Gotcha!

I ordered the Premium edition this afternoon. I look foward to receiving it! I've read a lot of excellent reviews on your new books and feel this book is well worth the cost.

kjake:

I would like some feedback on this course (link below). It's a six week intro course to CorelDraw. Do you feel it wold be a good beginner class for me? It's fairy inexpensive and it's a six week course. Or do any of you know of any courses that would be better? If so, can you please share this info?

 

http://www.ed2go.com/cgi-bin/oic3/newcrsdes.cgi?name=blackhawktech&course=icd&title=Introduction%20to%20CorelDRAW%20X3&departmentnum=CD&path=1

 

The sylabus seems OK, aside from the "let's create a webpage" on the last lesson. With Draw you can create graphics for your website, but to create a whole site with Draw is far-fetched, in my opinion. I would advise you to take a lot of notes and practice a lot. With such short-spanned courses it is likely you will forget 90% of what you learned after some months if you do not practice continuously.

If things go as planned, I will be using CorelDraw on a continuous basis. My next step is web design courses. I'm intrigued with DreamWeaver, but can only afford one program at a time right now. I know that DreamWeaver appears to be the most widely used for web design, but is there another program that would work just as well for a lower cost? This probably isn't the best site for this discussion, but if you can answer this or direct me to another discussion site that's as good as this one, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks for your feedback!

This forum have a lot of people working with web. So questions on web graphics arent so bad to ask at this forum. Both Photo-Paint and CorelDARW are great programs to make graphics for the web with. Do remember that yes, that it is with programs such as Dreamweaver you assemle it all with.

You asked for alternatives to Dreamweaver, less expensive.
Kompozer is one I come think about. And its legally completly FREE of charge. And isnt so bad actually.

http://www.kompozer.net/

And tutorials for Kompozer

http://www.thesitewizard.com/gettingstarted/mozillacomposer1.shtml

kjake:

If things go as planned, I will be using CorelDraw on a continuous basis. My next step is web design courses.

If you're serious on going towards web work, then no, your next step should not be "web design" courses, but courses on learning HTML and CSS. No matter what application you plan on using for web work, You will be severely limited without know these.

 

kjake:

I'm intrigued with DreamWeaver, but can only afford one program at a time right now. I know that DreamWeaver appears to be the most widely used for web design, but is there another program that would work just as well for a lower cost?

Dreamweaver is a great program; a new version of it will be released soon. Release date is to be announced on the 23rd. But DW will presume you already have a background in the fundamentals of HTML and CSS. So take courses in those items first. You don't need a special application to write those, you can use Notepad since HTML and CSS are only text.

 

 

Acually, the two beginner courses I'm taking are intro to HTML and CSS.

Thanks! That's excellent information to have!!

wrote in message news:34078@coreldraw.com...
> Acually, the two beginner courses I'm taking are intro to HTML and CSS.

Excellent! If they're making you manually type things out in a text editor
(instead of a "web editor app"), then that's a good thing. No web editor
app, regardless of the marketing hype, is WYSIWYG. Even Dreamweaver isn't
that kind of an editor. Many will give a *reasonable* "design view" but
that's never perfect because of the variations in how the different browser
brands (and versions) interpret the HTML code. At some point you're going to
have to dive into the code and manually tweak something. It's not anything
that's really hard to do, but with that basic knowledge of HTML and CSS
you're going to be lightyears ahead of someone who just tries to "learn
(insert any web editor name here)".

Hunter is right!

When the day comes and you sit infront of the computer screen, with either Dreamweaver or Kompozer , or whatever software you use, the day you have to fix something because of a Dreamweaver bug. Thats when you are gonna love that you can open the window in dreamweaver and manually check the code. Just so you can fix those elemental things. Thats when you are gonna love that you know some basic HTML or CSS, which I like to call HTM - its shorter than HTML

Well at least learn some basic HTML - to begin with.

Learning HTML sounds more difficult that it is.

The trick is to do a course where they focus on Web Standards so you learn the right way from the start.

Go here https://www.open.edu.au

Then look up a subject from Curtin Uni listed as NED11.

You could try this link but I'm not sure if there is joy in it...

https://www.open.edu.au/wps/portal/cxml/04_Sj9SPykssy0xPLMnMz0vM0Y_QjzKLN4h3NQTKRJoDWUG--iH6UfpR-aWJoXmZJc75Kan6kX6uLoaG-gXZiZEA6fSBmg!!

And then if you enjoy that unit there are plenty of options for further study including full degree courses.

kjake:

it seems to me that Corel is less expensive, can do more, and is a simpler program to learn on.

Everybody is doing his best to help and share a lot of useful information and experience, but I think they are not pushing you to come up with this verdict.

You may say that

"Though burning leaves and inhaling their smoke is bad, people does smoke and tobacco companies are of the biggest landmarks, humans built on this planet".

But you cannot say

"Though Adobe Illustrator is harder to use, can do less and pricier, people does use Illustrator, Illustrator is more widespread inside the professional graphic industry and No. 1 design tool"

Features in Illustrator

Since I'm a member of the species Yani described

Yani:

Most Draw users have made a choice based on reason and experience. If you were to ask the same question in an Adobe forum you would be sure to get the sort of response that goes... "There is no drawing tool that isn't made by Adobe that is any good." "And only the Mac is any good for graphics."

Draw users make choices based on features. Illu users follow the dogma of the company line.

We are almost a different species.

I'll add to what Mosh and Chadrick said; some features you will not find in CorelDRAW, related to web design:

1. Pixel View.
2. Slice tool (in Illustrator; not Photoshop).
3. Advanced SVG and SVG Filters support.
4. Integration with Adobe Photoshop.
5. Integration with Adobe Flash.

