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Thread: Newbie Question

  1. #16
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    Thanks Mike.....DUH!!! I still think I'll find a hard copy though, hard to break the old habits.

  2. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Middleton View Post
    Thanks Mike, I picked up at 27" monitor,got things set up, and downloaded Corel on Saturday. The program itself offers little help and you answered my next question. I'll admit I'm more comfortable learning from a "book", go figure, but I guess I'll have to adapt. The ONLY thing good about that part is I'm probably 2-3 months out before my new building is complete so I'll how I feel about things then. Thanks again!
    I would suggest you learn the basics and then pick a project to attempt, something that you would likely do with your laser. Don't worry about colors, bitmaps, etc., all you need is to get a good grasp on vector drawing - text, lines, circles, rectangles, etc., along with layers. "the basics" would be no more than a few hours to learn and would give you a good foundation to add on other features that are very useful - smart fill, virtual segment delete, step and repeat, alignment, snap, guides, importing, tracing, etc. All told, you could learn the basics and a fair amount of these other features in a few days. The key is going to be finding a project and figuring out how to do it - make it a real job and you'll learn fast!

  3. #18
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    Thanks for the input Gary. I was slowly coming to that conclusion myself? I spent at least 6 hours today watching youtube, working my way through Corel tutorials, etc. I don't regret the time as I'm serious about learning this but....there's only so much you can learn without transferring it to a "real world" situation to figure out what you DON'T know
    I've also spent a lot of time on this forum and keep two Word documents open at all times so I'm building a file of info I suspect will be relevant as time goes on. Thanks again for your advice. It's definitely a sharp learning curve as several have mentioned but I knew that going in and am determined to see it through. P.S. Corel tells me a pdf is all they offer and it's about 700 pages so I'll have to think it through. I may print it and have it drilled then buy some matt board material and some posts or bolts with an acorn nut I can lift it instead of dumb bells. LOL.

    Quote Originally Posted by Gary Hair View Post
    I would suggest you learn the basics and then pick a project to attempt, something that you would likely do with your laser. Don't worry about colors, bitmaps, etc., all you need is to get a good grasp on vector drawing - text, lines, circles, rectangles, etc., along with layers. "the basics" would be no more than a few hours to learn and would give you a good foundation to add on other features that are very useful - smart fill, virtual segment delete, step and repeat, alignment, snap, guides, importing, tracing, etc. All told, you could learn the basics and a fair amount of these other features in a few days. The key is going to be finding a project and figuring out how to do it - make it a real job and you'll learn fast!
    Last edited by Steve Middleton; 03-21-2018 at 5:49 PM.

  4. #19
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    Gary needs to write that book.
    Retired Guy- Central Iowa.HVAC/R , Cloudray Galvo Fiber , -Windows 10

  5. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill George View Post
    Gary needs to write that book.
    If I thought I knew it all, I would! I have been accused of that before, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't a compliment

    Keeping a document open to copy and past hints, tips and tricks, would be a great idea. Do a search here using "Corel how do I" and you'll probably find a ton of useful info.

  6. #21
    Gary beat me to suggest that you create "real" projects for yourself in Corel. I would first begin with text as nearly everything I do involves text in some form. In that regard Corel is amazing.
    Mike Null

    St. Louis Laser, Inc.

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    Woodworking shop CLTT and Laser Sublimation
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  7. #22
    Solidworks is not the tool to learn for a laser. Also corel basics are pretty easy and almost all of my stuff use the basic tools. Nothing fancy. Learn the basics and you be fine to get started. Join shapes txt etc

  8. #23
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    OK...........I've been watching Youtube videos and per Gary's suggestion I've created some business cards with imported graphics. Can anyone help me break this learning curve/project curve into bite size pieces? Seral years ago I hired an artist who took my picture and turned it into a graphic logo which could well have been done in Corel? Any suggestions how to get from crawling to at least walking? thanks in advance for your help!

  9. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Middleton View Post
    OK...........I've been watching Youtube videos and per Gary's suggestion I've created some business cards with imported graphics. Can anyone help me break this learning curve/project curve into bite size pieces? Seral years ago I hired an artist who took my picture and turned it into a graphic logo which could well have been done in Corel? Any suggestions how to get from crawling to at least walking? thanks in advance for your help!
    What specifically would you like help with? There are so many possibilities that I'd be shooting in the dark trying to guess where to send you.

  10. #25
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    Gary said...."I would suggest you learn the basics and then pick a project to attempt, something that you would likely do with your laser. Don't worry about colors, bitmaps, etc., all you need is to get a good grasp on vector drawing - text, lines, circles, rectangles, etc., along with layers. "the basics" would be no more than a few hours to learn and would give you a good foundation to add on other features that are very useful - smart fill, virtual segment delete, step and repeat, alignment, snap, guides, importing, tracing, etc. All told, you could learn the basics and a fair amount of these other features in a few days. The key is going to be finding a project and figuring out how to do it - make it a real job and you'll learn fast."

    Gary, I have a basic grasp of text, lines, circles, rectangles, smart fill(I think), Importing. That leaves virtual segment delete, step and repeat, alignment, snap, guides, tracing?? Also another question I've been considering.....Assuming I learn the basics then how steep is learning curve for the machine software? I really want to do this but I don't want to go in blind as I have many times before Thanks in advance for all the help. This is a GREAT group a wonderful resource!

  11. #26
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    Other than someone recommending a good self guided learning book on Corel Draw my other suggestion is perhaps finding a local area college or high school that offers classes. But a lot is trial and error just learning the software.

    I am sure you found this > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKfFNNtfpMU
    Last edited by Bill George; 03-29-2018 at 8:21 AM.
    Retired Guy- Central Iowa.HVAC/R , Cloudray Galvo Fiber , -Windows 10

  12. #27
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    If you are wanting to fast start Corel, and can watch Youtube, go and look up Doug Green's Tips and Tricks. Epilog based, but 90% applies to my Chinese also. He has several hundred 2-3 minute on average videos. Covers a LOT of basics using Corel. A lot of conversions, and real tricks. He uses the latest version in this year's videos, was using x6 and x7 last year.
    Woodworking, Old Tools and Shooting
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  13. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by John Lifer View Post
    If you are wanting to fast start Corel, and can watch Youtube, go and look up Doug Green's Tips and Tricks. Epilog based, but 90% applies to my Chinese also. He has several hundred 2-3 minute on average videos. Covers a LOT of basics using Corel. A lot of conversions, and real tricks. He uses the latest version in this year's videos, was using x6 and x7 last year.
    I just watched his video on virtual segment delete - pretty well done!

  14. #29
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    Thanks, I'll get with the program!

  15. #30
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    Doug has learned over time to keep things short and sweet, He has done later updates from older posts, but I REALLY like almost all of his videos. I can watch 2-3 minutes and learn what I need vs a 15 minute post from some of the other guys.
    Woodworking, Old Tools and Shooting
    Ray Fine RF-1390 Laser Ray Fine 20watt Fiber Laser
    SFX 50 Watt Fiber Laser
    PM2000, Delta BS, Delta sander, Powermatic 50 jointer,
    Powermatic 100-12 planer, Rockwell 15-126 radial drill press
    Rockwell 46-450 lathe, and 2 Walker Turner RA1100 radial saws
    Jet JWS18, bandsaw Carbide Create CNC, RIA 22TCM 1911s and others

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