Corel DRAW Graphics Suite 12

The CorelDRAW Graphics Suite has long been an incredible value, combining three full-featured applications: CorelDRAW, for vector-based drawing and page layout; PHOTO-PAINT, for image editing and photo retouching; and R.A.V.E. for creating Web graphics and Flash animations. In addition to these three primary applications, the Suite includes several supporting utilities: Bitstream Font Navigator for font management, and CorelTRACE for bitmap to vector conversions, Corel CAPTURE for screen capture, and Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications. The Suite also offers import/export support for more than 100 file formats. New users will appreciate the enclosed training CD from Lynda.com with 120 minutes of interactive training videos.

Now more than ever, CorelDRAW offers efficient on-screen controls for modifying tool options, manipulating objects, and aligning document elements. The improvements in CorelDRAW 12 are fairly subtle, but after a short time working with dynamic guides, snap to objects, and smart design tools, you'll wonder how you got by without them. Despite its intuitive workspace and versatility, CorelDRAW has traditionally been snubbed by some industry professionals, although it is a very capable design tool. For small businesses, home users, students, and educators, CorelDRAW Graphics Suite offers a combination of ease of use and value that is hard to pass up.

The suite consists primarily of CorelDraw 12 (for illustration), Photo-Paint 12 (for photo and image editing), and Corel R.A.V.E. 3 (Rave Animated Vector Effects, for animation). Version 12's interface is virtually the same as Version 11's smooth, easy-to-understand layout.Previous versions of the suite already offered an impressive array of intuitive tools and features, providing users with easy access to tremendous power, especially for photo/image editing and illustration. Photo-Paint's natural media brushes, for instance, as well as CorelDraw's Artist Media brushes, are among the most extensive on the market. They are simple to control and come with a wide range of options for texture, shape, pressure, color variability, and more.

Similarly, CorelDraw has a heritage of first-rate illustration tools. Its typography handles text almost as well as a desktop publishing program, with the ability to lay out long documents up to at least 99 pages.Though not as powerful or versatile as other animation programs (like Macromedia Flash), R.A.V.E. 3 uses CorelDraw's excellent object creation and manipulation tools to animate sophisticated geometric shapes