Since we are talking about web; don't forget: Dreamweaver is Adobe Dreamweaver.

Photo Editor

For web design you will probably need a photo editor, so you should take into account comparing Corel PHOTO-PAINT with Adobe Photoshop (and their integration with CorelDRAW and Illustrator respectively). As Mosh said

Mosh:

Illustrator is far more compatible with Photoshop (vectors remain vectors in PS). Draw's compatibility with PhotoPaint is not that great (vectors remain vectors only to some degree and only under specific circumstances).

Other features in Illustrator

1. Bitmap effects apply to vectors; feather and blur, for example.
2. Advanced OpenType features.
3. Fantastic Paint Brush tool with elegant huge Brush Libraries.
4. Wonderful stability while handling very complicated brushes and drawings.
5. Stroke (Outline) alignment options.
6. Live Color.
7. Live Paint.

I'm sure there are more; I've never used Illustrator :)

Wow.....my brain just hit overload!! You did a great job of explaining the two. I know that Dreamweaver is Adobe; but can you tell me what web design program will be compatible with CorelDraw (and Paint), like Illustrator is with Dreamweaver? The principal of the two applications is the same, isn't it? Don't you believe that if you can learn one, you should be able to learn the other; even if there are differences. Can CorelDraw be compatible wth Dreamweaver? Or does Corel have a program similar to Dreamweaver? I did purchase the new CorelDraw4 and am taking a six week beginners course. I am planning on taking the intro classes for html and other web design applications. My husband thinks I'm nuts, I think I'm trying to make a dream become reality.

And......I love this site. All of you have been so helpful and I look forward to being able to get to know all of you and some day hopefully be able to help out a beginner such as you've helped me! Thanks so much!!!

Let's talk clearly. Adobe is a great company and as been important throughout the recent history. Adobe was the creator of the PostScript language, and still there's no a good alternative to this language. Adobe has also developed the EPS and PDF formats, which do not have equivalents of other companies . Also, Adobe has developed the Type1 and OpenType fonts, of generalized use. Most RIP and printing systems uses the Adobe technology. Now, if you have a Macintosh, there's only one native vector software (Freehand was one option, but was bought by Adobe).

 

Nobody say that illustrator is a bad software, CorelDRAW is the best and the most complete vector software, because you need a lot of programs for do the same that CorelDRAW does, and is more easy to do it with CorelDRAW. For example, if you want to do a Print Merge, you can't do it with Illustrator, you will need InDesign, but also the lastest version, not the previous. CorelDRAW do it since the v.2.0

If you wan to impose a job, like a book o magazine, or you need to print labels or cards, you can do it in a few seconds with CorelDRAW, using the Print Preview. With Illustrator, you cant't do it, you must use Acrobat with some plugins (like QuiteImposing) or export to InDesign, a large and very difficult way for do something that you can do in CorelDRAW easy and fast.

The compatibility issue is not a major issue since you are working with graphic, as long as your final products are in common file type.
The advantage of using products from the same company is that generally they would have less problem since they are one family and speak the same language.

Corel Draw is like a multi tasking software that can do many of the jobs done by other individual programs.
However, as it is multi tasking, you wouldn't expect it to achieve 100% of what other softwares can do.
Those individual softwares definitely have their advantages.
But in most cases, you probably can live with Corel Draw alone as it's kinda one stop solution in graphic design.

Hi Kjake,

I have been a user of Coreldraw and Photo-Paint since 1997-98 I think. I used to use Photoshop before that a bit.
In the beginning people said I could only use a Mac computer and Photoshop if I was working as an illustrator as a proffession. "Rubbish" of cours, totally untrue. When I asked "them" why only Mac & Photoshop was the solution, they said it was because all my clients used Mac & Photoshop. As I said: "rubbish". I strated using CorelDRAW and Photo-Paint no matter what people said.

Have I ever had any problems with delivering my illustrations, or my graphic design or my web graphics???

NO! A plain and true NO.

The ONLY problem I have had, is with people in the "business" thinking all is about Adobe Photoshop, illustrator and Mac computers. And hence, in the early years I didnt tell them I was making my work in CorelDRAW and Photo-Paint. I let them live calmly in their bubble. NOt any more. I even let people know on my website that I use CorelDRAW Graphics Suite. And are any complaining about that? NO. Only a few oldies who still live in their bubble of miss conceptions. I even wrote an article about this in the member magazine of the Swedish Association of illustrators & graphic designers.

Today that situation is changing. Especially when it comes to Mac versus PC computers.

And one other thing, Dreamweaver & Flash was just recently called Macromedia Dreamweaver and Macromedia Flash, and had nothing in particular to do with Adobe products. They even made their own Macromedia Fireworks and Macromedia Freehand.

If you do graphics for the web you can easaly work with both CorelDRAW and Photo-Paint. And you will not have to worry about your purchase of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4. Be happy about it and start creating. And have fun.

I agree that Photo-Paint needs a lot of boosting up, and I am useally very adament about it. But its not like saying its a bad program. When we look at the Suite X4, CorelDRAW & Photo-Paint, its Photo-Paint that is the "weakest" part in the suite. But its not like saying its a bad program, and you can do basically the same things as in Photoshop and vice versa. My girlfriend use CS3 (photoshop) so I know what it can do, but it is still not enough for me to stop using Photo-Paint. And I guess the people at Corel understand this. That Photo-Paint has to get more TLC. And Adobe Illustrator is my opinion not even clos e to what CorelDRAW can do.

And finally to say that CorelDRAW & Photo-Paint dont have great compatibility is just not true. Or did I missunderstand that?