Hello all,

one of the new feature of version X4 is the integration with the CorelDRAW ConceptShare online collaboration service. For those who don't know about CorelDRAW ConceptShare yet, it enables you to share design concepts with others and get their feedback. For example, you prepare the design work for your customer. Instead of sending out an email with 3 jpeg files attached and get answers back such as "I really like the blue of the first one, but you should use the font of the second one on the third", CorelDRAW ConceptShare provides you an online place where people can add context to their comments. In addition, it allows for real-time chat and collaboration and has tools to track approval as well as a full history of comments.

CorelDRAW ConceptShare is available for free to everyone (no need to have CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4) and you can upload CDR files (and other formats such as PDF, JPG, ...) directly to the server through the web interface, as well as many other file formats. With X4, you get the added benefit of being able to publish pages to CorelDRAW ConcpetShare directly from within both CorelDRAW and Corel PHOTO-PAINT.

Did any of you try this service already?

I would greatly appreciate your feedback and thoughts about it so that we can see how to improve the service going forward.

Gérard 

Does the client have to register for an account as well? I wanted to use this with a client the other day but their IT group had issues with their signing up.

They don't need to create an account. When you invite a client, you simply enter their email address and they will get an invitation. When they click on the link, they will go straight to your workspace, e.g. no need to create an account for them.

This brings me to a point that I forgot to mention: you don't need to have CorelDRAW to collaborate... X4 simply streamlines the process for the designer. 

Gérard 

 Wow, that is a bit pricey. Okay I just performed a test and uploaded an 11 x 17 Corel X3 document. When I Launched the workspace it was only 2 inches wide.

Curious about the encryption element. Noticed that the free account doesn't have that. Is the encryption to prevent theft, how secure is the site, does it store the client's work or is it just an interface for communicating? I would like to test trial with the free for a while, and if it worked well would probably move up to the paid account, but I wouldn't feel comfortable if I knew someone could have access to a client's job. It's easy enough for people to steal images these days, without making it even easier.

stodare:

Curious about the encryption element. Noticed that the free account doesn't have that.

The encryption that comes with the paid accounts is SSL encryption for the web page, e.g. go through https:// and not plain http://. Regarding the designs that you upload, the "Publish to ConceptShare" feature in CorelDRAW will only upload a bitmap representation of your design, so that the actual file you created is protected and well preserved on your computer. We know very well that your creation is your intellectual property and that in many cases, you don't want to share it. But just in case you do want to provide the original file, you can specify this through the advanced settings and tell CorelDRAW ConceptShare that your original file should be made available for download (this requires the use of the web interface at this stage)... it's your choice and be default, we take the most protective route.

Gérard 

Perhaps a feature (oops not in the feature forum section) but applies to this, would be an automatic watermark? Yes I know I could use Digimarc, but that would be extra steps since we are talking convenience factor. I think it was QuickBooks that had/has the feature "paid" when you printed an invoice. I think even one of my old Epson printers had a feature in the print dialgue that allowed you to select various watermarks like "draft."

Did I also understand that this service works like remote desktop, and that the client can see you draw on top of the design or make notes?

 Thank you for the feature feedback. I will share it with the team.

Regarding the remote desktop question, in a sense, yes, but not 100%. You will see in real-time the comments / annotations submitted by others, but not while they are writing them. Also, there is a real-time chat engine built in, so that you can exchange comments back and forth with the other people participating in that workspace. If you want to give it a try with me, let me know through private message and I will provide you with my email address to invite me to a workspace.

Gérard 

Just a quick question regarding this. I have a customer for who I currently produce PDF's of proofs and send via email for their consideration and subsequent annotation etc. all this is currently done via email. Could I use concept share for the same purpose? I have just ordered Corel X4 from a local supplier, but hadnt really considered conceptshare up to now as ive been using V12. I realise that I can use it without X3/X4 but I like the idea of tyhe streamlined integration.... saves me from exporting in different formats etc

Hello Andy,

yes, this is exactly the idea of CorelDRAW ConceptShare, to enable the review process to work in a more seamless way, and there are a few more things with this online service that make it a lot better than emails (realtime chats, built-in approval process, ...)

Gérard

I had a play with it but it is too low quality not being PDF.

But the real issue I find is even doing web pages in Drupal where I insist the client make comments following the page... which is way easy... I get phone calls and emails. Trying to get clients to break automatic habits and learn something even something as easy as comments in Drupal had proved to be a right effort.

My clients would rather ring me that way they can blame me when they don't mention something.

Yani

Thanks Gérard,

Sounds like it may do the job for what I need. I will give the free version a go first :)

Yani, I dont think that the quality will be such an issue for me as when a better quality proof is required following initial approval of an idea/concept, thats when a PDF can be exported and sent. Im just looking for a way to reduce the pile of emails filled with pdfs that get sent back and forth lol

Andy