Corel X5 - worth updating ?

[Hannu Rinne]

As many of you have already used Corel X5 for some time now, I just want to ask your opinion to update from X3 to X5. Other words saying; will I get any benefit of it, if I update ( more simple to use, better/powerful tools, etc.. ) or is it just better to stay and work with X3 ? Also, what is your favorite tool to manipulate photos for engraving ? I'm using Corel Photopaint and Paint Shop Pro as those was quite simple to learn, but I'm concidering to purchase Adobe Photoshop CS5 which feels quite hard to study, but seems also to be really powerful...

- I just hope some simple programs for simple human and an automatic color sprayer to my laser -

Regards, Hannu

[Mike Null]

I have recently installed X5 and am using it daily. For my work, routine industrial type engraving, previous editions have worked well and would continue to do so. There are some features in X5 which are nice to have but the most important reason for me was to be able to open more files.

I haven't had time to play with it yet but so far I am not disappointed. I use only PhotoPaint for photos but I do not engrave photos so that use is fairly limited.

[Ruben Salcedo]

Hannu,
I think coming from X3 is definitely worth it, there is a lot of improvements and an introduction of some new features, it all will depend in what you do with Corel, maybe staying with X3 will be fine, but like Mike said, if you receive files from customers then it's definitely worth it just for the compatibility with newer versions of adobe products and X5 itself. Manipulating photos with PP or PSP will be fine, although Photoshop still is the best out there, yes is not easy to learn but not impossible either, I'm a previous PSP user my self back then when it was owned by it's original company, "Jasc", I start using Photoshop at version 4 along with PSP until I got familiar with PS and one day I decide to abandon PSP and haven't look back since, but then again I use PS for many different type of photo manipulations, like photo restoration, composition, engraving, etc. If you want/need to venture further than just photo engraving then yes go with PS, if you decide to go this route I'll recommend you lynda.com , is a subscription base buffet like learning place where you can learn PS from basic to advance at your own peace via videos for $25.00 a month, my mention of buffet is because besides PS there are hundreds of other software videos titles including Corel, and is all you can watch for the same price. Good luck in your decision.

Ruben

[Lee DeRaud]

How about from X4? Worth it or wait? (Note that I already have Photozoom...)

[Ruben Salcedo]

I can't comment in this one since I never used X4, I was an X3 user, but there is a way to find out if it's worth it or not for you before you make the investment, you can download the trial and after you install it there is an option where you can select and it will highlight anything that is new, you have 3 choices... since version 12, X3 and X4, to do this just go to Help>Highlight what's new>Since Version X4... in your case. I hope this helps a little.

Ruben

[Steve Clarkson]

In addition to opening more files, my favorite thing about X5 is the B-Spline tool.....it really is awesome......so if you use the Bezier tool alot, then it's worth upgrading to X5 for the B-Spline alone.

For engravers, there was really no improvement in PhotoPaint.

[Ruben Salcedo]

I agree with you in the new B-Spline tool, and about Photo Paint well yes there is almost no improvements except for one feature that I believe it's very helpful for people that convert images to grayscale, the new Grayscale feature let you adjust the grayscale value by colors (Darkening and Lighting) this feature to me is very powerful and useful, I have been using this feature in Photoshop since version CS3, in Corel X5 you can access it from the menu Image>Convert to Grayscale, Adjust>Grayscale and from the Ojects Docker at Lens Grayscale, I like to use the Lens Grayscale better than the others since with the Lens is a non destructive, meaning that you can always go back and re-edit your results, if for some reason you need to adjust it, with the other options you only have a one time shot, once you apply your grayscale conversion that's it you can no longer edit it.

Ruben

[Dave Russell Smith]

If you already have X4 I would wait unless you have the need to burn some extra bucks

[Hannu Rinne]

Thanks to you all for your advices !

Ruben, thank you for the tip's - I didn't remember the possibility to download the trial - might be just best way to test it side by side with X3 with some same work... and thanks for pointing me lynda ! ( something what I've been searching ). I will check the X5 and see also what Photopaint could offer before purchasing any expensive new program ( PS ) which I propably never learn to use ( I know myself - must to get without knowing what to do with it )

Best regards
Hannu

[Ron Chapellaz]

Hannu;
For me the jump from ver. 12 to X5 was huge. The trace is so much better. The greyscale as Ruben mentioned is great. I watched a webinar which explained that the big difference in Corel Draw occured from 12 to X3. My recommendation is to download the trial version of X5, and see what it can do for your needs. I believe the trial was 30 days. After that you still have a fully functioning program but unable to save any of your work. I bought my copy direct from Corel which also came with a hard cover book. If you download the program you don't get that book. Let us know what you think after you've played around with it.

[Hannu Rinne]

Thanks Ron,

I downloaded the trial and I'll let you know how it feels ! ( the tracing and greyscaling are almost the main things for me )

Regards
Hannu

[Dan Ashlin]

If you like bezier tools, you should try Illustrator sometime, that and the vector capabilities are incredible. Its really really pricey though. I'm still using the version I got at a discount in college lol.

[Joe De Medeiros]

For me the jump from X3 to X5 fixed a lot of bugs with imports I was having with X3.

[Dave Fifield]

Yeah, the new features in X5 are cool, BUT, they completely broke how the mouse scroll wheel works for zooming.

In X4 (and previous versions), wherever you placed the mouse cursor, the program zoomed in/out from there, so, if you wanted to zoom in on a specific area/feature in your drawing, you naturally zoomed and adjusted the mouse position (in or out) as you operated the zoom wheel and you were able to zoom anywhere easily and quickly.

In X5 they broke this. They take the zoom point as the mouse cursor of the first time you click the zoom wheel (in or out), and then do not update it, ever. So you cannot zoom in or out to a specific point just by moving the mouse as you rotate the zoom wheel. You end up getting lost on your drawing rapidly, and have to go up to the tool bar to do a "Fit to page" in order to get back to normality. It's just BROKEN!!! I tried to tell Corel about this, but they have not listened, apparently.

Anyone else have a problem with this, or just me?

Dave F.

[Mike Null]

Dave

Good to see you on the forum again.

My problem with X5 is the custom default settings. It doesn't seem to want to hold some of them, especially color palette. I'm setting RGB as my default but it keeps reverting to CMYK.