robert Ray]

What I wish they (all software companies) would do is offer personal licenses. License the user, not the machine. One guy can only run 1 copy of Corel at a time, but in situations like mine, I have to license too many computers.

I have a main computer in the warmth of the house, with Windows 7. It has 2 24" 1080p monitors, and is easy and comfortable to draw up projects on, and had Corel X4. Since my Alps will not print from Windows 7, I have loaded a virtual machine on it, and run windows XP on it. There I have another copy of Corel, Corel 11, and us it to print decals.

On my garage computer, I have Corel 9, and use it to run the 3 laser engravers. I have to remember to save my Corel X4 files as Corel 9, then put them in the share folder so I can access them in the garage.

If I could just buy a personal license, say on a USB key, I could load Corel X4 on any the computers I use, and just insert my thumb drive, which would transmit to Corel it's being used here or there, and verify that multiple copies are not being ran. Upon closing Corel, it would transmit to Corel, user logged off that computer.

Now Corel is able to verify that one guy is using their software at a time, and that guy is not leashed to one computer, but is mobile, without having to purchase many licenses. Also make the license an annual fee, and allow him to use any version he chooses. Corel 9 might work best on a Windows 95 box, Corel 11 on older XP machines, and Corel X5 on the latest Windows 7 computers.

[Mark Ross]

I demand a trace-off! X5 v Inkscape. So far Corel hasn't even been in the same ballpark. Pick your graphic.


Dan's cryptic comments are decrypted!


Have to agree with Darren, I use Inkscape (we have Corel X3 and refuse to pay the outlandish cost for the upgrade to X4 or X5 - We can buy a new copy of X4 or X5 off ebay for less than the cost of the upgrade).

Inkscape is the bomb when it comes to tracing and...its free!:)

As far as blowing up a picture with no pixelizations, there is a free :) program that I found based on a posting here.

Now if Corel would put photograv one touch features in their software for free or maybe Epilog (HINT HINT) would....

[David Harvey]

Tony,
I upgraded yesterday from X4. Great product! Today, while using X5, I had a need to use the 'Create Boundary' function.....and oooops! It's not in the menu anymore!

I checked the help file and it said it's supposed to be there (under the Effects Menu). Is this a bug...maybe?

Thanks

[Tony Severenuk (Corel)]

Noted about the licenses. I'm afraid that this one is waaaaaaaay beyond my control.

You may know this, but you can purchase separate licenses from our customer service group, which come in at a much lesser amount then the price of a single box or single upgrade.

Eg. For 3 machines you don't need to buy 3 upgrades, you would buy 1 upgrade and 2 upgrade licenses.

I know that''s not the answer you are looking for, but maybe it helps???

T.

[Tony Severenuk (Corel)]

Tony,
I upgraded yesterday from X4. Great product! Today, while using X5, I had a need to use the 'Create Boundary' function.....and oooops! It's not in the menu anymore! I checked the help file and it said it's supposed to be there (under the Effects Menu). Is this a bug...maybe?

Thanks

Create Boundary was moved in with the other shaping functions, so it was added to the Shaping docker and with the Arrange>Shaping> functions. In addition it lives on the toolbar when you have multiple objects selected so you wouldn't have to use any menus to get to it.

T.

[Darren Null]

You could always run thinstall on your licensed copy and run corel from a USB stick, moving from machine to machine as necessary.

Downsides:
1) It's quite complicated
2) You'd take a performance hit running from USB
3) There might be something in the licence against it.

EDIT:
Or (easier) run Sun's (free) Virtualbox, and load your Corel into a virtual machine. For ease, you could save the ISO file onto your shared drive and access it from whichever machine you happen to be using.

[David Harvey]

Create Boundary was moved in with the other shaping functions, so it was added to the Shaping docker and with the Arrange>Shaping> functions. In addition it lives on the toolbar when you have multiple objects selected so you wouldn't have to use any menus to get to it.

T.
Ahhh...Thanks Tony...and I thought I looked 'everywhere' for it.

[Mike Mackenzie]

Tony,

How much of a resource hog is X5. I installed it today and it takes a loooong time to start.

Are there things that can be done to make it start up faster.?

Funny it reminds me of how Illustrator starts.

[Tony Severenuk (Corel)]

The first time the app starts it take a while...it builds files that hold things like the CorelDRAW defaults, VBA status, the default Template, Color Management settings...all this does take a while. After that you should see that start time decreases significantly.
T.

[Lee DeRaud]

What I wish they (all software companies) would do is offer personal licenses. License the user, not the machine. One guy can only run 1 copy of Corel at a time, but in situations like mine, I have to license too many computers.
...
If I could just buy a personal license, say on a USB key, I could load Corel X4 on any the computers I use, and just insert my thumb drive, which would transmit to Corel it's being used here or there, and verify that multiple copies are not being ran. Upon closing Corel, it would transmit to Corel, user logged off that computer.

Now Corel is able to verify that one guy is using their software at a time, and that guy is not leashed to one computer, but is mobile, without having to purchase many licenses. Also make the license an annual fee, and allow him to use any version he chooses. Corel 9 might work best on a Windows 95 box, Corel 11 on older XP machines, and Corel X5 on the latest Windows 7 computers.Leaving aside the problem that every computer you use (including that old single-purpose machine in the garage) has to be networked, that might work. The first time Corel refuses to start up because the Corel license server is down, you might not think this is such a great idea. Believe me, BTDT.

In any case, Corel has a mild form of the "personal license" you describe (quoting from the X4 license):

1.6 HOME AND LAPTOP USE:
Except as provided below, you may make and Use a second copy of certain software applications on a home or portable computer provided that copy of the software application is never loaded in the RAM (i.e. the memory) of the home or portable computer at the same time that it is loaded in the RAM of the primary computer. Such software applications include: Corel CAPTURE, CorelDRAW, Corel DESIGNER, Corel Painter, Paint Shop Pro Photo, Paradox, PHOTO-PAINT, Presentations, Quattro Pro and WordPerfect. If the software application is being Used in China, India, Vietnam or Indonesia, you may not make or Use a second copy of the software application on a home or portable computer.As a matter of practicality, the enforcement of the "one active copy only" rule is nonexistent, nor is there any enforcement of the two-computer ("home" and "office") rule. As near as I can tell, Corel is happy as long as all copies are registered/activated/whatever during installation by the same account ID on their server.

Additionally, Corel has no issues with you continuing to use version N-1 after the purchase of version N, unlike several other companies I could name. All things considered, in real life (notwithstanding the legalese in the license text), it's about as loose an arrangement as I've ever seen short of freeware.

(Question for Tony: did the license terms change between X4 and X5?)

[Tony Severenuk (Corel)]

There were many changes made to the license but there are none within this realm.

As mentioned, if you have V12, X3 and X4 the license doesn't state that you can only use the new one, you can use all versions.

That said, if you buy an upgrade to a newer version you're not supposed to sell the older one, it is to remain in your possession.
T.

[Scott Shepherd]

Any additional work in the single line font department or is that unchanged since X4?

[Tony Severenuk (Corel)]

Sorry, same as X4...we use True Type, Open Type and Type 1 fonts and all of them require a single, closed path, to be a valid font shape (glyph).

T.

[Roy Brewer]

does it have an easy way of doing sequential numbers or importing changeable text from spreadsheets or is the print merge unchanged?Rodney,

As far as I can tell, no changes to printmerge from X4 to X5
But, have you tried using ODBC with PrintMerge? Very slick!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9V781IgxBhQ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9V781IgxBhQ)